This Spring 2026, ongoing.
My research on digital media, environmental justice, and science communication directly aligns with the experiential social action model. I am committed to teaching students how real-world campaigns can mobilize data-driven evidence and community engagement to demand institutional accountability for environmental hazards. This Institute will help me design a rigorous, semester-long course where students launch authentic campaigns on issues like water contamination, energy justice, and algorithmic transparency—moving beyond traditional classroom analysis to develop tangible change-making skills grounded in justice frameworks.
I have not previously taught a formal social action course, but my research and mentoring practice are deeply embedded in participatory, justice-centered methodologies. I have:
Led mixed-methods research projects examining how communities mobilize around environmental health risks and disaster communication, with explicit focus on historically marginalized populations
Designed undergraduate-led transdisciplinary research that centers lived experiences and community voices in research design and dissemination
Mentored students in critical environmental communication frameworks that analyze power, agency, and structural inequities in how environmental knowledge is constructed and circulated
Published work on source credibility and public engagement that examines how institutions build or lose community trust through transparency and accountability
Supervised student research on data infrastructures and algorithmic systems that shape environmental narratives, creating opportunities for students to think critically about whose interests are served by technical systems
This foundation in participatory research methods and environmental justice analysis positions me to guide students in designing campaigns that are both strategically effective and grounded in equity commitments.
Students may develop campaigns around the following issues (with flexibility for student interest):
Water security and justice: Mandatory disclosure of data center water consumption projections; protection of drinking water sources serving Blacksburg, Montgomery County, and downstream communities; community benefit agreements requiring investment in water infrastructure
Energy transition and climate accountability: Requiring data centers to commit to 100% renewable energy; preventing reliance on fossil fuel backup generators; integrating data center electricity demand into county renewable energy goals
Air quality and public health: Establishing community air monitoring networks (emulating Loudoun Climate Project model); mandatory cumulative impact assessments for backup generators near schools and residences; emission limits and disclosure requirements
Transparency and democratic participation: Ending non-disclosure agreements that hide corporate water/energy usage from public scrutiny; requiring environmental impact assessments before zoning approval; creating community benefit agreements with enforceable accountability mechanisms
Land use and agricultural preservation: Protecting Montgomery County's agricultural reserve from conversion to data center development; ensuring compact, efficient facility design that minimizes ecological footprint
Algorithmic and data justice: Examining how AI training infrastructure concentrates environmental burdens in specific regions; requiring impact assessment on Global South communities affected by resource extraction for data center cooling and infrastructure
Students may focus on one issue deeply or develop an integrated campaign addressing multiple dimensions.
How did you hear about opportunity
I learned about the DC '26 Institute through my department's faculty listserv, and was immediately drawn to the model's emphasis on mainstreaming experiential democracy through real-world campaign experience. The Institute's framework aligns perfectly with my commitment to teaching students not just to analyze institutional problems but to develop practical skills and confidence in collective change-making, particularly around issues of environmental justice and scientific accountability.
Postdoctoral Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer
- Digital media
- Environmental justice
- Science communication
- Data-driven evidence
- Community engagement
- Institutional accountability
- Water contamination
- Energy justice
- Algorithmic transparency
- Data storytelling
- Policy-making
- Inequities in data systems
- Public-facing exhibitions
- Social action campaigns
The course focuses on how data can tell stories in policy-making and planning, emphasizing the role of scientific and experiential knowledge. Students will engage in campaigns addressing issues like water security, energy transition, and algorithmic justice, culminating in a public exhibition called "Data Art Rage." The instructor, Shumaila Bhatti, aims to equip students with skills for real-world change through participatory methodologies and community engagement.
- Course: Data and Art of Policy and Plans
- Instructor: Shumaila Bhatti
- Focus on environmental justice and community engagement
- Students develop campaigns on issues like water security, energy transition, air quality, and algorithmic justice
- Course includes a "Data Art Rage" showcase
- Emphasis on participatory methodologies and real-world applications
Political Science / Politics
