Our History
BIP began in the Winter of 2018 as merely a concern amongst friends about a reality seen in the local community. Why weren't Rhode Island teachers required to be CPR-certified but students were to graduate high school, and why couldn't a policy be passed to change things? Suddenly, extensive research on the issue had been converted into a piece of legislation introduced into the RI Senate. It also inspired the realization that other students at Brown may be just as passionate about contributing to the advancement of sensible policy solutions.

Today, BIP specializes in education, health, and urban policy issue areas and is actively managing four research projects. Our approach emphasizes student collaboration with relevant, local stakeholders in Providence to conduct on-the-ground research, creating valuable opportunities for policy and community-action proposals. We actively seek new opportunities to leverage student -driven research and ideas into real-world contexts. With over 60 members, BIP has quickly become Brown’s leading policy and research student organization.
Community partnerships and a unified, research-focused mindset are at the core of our initiative.
Our Mission
Proposing and advocating for sensible solutions to problems in Brown's community.
Meet our Team
Leadership

President
Rebecca Blumenthal ‘25
Economics-Public Policy
Research VP
Aditya Lodha '25
History
Project Development VP
Clara Tandar '25
Biomedical Engineering & International and Public Affairs
Mental Health Co-Lead
Kate Kuli ‘25
Political Science & Philosophy
Mental Health Co-Lead
Maia Eng '26
International and Public Affairs
SARA Co-Lead
Emily Colon ‘25
Political Science
SARA Co-Lead
Camille O'Mara '27
English & Africana Studies
CAT Co-Lead
Julian Cohen ‘26
History & International and Public Affairs
CAT Co-Lead
Lily Zamora ‘26
Political Science & Economics
Community Health Co-Lead
AJ Wu '26
Computer Science & Economics
BIPTA Lead
Maddock Thomas '26
Critical Theory and Political Economy & Urban Studies
HOME Co-Lead
Colin Carter '27
International and Public Affairs
HOME Co-Lead
Riya Srinivasan '27
Political Science
Bilingual Education Co-Lead
Marcelo Rodriguez Parra '26
Computer Science-Economics & International and Public Affairs
Bilingual Education Co-Lead
Kayla Morrison '26
Political Science & Social Analysis and Research
Analysts

Mental Health Analyst
Jazz Carlson '25
History
Mental Health Analyst
Robert Carr '25
Neuroscience
Mental Health Analyst
Gavin Schilling '25.5
International and Public Affairs & Economics
Mental Health Analyst
Samantha Renzulli '26
Economics & Behavioral Decision Sciences
Mental Health Analyst
Taleen Sample '26
Economics & History of Art and Architecture
Mental Health Analyst
Caroline O'Brien ‘27
Cognitive Neuroscience
SARA Analyst
Mira Echambadi ‘25
International and Public Affairs & Applied Mathematics
SARA Analyst
Megan Ball ‘26
Computer Science-Economics
SARA Analyst
Erica Li ‘27
Applied Mathematics-Economics & Gender and Sexuality Studies
SARA Analyst
Faz Zaidi ‘27
Mechanical Engineering & Computer Science
CAT Analyst
Ava Cloonan '25
International and Public Affairs
CAT Analyst
Nathalia Klipp-Elias '25
International and Public Affairs
CAT Analyst
Darisel Velez '26
Political Science
CAT Analyst
Jared Lebovitz '26
Economics & Political Science
CAT Analyst
Marissa Scott '26
International and Public Affairs & Visual Arts
CAT Analyst
Leo Caplan '27
Political Science
CAT Analyst
Nash Riebe '27
Political Science & Philosophy
Older Adult Policy Analyst
Oliver Kneen '23.5
International and Public Affairs & Psychology
Older Adult Policy Analyst
Dylan Sciscoe '25
Applied Math-Economics & Political Science
Older Adult Policy Analyst
Hamid Torabzadeh '26
Public Health
Community Health Policy Analyst
Isabel Hernandez '26
Economics & International and Public Affairs
Older Adult Policy Analyst
Oleksii Shebanov '26
History & Slavic Studies
Community Health Policy Analyst
Kenneth Kalu '27
Public Health & International and Public Affairs
HOME Analyst
Charles Alaimo '25
International and Public Affairs
HOME Analyst
Aman Vora '27
Applied Math-Economics
HOME Analyst
Nicolaas Schmid '27
Political Science
HOME Analyst
Petros Engelhardt '27
Public Health
Bilingual Education Analyst
Brianna Paliz '27
Political Science & Economics
Bilingual Education Analyst
Esha Patel '26
Applied Mathematics-Economics & History
Bilingual Education Analyst
Faith Li '27
International and Public Affairs
Bilingual Education Analyst
Maria Camacho '27
Education
Non-Profit Economics Analyst
Emma Jeong '27
Business Economics
Non-Profit Economics Analyst
Zoe Kaufman '27
Political Science