Wellesley Centers for Women

@wcwonline

Research & action center at @wellesley.edu on gender equality, social justice, human wellbeing. #womenchangeworlds 🌍

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Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 2d

At the Crimes against Children Research Center Prevention Research Conference, Bogotá Education Secretariat members Carolina Ibarra, Mariana Ogliastri, Diayana Murcia, and María Gabriela Moncada shared how SB was translated, adapted, and tested in Bogotá, Colombia and [2/3] [ #WomenInSTEM ]

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 2d

Since 2005, Senior Research Scientist Nan Stein has researched, written and evaluated Shifting Boundaries (SB): Lessons on Relationships for Students in Middle School, a sexual harassment/teen dating violence prevention intervention for schools. [1/3] #EduSky #SciPol #WomenInSTEM #DevPsy #SchlPsych

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 12d

The Massachusetts Early Childhood Exchange recently visited WCW! ECX is a partnership among three founding organizations (MECPRC, The Rennie Center, and @sfc-ma.bsky.social) to ensure MA state leaders have the research and evidence needed to inform early childhood policymaking. #ECEC #EduSky #PAsky

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 14d

🔎 New Publication! Senior Research Scientist Linda Charmaraman contributed to a study assessing the relationships between adolescents with social anxiety and their dogs. Read the study's article here: bit.ly/adolescentdog #WomeninSTEM #DevPsy #SciPub #SocialPsyc

New in Publications
An Idiographic, Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Adolescent-Dog Relationships in the Context of Social Anxiety
Megan K. Mueller, Jasmine Mote, Eric Anderson, Brianna Paquette, Siyu Zhang, Angelique Zhong, Jordanne Brown & Linda Charmaraman
How do the relationships adolescents with social anxiety have with their dogs affect their ability to cope with stressors? This study uses an idiographic, mixed methods approach to explore adolescent-dog relationships in real-life contexts.
https://bit.ly/adolescentdog

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 26d

[3/3] Carolyn, who served as director from 1974 to 1980, shared stories from the Center's founding with researchers and staff. We were also happy to be joined by Susan McGee Bailey '63, who served as director from 1985 to 2010. #WomenInSTEM #PhDsky #SciPol

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 26d

[2/3] During her visit, we dedicated a portrait of Barbara W. Newell, who served as president of @wellesley.edu from 1972 to 1980 & founded the Wellesley Center for Research on Women in 1974. Without these two incredible women, WCW wouldn't be the powerhouse it is today! #WomenInSTEM #SciPol #PhDsky

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· 26d

[1/3] We were delighted to welcome Carolyn M. Elliott '59, the founding director of the Wellesley Center for Research on Women (later WCW), to Simpson Cottage this week. #WomenInSTEM #SciPol #PhDsky

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jul 13

Join the Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Lab for a FREE Virtual Digital Wellbeing & AI Literacy Workshop! This week-long experience is designed for middle school girls and allies to explore self-image & mental wellbeing in the age of AI. 🗓 July 20 – 24 ⏰ 1 – 3pm ET 📍 Online (Join from anywhere!) #edusky

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jul 10

Read Wellesley College's announcement of her appointment here! www.wellesley.edu/news/wellesl... #scipol #edusky #womeninstem #phdsky [3/3]

“Laura is an outstanding scholar and an institution builder with a proven track record of establishing partnerships and programs that enable interdisciplinary, community-based, policy-relevant research,” said Coile, who is also Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College and Stanford Calderwood Professor of Economics. “Her scholarship and her ability to mentor and support researchers in all career stages, combined with her targeted advocacy work, make her the ideal strategic leader for this role.”
“I’m excited to build on WCW’s work and continue contributing theoretically grounded, empirical research that can drive solutions for women, gender equity, and communities,” said Mamo. “I can think of no better place to be than alongside my colleagues at WCW, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.”

