Sina-Marie Mayer works at the intersection of data science, AI, and public policy. In a directed research project, she analyzes large-scale Reddit data using natural language processing and topic modeling to examine how fear and stress appear in public discourse around artificial intelligence.
Topic
Public Policy
Trump’s Actions to Slash Red Tape Fall Short of Early Promises
“If it holds up in court, it will lead to specific deregulatory actions that will be very significant for the economy and the environment,” said Stuart Shapiro, pointing to the ending of fuel economy standards for cars and emissions rules for power plants…
NJSPL: New Jersey’s New E-Bike Laws – What Comes Next?
On January 19, 2026, former Governor Phil Murphy signed S4834/A6235 into law, establishing a new regulatory framework for electric bicycles in the Garden State. This blog by Leigh Ann Von Hagen and Gabrielle Cain explains the next steps.
EJB Talks: Planning, Policy, Politics, and the Path to Office
This week on EJB talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro talks to Bloustein alumnus Katie Brennan MCRP ’12, now an Assemblywoman in New Jersey’s 32nd District. Katie reflects on how her early exposure to housing instability, volunteer work, and her undergraduate policy studies shaped her belief that “everything is a housing issue.”
VTC Report: The Evolution of NJ TRANSIT Funding
The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) has released a new report examining the history of public transit funding in New Jersey and its lasting implications for system performance today. This work was sponsored by NJ TRANSIT to document how past funding...
EJB Talks: Beyond “Does It Work?”
EJB Talks returns for Season 14 with Dean Stuart Shapiro speaking with new Public Policy professor Laura Peck. Laura discusses her journey from undergraduate activism to policy analysis, a PhD, tenure at Arizona State, and more than a decade at Abt Associates. She shares how that work shaped her focus on careful, policy-relevant research, specifically taking about her evaluation of the federal Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program.
Kevin Dehmer to Serve as State’s Chief Technology Officer
Governor Mikie Sherrill announced Kevin Dehmer as her pick to be the state’s next Chief Technology Officer, overseeing the New Jersey Office of Information Technology. As Chief Technology Officer, Dehmer will advance the modernization of New Jersey’s digital infrastructure, improve the efficiency and transparency of the state permitting process, adopt technologies to clear licensure backlogs and reduce wait times, and strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities against AI-driven challenges to position New Jersey for long-term success.
NJSPL: Electricity Bills and AI Data Centers
Considering the impact of AI on electricity bills, data centers in the Northeast could be part of the problem.
Sommer & Soliman On BINJE’s Power Players List
Business in New Jersey Everyday (BINJE) honored CEOs and executive directors, managing partners and principals – those who are in charge in every sector in every corner of the state. Two Bloustein School affiliates made the list for 2026
The Paperwork Reduction Act Doesn’t Reduce Paperwork
In the 30 years since the last revision of the PRA, it has arguably failed to reduce burden (indeed, burden has increased in that time!). The PRA’s failure in turn threatens the success of the government initiatives subjected to the process.