Join members of the GEIS research group as we reflect on an impactful first year advancing the integrity and security of election and online information systems. This two-hour event will highlight key 2025 achievements—from research breakthroughs to community collaborations—and unveil GEIS’s 2026 initiatives aimed at supporting local and state partners in preparation for the midterm elections. We invite students, faculty, and public officials to engage with our team, share perspectives, and explore new opportunities to strengthen the resilience of our political and information ecosystems.
Date: December 8, 2025
Time: 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: Hornbake 2119 (Hybrid event)
Audience: Students, faculty, public officials, research partners, and community collaborators
This hybrid event will be held in person on UMD’s campus in Hornbake South, HBK 2119 and virtually via Zoom. To attend in person, please fill out this form. For online registration, sign up via this Zoom link.
Agenda
Welcome and Opening Remarks: 10:30 AM – 10:35 AM
Speaker: Doug Oard, Interim Dean, College of Information
Setting the Scene: 10:35 AM – 10:40 AM
Speaker: Cody Buntain
- Overview of GEIS’s mission and first-year major accomplishments and milestones
- Reflections on research, community engagements, and partnerships
- Outline of today’s goals: trust, community, and looking to 2026
Panel 1: Building Trust in a Turbulent Information Landscape: 10:40 AM – 11:10 AM
Theme: Looking back on GEIS’s first year and its research achievements
Moderator: Cody Buntain
Dr. Julia Mendelsohn: NLP for Democracy and Discourse
Advances in understanding dehumanizing language, misinformation, and AI’s role therein
Dr. Rajeshwari Majumdar: Misinformation Beyond Feeds
Findings from a WhatsApp deactivation study in Brazil
Dr. Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia: Algorithmic Trust and Designing Prosocial Architectures
Designing, deploying, and evaluating feed-based recommendation systems for improving our information environment
Dr. Masha Krupenkin: Social Dynamics of Offline and Online Behavior
Political behavior, communication, and the impacts of offline events
Followed by Q&A
Panel 2: Community, Collaboration, and Capacity Building: 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Theme: Connecting scholarship to civic engagement and policy partnerships
Moderator: Masha Krupenkin
Dr. Jennifer Golbeck: The Rooster Recognition Project
Public engagement and civic science collaborations
Dr. Paul Brown: Election Partnerships, the BIG10 Democracy Summit, and Other Initiatives
Strengthening state-level election information systems
Dr. Nejla Asimovic: On Global Partnerships and the Need for Cross-National Studies
Managing large-scale, global research studies and the criticality of in-country partnerships
Dr. Ernesto Calvo: Engagement and Feedback Loops with Fact-Checking Organizations
Collaborating with and supporting civil society organizations and fact-checking groups
Followed by Q&A
Panel 3: Elections 2026: Strengthening Information Resilience: 11:50 AM – 12:20 PM
Theme: Looking forward to 2026, the midterm elections, and new partnerships
Moderator: Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia
Dr. Cody Buntain: A Student-led, State-Wide Election-Monitoring Cooperative
A model for engaging students from across the state in collecting exposure data on election-related information
Do Won Kim: Improving Knowledge and Perceptions of Election Integrity via AI
AI and chatbots as avenues to bridge election officials’ efforts and the public’s interests
Dr. Julia Mendelsohn: Broader Events for Engaging Researchers and the Public
Upcoming workshops, tutorials, and meetups
Engaging the Audience: Collaborative Brainstorming for 2026 partnerships
Closing Remarks: 12:20 PM – 12:30 PM
Speaker: Cody Buntain
- Summary of takeaways and key initiatives for 2026
- Invitations to connect with GEIS researchers and students
- Collaborations and partnerships
