Faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are addressing issues related to access to healthcare and food systems, as well as racial and disability disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two Illinois professors have been named geospatial fellows for the Geospatial Software Institute (GSI) Conceptualization Project, which aims to study the spread and impact of COVID-19 and offer solutions to vulnerable populations it has affected.
Ruby Mendenhall and Andrew J. Greenlee comprise a list of 16 researchers from 13 universities with projects aimed at addressing issues related to access to healthcare and food systems, as well as racial and disability disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mendenhall, professor of sociology and African American studies, will focus her fellowship work on helping underrepresented students in computer science evaluate and analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerable communities in which they reside.
Greenlee, professor of urban and regional planning, will focus on the development of a novel system for tracking pre-eviction and post-eviction residential locations and household characteristics.
The GSI Conceptualization Project, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by Illinois’ CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital and Spatial Studies (CyberGIS Center), aims to develop a strategic plan for a long-term hub of excellence in geospatial software infrastructure that more effectively addresses pressing societal issues relating to food security, public health, and social resilience, among other concerns.