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jul 10

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Laura Mamo, Ph.D. as the next executive director of the Wellesley Centers for Women! Currently the director and a professor of public health at the Health Equity Institute at @sanfranciscostate.bsky.social, Laura will join WCW in September. [1/3]

Announcing Our New Executive Director!
Laura Mamo, PHD

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jul 6

Senior Research Scientist Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D. is featured in a @snexplores.bsky.social article by @kathrynhulick.substack.com on a new study showing that more than half of US teens use AI-based chatbots to complete their homework. Read here: www.snexplores.org/article/teen... #edusky #edtech

IN THE NEWS
At least half of U.S. teens use chatbots for homework and more

IN THE NEWS
‘More than half of U.S. teens use AI, according to the survey — mainly to get information or help with schoolwork. Dharunish says he and his friends often use AI to walk them through solving difficult problems in math or chemistry. “I find it really helpful,” he says, “because I learn a new way to do a problem.” However, he adds, “I never let the AI do all the work for me.”

Not all students take that approach. Six in 10 of the surveyed teens say students at their school cheat with AI, using it either somewhat often or very often.’

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 26

For @africasacountry.bsky.social, Research Scientist Nyasha Karimakwenda, Ph.D. wrote about the systematic erasure of LGBTQ+ Africans across the continent, and the LGBTQ+ African activists resisting this suppression. Read the article here: africasacountry.com/2026/06/refu... #gendersky #lgbtstem

IN THE NEWS
“African queers are often confronted by the claim that their existences are un-African; a detestable product of Western influence. And so African leaders and others expend considerable energy in attempting to do away with queerness through various tools of violence: rhetorical, legal, political, physical, religious, and sexual. At the same time that queer Africans are subjected to violence and live with the unrelenting spectre of it, they must also find ways to resist. It is a liminal existence, but one that demonstrates that queer Africans are permanently fixed within the continent’s bounds despite concerted efforts to effect their erasure.”

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 24

Your contributions allow us to advance gender equality, social justice, and human wellbeing through our high-quality research, theory, and action programs. Together, we can continue to shape a better world for generations to come! Donate: wcwonline.org/donate #womeninstem #gendersky #socsky #scipol

Join us in shaping a better world

We at the Wellesley Centers for Women are committed to building a world of justice, peace, and wellbeing for women and girls, children and youth, families and communities. We do this work in the best way we know how: through research and action.

This kind of work cannot continue without your support. Please consider a gift before June 30 to help us reach our goal for this fiscal year.

wcwonline.org/donate

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 19

For @theconversation.com, Senior Research Scientist Jennifer Grossman, Ph.D. wrote about the generational increase in fathers' willingness to discuss sexual health with their children. Read the article here! theconversation.com/dads-today-t... ( #devpsy #socsky #womeninstem #edusky )

IN THE NEWS
Dads today talk more freely with their teens about sex and relationships

IN THE NEWS
“Fathers’ increased involvement in parenting extends to talking with their teens about sex and relationships, and research shows that both fathers and teens see benefits to this.

Fathers see it as key to supporting their teens’ healthy development, while teens value their fathers’ perspectives and experiences. While many fathers worry that their daughters don’t want to talk with them about sex and relationships, research shows that daughters want to hear from their fathers about these topics.”

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 15

Dr. Linda Charmaraman was interviewed on @childmindinstitute.bsky.social's Thriving Kids podcast about the impact of social media on teen mental health! In this clip, Linda discusses the potential long-term consequences of parents banning their children from social media. #devpsy #cyberpsychology

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 8

For the WCW blog, 2025-2026 Intern and @wellesley.edu student Mallika Sunder wrote about her experience working with Associate Research Scientist Kate Price on a project exploring the impact of human trafficking awareness on victim criminalization laws. #pasky #crimsky #scipol #lawsky

Wellesley Centers for Women
ON THE BLOG
Internship Reflection:
Researching Human Trafficking
Policy and Public Awareness
Mallika Sunder

ON THE BLOG
"With Dr. Price's guidance, I embarked on a research project to test whether public awareness of human trafficking issues has an effect on the passage of anti-criminalization laws for children who have been sexually trafficked. Eventually, I found that there is an increase in Google searches related to human trafficking in a state about three years before noncriminalization legislation is passed in that state."
Wellesley Centers for Women

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 5

Read the full leave-behind document here! bit.ly/srcddoc [2/2] #womeninstem #lawsky #scipol #pasky #devpsy

Emerging Policy Considerations

Keep AI task-bound

For children, AI should avoid open-ended, friend-like conversations and remain focused on bounded tasks.

