Applied & Computational Mathematics seminar: Quantifying Fairness—Metric Based Approaches to Shape Comparison in Electoral Redistricting

Speaker:  Ranthony Clark (Duke University)

Title:  Quantifying Fairness—Metric Based Approaches to Shape Comparison in Electoral Redistricting

Abstract:  "Quantitative justice" comprises an emergent research field addressing real world problems of societal inequity via the development of new and robust mathematical, computational, and statistical approaches. In this context, mathematical tools are used to quantify notions of ``fairness'' in a given domain, generating both new mathematics and impacting society at large.

Intense public debate and increasingly available computational resources have focused significant interest on fairness in redistricting in recent years. In this talk, we will discuss some quantitative redistricting approaches utilizing metric geometry and data science. These techniques balance theoretical backing with computational considerations to apply shape comparison and object matching to problems in real world contexts.

Time:  Friday, April 26, 2024 - 1:30pm-2:30pm

Place:  Exploratory Hall, room 4106