https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0161-3639
Contribution to Project: Lauren Etheredge brings a valuable intersection of artificial intelligence, data literacy, and research evaluation to the project. At the SSRC, Etheredge has played a central role in identifying and contextualizing AI applications for academic research, contributing to the development of a comprehensive, annotated database of 250 AI tools tailored for use by social science researchers. Her work in this area has helped demystify AI and expand its accessibility across disciplines. Etheredge has also contributed to the coding and analysis of multiple large-scale social media datasets, sharpening her ability to translate patterns and findings into actionable insights. She brought these technical and analytical skills to the present project, where she helped craft clear, user-centered guides designed to support social scientists in effectively navigating the DataViz tool. Finally, Etheredge’s background in evaluation research made her a key contributor in both internal and external testing phases of the tool. She provided valuable feedback on usability, functionality, and alignment with user expectations, helping to refine the tool’s performance and accessibility.