When social-emotional issues arise, systems should redirect youth toward real-world relationships and trusted adults.

Emerging Policy Considerations
Require safeguards for relational and mental-health uses
Youth-facing systems should clearly disclose that users are interacting with a program, discourage manipulation and unhealthy dependency, provide pathways to human support, and use strong age-appropriate defaults.

Emerging Policy Considerations

Require safeguards for relational and mental-health uses
AI systems should communicate limits and direct youth to adult or professional help when safety or mental-health risks are elevated.

This would involve age estimation to accurately detect that a child or adolescent is the user.

Read the full brief @ bit.ly/srcddoc!

Authored by
Pilyoung Kim, Ph.D.
Lauren Girouard, Ph.D.
Rachel Flynn, Ph.D.
Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D.

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 5

Dr. Linda Charmaraman attended a @srcdorg.bsky.social congressional meeting this April! Linda contributed to a leave-behind document for lawmakers that recommended changes to AI policy to protect children's wellbeing. Key points below! [1/2] #womeninstem #lawsky #scipol #pasky #devpsy

Emerging Policy Considerations for AI’s Impact on Children’s Wellbeing
Dr. Linda Charmaraman attended a Society for Research in Child Development congressional meeting and contributed to a leave-behind document of AI policy recommendations for lawmakers.

Key takeaways

Developmental science offers a useful lens for identifying predictable risks and opportunities across childhood, even as the evidence base, especially for children and adolescents, is still catching up to rapidly evolving products. Practical policy considerations include:
Emerging Policy Considerations
Starting AI literacy early
Keeping AI task-bound
Requiring safeguards for relational and mental health use.

Emerging Policy Considerations
Starting AI literacy early
Integrate AI literacy into school curricula and pair it with practical guidance for parents and educators.
This includes where the AI’s information comes from and normalization that AI can make mistakes.

Emerging Policy Considerations
Starting AI literacy early
These efforts should also foster social and emotional AI literacy so children can understand how AI shapes trust, relationships, and decision-making and use it in ways that protect well-being and human connection.

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· Jun 1

Again, congratulations to all the Wellesley College WCW interns, research assistants, and admin assistants! Learn about Noely and Mallika's presentations below. #womeninstem #edusky #socsky #lawsky

Capoeira Pedagogy: Transforming Learning Spaces
Noely Irineu Silva | Advisor: Dr. Wendy Robeson
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and cultural practice born from the resistance of enslaved Africans in colonial Brazil. Historically criminalized and later institutionalized, Capoeira has endured as a living tradition rooted in community, embodied knowledge, and collective survival. This study examines the transnational expansion of Capoeira to the United States and its reinterpretation within diasporic and marginalized communities, particularly immigrant youth.

Capoeira Pedagogy: Transforming Learning Spaces
Noely Irineu Silva | Advisor: Dr. Wendy Robeson

Using ethnographic and autoethnographic research with a Capoeira school in the Greater Boston area, this paper explores Capoeira as an inclusive, antiracist, and anticolonial pedagogy. This exploration engages Capoeira Pedagogy in dialogue with other existing critical pedagogies. Preliminary findings suggest that Capoeira schools function as transformative learning spaces that challenge hierarchical norms and offer alternative models of education.

Human Trafficking Safe Harbor Laws:
How Are They Passed?
Mallika Sunder | Advisor: Dr. Kate Price
I have worked with Dr. Kate Price on a project tracking what factors predict the passage of human trafficking Safe Harbor laws in states. The federal Trafficking Victims Prevention Act prevents victims from being prosecuted for acts that they were coerced into doing by their trafficker, but within states, children can be prosecuted, and even arrested for sex work that their trafficker forced them to do. Safe Harbor laws protect children from this prosecution.

Human Trafficking Safe Harbor Laws:
How Are They Passed?
Mallika Sunder | Advisor: Dr. Kate Price
We examine what factors within a state can predict the passage of these Safe Harbor laws from 2007-2025. Specifically awareness, measured in the number of searches relating to human trafficking that people in a state searched up each year, was a statistically significant variable that correlated with a higher likelihood of Safe Harbor law passage. I explore this variable and other factors in this project.

