Nikasha Patel (’22)

I spent this summer working in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team, which provides Congress with thorough, non-partisan analysis of technological and scientific developments affecting our society. My project focused on the federal and state use of face recognition technology in law enforcement. More specifically, I analyzed the methodology for testing accuracy in face recognition algorithms, drafted an internal report, attended virtual interviews with government agencies, and conducted a literature review. I also learned more about a project on COVID and contact tracing by virtually Skyping into meetings I found interesting. Though I could not physically be in D.C. this summer, I was lucky to work on a project that is impactful, meaningful, and socially relevant with wonderful team members who became my mentors.