Smart Girl Shreya Nallapati brings teen girls together to fight gun violence with #NeverAgainTech
“THAT’S IT.” Less than one week after the Parkland high school shooting, Shreya Nallapati, a high school senior in Colorado, started a post with ALL CAPS and strident purpose to send to her Aspirations in Computing Community network of young women technologists, organized under the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). She went on, “I am so inspired by Emma Gonzales that I’ve decided simply posting about stopping gun violence will not make a change… I want to focus on using predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to analyze gun violence data to hopefully prevent or minimize the next attack.”
“I am reaching out to NCWIT because I realize the potency of this amazing group of hardworking girls,” Shreya continued. “I want to work with girls who have experience in predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), girls who can research and identify the markers of gun violence, and girls who can advocate for the collective protection of innocent individuals. Gun violence, specifically through school shootings, is not entrenched in political bias. With technology and the power of a new generation, the Florida shooting will hopefully be the last massacre. Message me if you’re interested.”
105 young women from around the nation immediately responded and joined #NeverAgainTech to use data collection, predictive analytics, and AI to actively predict and prevent mass shootings.
By combining and coordinating multiple groups of databases, Shreya’s team is organizing the biggest and most comprehensive data set on gun violence. Dozens of young women coders who specialize in predictive analytics will map this data against other patterns associated with mass shootings, such as socioeconomic status and prevalence of mental illness in the perpetrator, geographic location and policy in the affected state, as well as type and availability of firearms in that area. The picture that emerges will highlight vulnerabilities that can help school districts and administrators become more strategic in mitigating the risk with smarter, more customized safety training and security precautions.
For Nicole Meister, a high school senior in Maryland, joining #NeverAgainTech was the perfect way to combine her love to AI with her desire to protect and serve her community.
“We have some challenges, like the fact that no centralized database on gun violence incidents exists yet, and our virtual team comes from so many different backgrounds and experiences,” said Nicole. “But our ‘Data Divas’ group is working hard to build something new and useful, and we are using our diversity to our advantage by brainstorming ways we can make this project even more successful.”
#NeverAgainTech is not only focused on data to help prevent more mass shootings. The team is also creating a networking platform in which students can collaborate with each other, policymakers, and industry professionals across interdisciplinary fields. Their goal is to crowd source ideas and funding to organize national walkouts/marches, to send care packages to the affected victims, and to create anti-bullying campaigns that unify student bodies.
The most remarkable aspect of #NeverAgainTech is that it’s both led by teenagers and it is nearly all girl powered — which, in the typically male-dominated industry of technology, is profound. Shreya herself discussed experiences of being pushed aside or dismissed by her male counterparts in tech because of her gender.
“Millions of girls have these stories,” she said, “but that’s another reason #NeverAgainTech is so incredible. Those experiences have motivated us all the more to believe we can do something BIG, like play a role in stopping gun violence in America. Until one of us becomes president, this feels like a pretty meaningful thing we can do.”
While #NeverAgainTech is new, it’s moving fast. Shreya is speaking at several town councils and symposium to raise visibility and funds to grow her effort. She’s also partnering with state of Colorado to get more girls into cyber security through girlsgocyberstartup. The team welcomes anyone who’d like to help or contribute to their effort, and Shreya is quick to point out, “You don’t have to have a lot of tech expertise — just a willingness to make a difference!”
For more information on #NeverAgainTech visit their website, or follow them on Instagram #NeverAgainTech and Twitter @NeverAgainT.
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