Submitted by Meera Roy
on
From the Information School:
Hello political science majors! :)
My name is Nina Lutz and I am a PhD Candidate in HCDE (Human Centered Design and Engineering) advised by Dr. Kate Starbird.
I am running a direct research group (DRG) (a for-credit research seminar) for the Center for an Informed Public's 2026 real time mid term election research. Read more about our center and past election work.
Every election cycle, the Center for an Informed Public runs rapid research -- searching for election rumors in real time. This involves a series of teams, and this DRG will serve as the TikTok hub to the main 2026 mid term election team.
This DRG is a great opportunity for folks who are yearning for hands on research experience and curious about learning ethnographic and observational methods to track rumors in real time in visual spaces like TikTok, where rumors are often shrouded in internet trends and if-you-know-you-know cultural codes. This is also, quite frankly, a great opportunity to turn your doom scrolling into science! Students will have the opportunity to work on tracking rumors and communicating them in real write ups that go to the public during the election cycle.
Last election cycle, the TikTok team published a paper (with our awesome undergrad TikTok researchers). Read a pdf of the paper.
Click here for more information and student expectations about the DRG. Students earn 2-3 credits, CR/NC grading.
If you are interested please apply by September 4th! Application