For the third consecutive year, the MSL community came together for the annual MSL Symposium – a showcase of student research and academic work, designed to highlight the importance and benefit of multidisciplinary study.
The two-day event kicked off with a keynote address from Tadeu Carneiro, Chairman and CEO of Boston Metal. Mr. Carneiro spoke about how Boston Metal is attempting to solve the problem of greenhouse gas 
emissions in “tough tech” steel manufacturing, facilitating the transition away from the carbon age and into the age of clean electricity. The keynote focused on some of the variables and challenges brought about by climate change, and introduced promising business opportunities associated with potential solutions to this multi-faceted problem.
Day two of the Symposium featured 21 MSL students presenting their work on a variety of topics occurring at the intersection of STEM, law, business, and policy. Topics ranged from artificial intelligence in medicine to entrepreneurial endeavors to navigating regulatory waters in a variety of industries. The full list of presentation topics, along with a description of each talk, appears below. You can find recordings of each presentation and previous Symposium highlights on our MSL Symposium website.
A special thank you to our student presenters – your presentations were wonderful, insightful, and enjoyable. Thank you, also, to the 2021 MSL Symposium Planning Committee for your work in guiding and shaping the Symposium. Finally, we are indebted to Tadeu Carneiro, for so generously and kindly devoting his time to support the MSL community.
We look forward to seeing you at next year’s MSL Symposium!
2021 MSL Symposium Presentations
AI Integration in Medicine: Case Studies and the Legal Challenges they Present
Dan Kinstedt (MSL ’21)
This presentation explores three current AI use cases in the medical field – ranging from diagnostic to clinical trials – and the potential legal risks they pose. It also covers prominent legal, regulatory, and ethical concerns, as well as prospective solutions.
Analyzing Global Cosmetics Regulations
Aishwarya Raj (MSL ’21)
This presentation compares regulatory frameworks governing the cosmetics industry in different jurisdictions. It looks at the scope of regulations, how those regulations apply, and the impact of regulations on product safety.
Analyzing the Performance and Value of 2020 Election Polls: How to Better Consume Polling Data
Stella Wu (MSL ’21)
This presentation aims to answer the following questions:
1) How divergent were the 2020 election polls from the actual result – where and why did such divergence occur?
2) Was there any systematic bias in the polling, and if so, which candidate was most affected?
By examining these questions, I hope to share advice on how to be a more informed consumer of data when interpreting and commenting on future election polls.
Clinical Research Regulation – How Hollywood Can Help
Jill Woodman (MSL ’22)
Clinical research has multiple layers of regulation designed to protect patients and ensure that their participation is safe, meaningful, and worthwhile. Yet, Hollywood portrays clinical research as if it is a very unregulated and unsafe process, and this may hamper patient participation. If Hollywood were to accurately portray the process of clinical research, patients would better understand the protections and procedures and would be more likely to participate in the process of clinical research.
COVID-19, Depression, and the Public Health Implications
Brittanie Clarke (MSL ’21), Erica Leser (MSL ’21), and Nevena Aleksic (MSL ’21)
The COVID-19 pandemic has broad implications for the future of public health. Through a quantitative analysis of current mental health data, we examine how different population groups are affected by the pandemic. Such an analysis allows us to anticipate future needs in health policy.
Criminal Justice Policy and Racial Disparities: the Illinois Department of Corrections as a Case Study
Yasmine Ramachandra (MSL ’21)
This year, Illinois became the first state to abolish the cash bail system, and we know that other monumental reforms are on their way. But what effect have past reforms had on shaping the prison system, and have they influenced population demographics? How can this analysis inform future advocacy? This talk will address the effects Illinois criminal justice policy has had on inequalities in the system.
FullCycle: Our Entrepreneurship Journey to Diagnosing Endometriosis
Karyssa Clark (MSL ’21), Rakshitha Kamath (MSL ’21), Yasmine Ramachandra (MSL ’21), Alexis Smith (MSL ’21)
This presentation discusses FullCycle, a company that was born in the MSL Entrepreneurship Lab class. FullCycle seeks to diagnose endometriosis early and non-invasively. We all know someone with endometriosis; this talk highlights an entrepreneurial approach that will address gaps in the care of this serious disorder.
Monitoring and Oversight of Clinical Trials: The Internal Audit Function
Kara Ferracuti (MSL ’22)
Many entities facilitate proper monitoring and oversight of clinical trials, including the Food & Drug Administration, Institutional Review Boards, and sponsors. Even with all this oversight, clinical study teams need to do more to ensure they are in compliance with applicable rules and regulations. The internal audit function should be a standard part of clinical research to help identify non-compliance, ensure the protection of human research subjects, verify the accuracy and reliability of data, and improve site processes and staff training.
MSL: A Year in Entrepreneurship
Elizabeth Bailey (MSL ’21), Brent Halvorson (MSL ’21), Peter Lee (MSL ’21)
Despite coming from varied experience and educational backgrounds, our team had a common interest in exploring the realm of entrepreneurship. Thanks to the innovative MSL curriculum and powerful program network, we were able to dive into the Chicagoland startup scene and discover new career opportunities and interests. In this presentation, we will highlight our entrepreneurial journeys through the MSL program.
Navigating Regulatory Waters: Confronting the Public’s Problem with PFAS
Madeline O’Dwyer (MSL ’21)
It is now estimated that over 98% of humans have industrial PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances) in their blood. The EPA’s proposed rule to address this problem is deficient, as it lacks proper testing methods and sampling decisions. Remedying the proposed rule requires the consideration of factors such as environmental justice, health of vulnerable groups, and the use of best available technology.
Shaping Healthcare Policy: Inserting the Voice of the Rare Disease Patient
Monica Weldon (MSL ’22)
Rare diseases in the United States are an unrecognized public health burden; rare disease patients face delayed diagnoses, limited or non-existent treatment options, and lack of access to appropriate care. The pathway to improving the landscape is including the patient voice and using it to mobilize legislation that will better address the needs of those with rare diseases.
The Legal Landscape Governing Cloud Computing in the United States: How do State Laws Define Legal Liabilities and Responsibilities for Cloud Security Breaches?
Hiro Inazawa (MSL ’22)
Cloud service providers have been expanding their businesses over the past ten years, yet this expansion brings about greater risk of liability, particularly with regard to data security and privacy protection. The presentation explores the 2019 data breach litigation – In Re: Hanna Andersson and Salesforce.com – to investigate how state data breach notification laws define legal liabilities and responsibilities for cloud security breaches.
Turning People into Trees: Advocating for Natural Rights in American Law
Michelle Carter (MSL ’21)
America is desperately searching for policy solutions to mitigate environmental damages as the climate crisis worsens. One solution is giving legal rights and personhood to natural features. This talk introduces the basis for these rights, explain the history and current issues in natural policy, and outline the future of rights for nature in America.
Zero to One: A Medical Device Story
Kan-Min Steven Hsu (MSL ’21), Kimberly Ransom (MSL ’21), Vishal Shah (MSL ’21), Ian Welsch (MSL ’21)
Our company, VIKS, is born out of the MSL Entrepreneurship Lab class. United by the desire to improve patient care, we merged our business, legal, and technical backgrounds to create a healthcare solution. This presentation is a behind-the-scenes look at our journey – from ideation to a product solution.
