Jacob Kirksey

UC Santa Barbara’s Graduate Division, the Graduate Student Association, and the Library will co-sponsor Lunch & Learn featuring Jacob Kirksey, a graduate student at the Gevirtz School, on Friday, November 2 in Library Room 1312, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Kirksey will present “Going Beyond What Is Expected: How ICE Raids Impact School Absenteeism in a Historic Migrant Community,” a talk which explores a population of critical interest in the current political and policy landscape: first- and second-generation immigrant-origin students. The second talk, “Neurodegenerative Diseases: An Ion Mobility Perspective,” will be presented by Chemistry graduate student Veronica Laos. The event is free and open to the public and includes lunch; those wishing to attend should RSVP online.

Jacob Kirksey is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Education and a graduate research fellow with the National Science Foundation. Drawing from various perspectives and interdisciplinary frameworks in educational policy, Kirksey’s research examines unintended consequences in educational policy and focuses on frequently forgotten student populations (e.g. students with special needs). Trained as an economist, he primarily uses quasi-experimental methods with large, secondary datasets. As an instructor, Kirksey seeks to expand the way in which practitioners and policymakers use and interpret data in their decision-making.

Lunch & Learn is a monthly informal seminar series that provides grad students with two important things: free lunch and a chance to socialize with and learn from their peers from across the campus.