December Newsletter

Winter is here, but we're looking towards Spring!

Let's get ready for BARI Conference 2026: Greater Boston's 10th Annual Insight to Impact Summit.

In This Issue:

It's All About BARI Conference 2026!
Job Opportunity in Civic Data Science
Resources and Events in Civic Research, Data, and Design

BARI Conference 2026: Greater Boston's 10th Annual Insight to Impact Summit

We are excited to announce that BARI Conference 2026: Greater Boston’s 10th Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit will occur on May 8th at Northeastern University. We are now accepting proposals for talks!

Submit a proposal now!

Proposals are due by 4:59 PM on

Wednesday, January 28th, 2026.

For a decade now, BARI Conference has been a unique forum for community leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to share how they are leveraging the tools of research, scholarship, and design with and for the communities of Greater Boston—and how we can do even more through collective action. This is made possible by your submissions for talks, covering a broad range of:

Insights, including research findings, program evaluations, data-driven implementations, methods and processes for collaboration, and tools and platforms for facilitating impact. We are interested in submissions centered on data-driven results or on reflections about how civic research collaborations are most effective and impactful;

Perspectives, including those of the public, non-profit, and private sectors, as well as academia;

Data, from qualitative stories and experiences to quantitative “big data;" and

Topics, including but not limited to: affordable housing and housing insecurity; jobs; public health; economic development; transportation; education; climate resilience and environmental justice; segregation, opportunity, and equity; public safety and law enforcement; arts and culture; and access to resources, amenities, and services.

Proposals will be accepted until Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 4:59 PM.

BARI will notify applicants by the end of February regarding selections for the conference. Please contact bari@northeastern.edu with any questions.

What Makes for a Great BARI Conference Proposal?

We encourage proposals that are…

Grounded in multiple forms of expertise. We value all forms of expertise, from generational knowledge to lived experience to formal training and everything in between. These bases of expertise can be rooted in any discipline or domain.

Innovative. We want to highlight projects that use data and research to advance knowledge, policy, and practice in greater Boston. These might entail novel approaches or ideas, or they could honor old ways of doing or being that have new relevance in our quickly evolving world.

Collaborative. We want to showcase the power of collective action: the felt and meaningful impact we can accomplish when we combine our specialized knowledge and skills. This might entail collaborations between individuals, across organizations or institutions, or any combination thereof. We are especially interested in submissions that describe civically engaged collaborations between community organizations, government entities, and/or research institutions that directly speak to opportunities to advance equity in the region. Preference is given to presentations about collaborative projects with at least two partners.

Directly relevant. We are interested in all topics meaningful or actionable for our communities. Submitters are encouraged to consider if and how their work addresses those individuals and populations in society who have the greatest need.

Proposal Instructions

Submit the title, speaker (and collaborators), and description of your proposal (<350 words) through the form below today!

Submissions should include both a description of the work and its real or anticipated implications or impacts for communities in Greater Boston. Proposals are for 10-minute talks to be incorporated into panels designed by our cross-institutional Conference Committee.

The conference will also feature a poster session designed to highlight the work of early career professionals in the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors, including students. You can indicate below if you would like your proposal to be considered for this session.

Proposals will be accepted until Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 at 4:59 PM. Applicants will be notified by the end of February if their proposals have been selected for the conference.

Submit A Proposal!

Check Out This Job Opportunity in Data Science!

Transportation Data Manager at MassPort

Massport is looking for a Transportation Data Manager to:

Monitor and analyze ground transportation activity, including traffic volumes, parking utilization, and transit ridership, while guiding the development of data dashboards;
Manage passenger surveys and traffic monitoring systems, ensuring accurate data collection, maintenance, and reporting for key ground access metrics;
Coordinate with transit agencies and internal teams to track performance metrics, update environmental reports, and provide clear, actionable insights from complex data; and
Develop forecasts, apply transportation models, and support planning initiatives that advance multi-modal access, sustainability goals, and long-range transportation strategies.

Resources and Events in Civic Research, Data, & Design

Jim O’Connell on Boston and the Making of a Global City · Jan 8, 12 pm

Join Boston University professor Jim O’Connell for a lunchtime conversation about his new book, Boston and the Making of a Global City. The book explores how Boston has been shaped by globalization and how it has also affected the processes of globalization. O’Connell teaches in the City Planning-Urban Affairs Program at Boston University and has a Ph.D. in Urban History from the University of Chicago. He will be in discussion with Marilynn S. Johnson from the Boston College Department of History.

Lunch will be served. Register here to attend.

InnovateUS Workshop Series

Brought to you in partnership with the GovLab, the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, and the Reboot Democracy Blog.

Public Engagement for the AI Era - Sessions Dec. 10th & Dec 18th

Learn how to design effective and efficient AI-enhanced citizen engagement that translates public input into meaningful outcomes. Hosted by Reboot Democracy and the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard.

Amplify: Mastering Public Communication in the AI Age - Sessions in Jan & Feb

Explore how AI tools—when used responsibly and transparently—can strengthen communication, broaden outreach, and counter disinformation. Hosted by former New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson and John Wihbey, Director of the AI-Media Strategies Lab (AIMES Lab) at Northeastern University.