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 29

For @slate.com / @hechingerreport.org, Writer-in-Residence @laurapappano.bsky.social wrote about the Oklahoma school system's recovery from chaos caused by the ultra-conservative former school superintendent Ryan Walters. Read the article here: slate.com/life/2026/05... #edusky #schlpsych #pasky

IN THE NEWS
A MAGA Troll Almost Ran a Whole State's Public School System Into the Ground. It's Time to Find His Replacement.
SLATE

Wellesley Centers for Women
IN THE NEWS
"Walters' MAGA-style edicts-calling for Bibles in classrooms, book bans, anti-diversity measures, and ideological tests for teachers coming from blue states-drew national attention, spurred lawsuits and protests, and plunged Oklahoma public education into chaos. (Through a spokesperson, Walters declined to be interviewed or respond to a list of detailed questions.) Educators "still experience some PTSD," said April Grace, a former school superintendent and member of the Choctaw Nation who in 2022 lost to Walters in the Republican primary for state superintendent."
SLATE

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 22

Shreeya Lakkapragada presented on @wellesley.edu's storied, yet unknown, history with India and Indian scholars. [4/5] #edusky #phdsky #philhist #history

Hidden Histories, Educational
Expansion: The Wellesley-India Relationship
Shreeya Lakkapragada Advised by Dr. Neelima Shukla-Bhatt
India, a colonized country far away, would have hardly appeared in the vision of Wellesley's founders. Yet, the college's history with India started with the first graduating class of 1879. Through research over a period of two years at the Wellesley Archives and Harvard Radcliffe Institute, along with interviews with Wellesley alumnae, faculty and staff, this project brings to light unknown facets of the Wellesley-India relationship. These findings share how the Wellesley-India relationship has been shaping lives of women and influencing societal change worldwide.

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 22

Student researchers from Dr. Linda Charmaraman's Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Lab presented about three projects incorporating community and institutional partnerships. [3/5] @mgbresearch.bsky.social @tufts.edu #womeninstem #edtech #edusky #scipol

On- and Off-line Peer Racial
Socialization of Chinese American Adolescents
Showcasing the Lab's work with Brigham Women's Hospital, YMW's Building Our Bonds Authentically (BOBA) team (Angela Yong, Margaret Isacson) discussed Chinese-American racial socialization within school and online contexts.

Human-Animal Interaction
Research Project

In collaboration with Tufts University, YMW's human-animal interaction team (Cecilia Miller, Evelin Buestan, Annie Chen, Gatsby Langston) reported on qualitative interview data from parents and teens about peer-related stress and the impact of pets and online social support.

Summer 2025 Digital Wellbeing
Workshops

Lastly, student researchers Marinka Peralta, Bela Sanchez Taipe, Lillie Stewart, and Kathryn Geertsma showcased YMW's ongoing Digital Wellbeing workshop for middle school girls, which recently centered on Al chatbot companions and also provided separate tailored workshops for LGBTQ+ youth at OUT MetroWest, Framingham.

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 22

Anika Gupta presented on a qualitative study of fathers’ and teens’ perceptions of Dr. Jennifer Grossman's online program to support healthy father-teen communication about sex and relationships. [2/5] #gendersky #devpsy #educationalresearch #edtech

Bridging The Communication Gap: Analyzing Feedback On A Father-Teen Health Program Anika Gupta | Advised by Dr. Jennifer Grossman

"I worked with Dr. Grossman on a qualitative study of fathers' and teens' perceptions of an online program to support healthy father- teen communication about sex and relationships. My poster with study findings was accepted to the EPA 2026 conference.
One main theme was program impact, which included three subthemes:
1. Topic-related learning
2. Fathers' and teens' experience
of communication
3. Fathers' and teens' behavioral changes

Bridging The Communication Gap: Analyzing Feedback On A Father-Teen Health Program
Anika Gupta | Advised by Dr. Jennifer Grossman
"Fathers and teens described feeling closer to and more comfortable with one another when talking about sex and relationships after the program.
This example highlights the importance and need for tools that help fathers and teens communicate with each other."

