South Dakota Ag Connection - Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies to Host Colloquium Series

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Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies to Host Colloquium Series
South Dakota Ag Connection - 09/30/2022

The South Dakota State University School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies will host a series of colloquiums through the academic year.

The first colloquium will be Oct. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in Pasque Room 255 in the University Student Union. Dr. Dylan Spencer, an assistant professor of criminology, will be the presenter.

Spencer, who received his doctorate from the University of South Carolina, is a quantitative researcher who works extensively with large datasets from a variety of agencies and organizations. His research focuses on the geography of crime with application in areas such as policing, wildlife crime and crime prevention. More information about Spencer's background can be found on his website.

Spencer will be discussing how machine learning can be used to aid systematic reviews. "The process of a conducting a systematic review is very time-consuming as the goal is to review all relevant literature on a topic," explained Spencer. "This is contrary to the more widely adopted literature review which seeks to provide a thorough but basic overview of a topic."

To help the process of systematic review, a machine-learning tool, ASReview, can be used. "Specifically, this tool reduces the time required during the screening process of possibly relevant literature to be reviewed," Spencer explained.

Spencer will use the presentation to discuss how he used ASReview in his doctoral dissertation research at the University of South Carolina. He will also describe how he is currently using the tool in a study on policing effectiveness. Audience members will gain an understanding of the use of machine-learning tools to simplify the systematic review process in their own research.

The event is free and open to the public.

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