Tortorella Initiative
"Statistics is not merely a tool of analysis — it is an instrument of justice, capable of revealing inequity, holding institutions accountable, and empowering communities."
The Tortorella Statistics for Social Justice Initiative at Fordham University combines the rigor of academic learning with the impact of community engagement. Through this initiative, undergraduate and graduate students work alongside faculty, research mentors, and local community partners - bringing the power of statistics, probability, data science, and applied mathematics to bear on pressing societal challenges.
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A distinctive hallmark of the program is its emphasis on critical quantitative methods: equipping students to think not only about how to use data, but about the history and politics of data itself — how statistical practices can perpetuate inequity, and how they can be deliberately deployed to advance justice.
Students participating in the program will develop comprehensive skills in data analysis, policy analysis, project management, and community-based research. Each year, Tortorella Fellows will present their work at an annual showcase that will bring together community partners, Fordham faculty and staff, and the broader public.
Learn more at the initiative's website on Github.
Faculty Director
Dr. Juntao Chen
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
Fordham University, New York
Dr. Chen provides scholarly leadership for the initiative, overseeing research design, mentoring, and the academic direction of Tortorella Fellows. His research intersects computational methods, data science, and community-engaged scholarship, with a focus on applying rigorous quantitative approaches to problems of social significance.
📧 [email protected]