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 22

Congrats to all the @wellesley.edu WCW interns, research assistants, and admin assistants who presented their research at the 2026 Ruhlman Conference, a communal event where Wellesley students have an opportunity to present their research work to a wide audience. [1/5] #womeninstem #edusky #phdsky

Wellesley Centers for Women
THE RUHLMAN CONFERENCE 2026
Congratulations to the Wellesley Centers for Women interns who presented this year!
Learn more about their research presentations

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 18

Read the article here: www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a... #gendersky #edusky

Wellesley Centers for Women
IN THE NEWS
"The Taliban regime, no longer content with merely excluding girls and women from schools and workplaces, has ramped up its misogyny with efforts to erase women's visibility from public life. The enactment in January of a new criminal procedure code heralds the loss of basic legal protections and further entrenchment of repression and discrimination against women and girls. It is for those reasons that many observers now talk of the Taliban's crimes as equivalent to gender apartheid."
PS

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 18

International Scholar-in-Residence @pashtanadurrani.bsky.social was quoted in a @projectsyndicate.bsky.social article about the impact of the Taliban's newest restrictions on Afghan women's rights to legal protections and education, and the work @learnafghan.bsky.social is doing to stand against it.

Wellesley Centers for Women
IN THE NEWS
Afghan Women, Too
Project Syndicate

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 8

Join us for our FREE Virtual Summer Digital Wellbeing & AI Literacy Workshop! This experience is designed specifically for middle school girls and allies to learn how to build a positive online presence and support themselves and others in AI-filled social media spaces. #womeninstem #devpsy [1/3]

FREE VIRTUAL SUMMER DIGITAL WELLBEING & AI LITERACY WORKSHOP
FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS + ALLIES AGES 11-15
Small group, project-based, collaborative work! Explore self-image & mental wellbeing in an Al world.

Co-led by Wellesley College Students, Co-Organized by Education & Computer Science Departments

When?
July 20-24 1-3pm ET

METROWEST HEALTH FOUNDATION
METROWEST WOMEN'S FUND

youth, media & wellbeing
RESEARCH LAB
Wellesley Centers for Women

Questions? Email us at:
youthmediawellbeing@wcwonline.org
Learn more at: www.wcwonline.org/summerworkshops
Eligible for community service, raffles & $25 Gift card!

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 5

We are currently recruiting @wellesley.edu students for the 2026-2027 Class of 1967 Internship Program! More info here: www.wcwonline.org/About-us-Ext... #womeninstem #edusky #phdsky #socsky #gendersky [3/3]

Paid Social Science Research Internship Opportunities!

wcwonline.org/internships
Wellesley Centers for Women

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 5

Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, each student intern gained social science research experience under the mentorship of a WCW research scientist or project director. Read more about our interns' experiences here: www.wcwonline.org/2026/meet-th... #womeninstem #edusky #phdsky #socsky [2/3]

Soha Khan
Mentor: Pashtana Durrani, M.Ed.
Community Development & Humanitarian
Response
Through developing literature reviews, media content, and advocacy materials, I've gained a deeper understanding of how education shapes long-term inequality in conflict regions.
8
bit.ly/wcw2526
Wellesley Centers for Women

Cecilia Miller
Mentor: Dr. Linda Charmaraman Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab
I have worked with Dr. Charmaraman since my sophomore year and have gained experience in every part of the research process, from helping to develop interview protocols, conducting interviews, analyzing data, presenting findings, and integrating research into practice.
bit.ly/wcw2526
Wellesley Centers for Women

Noely Irineu Silva
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Wagner Robeson Work, Family & Children Research Group
As a Brazilian student, this work allows me to engage more deeply with my own cultural heritage while also analyzing its broader social and historical impacts.
bit.ly/wcw2526
Wellesley Centers for Women

Mallika Sunder
Mentor: Dr. Kate Price
Justice and Gender Based Violence Research Initiative
Through this internship, I have gained an understanding of juvenile justice law, the criminal justice system, and what lawyers can do to advocate for survivors of human trafficking in a meaningful and survivor-centered way.
ט
bit.ly/wcw2526
Wellesley Centers for Women

Wellesley Centers for Women@wcwonline· May 5

Meet our 2025-2026 interns! At the start of the academic year, seven @wellesley.edu students began internships through our Class of 1967 Internship Program, established by generous gifts from Wellesley College alumni and friends of WCW. #womeninstem #edusky #phdsky #socsky #gendersky [1/3]