Micalyn Struble

2022

Walnut Creek, CA

Academic Interests

I plan to major in Computer Science and Philosophy and earn the Prison Studies certificate from the Divinity School.

Fun Fact

I am less than six degrees of separation away from Beyoncé—my best friend’s sister is taking an acting class from Beyoncé’s mom’s husband. It’s a small world!

Nothing is more important to me than pursuing criminal justice reform and ending mass incarceration. I worry that just as slavery turned into Jim Crow, which turned into what Michelle Alexander has deemed the “New Jim Crow,” our country now faces a technological threat of systematic racism and oppression. In my time at university, I’m seeking to build a skill set that will empower me to work against mass incarceration.

My ultimate goal is to go to law school. However, I want to spend my undergraduate career developing a strong background in Computer Science so that I can understand the way that technology is currently being applied to the justice system. I want to understand the technical side of tools like predictive policing, pre-trial risk assessment, and electronic ankle monitoring. I am also studying Philosophy to develop a background in logic so that I can convincingly argue for criminal justice reform. Finally, I hope to complete the Prison Studies certificate so that I can learn the truth about people’s experiences in prison.

I’ve cultivated this interest outside of class as well. I do research for The Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School, and I am on a Bass Connections Team that will restructure Duke’s Engineering 101 curriculum to incorporate engineering ethics. This past summer, I worked on a team that used machine learning techniques for Professor Nita Farahany’s ongoing study about the use of neuroscience evidence in criminal cases. I am part of a Re-Entry Team for formerly incarcerated people in Durham, and I participate in monthly restorative justice circles with the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham. Soon, I hope to help facilitate restorative justice circles with Durham’s burgeoning Misdemeanor Diversion Program.

Duke has shown me that questions of computer science and neuroscience are crucial to criminal justice. I hope to continue working at the intersection of technology and criminal justice until these problems cease to exist.

What do you like about being a SPIRE Fellow?

I am honored to join a supportive group of students and faculty who similarly care about the retention of underrepresented people in STEM fields. Together, we change society’s understanding of who belongs in STEM.

Struble
Micalyn Struble