Elissa Ball is a former data analysis intern for Spectrum. Prior to coming here, she worked in the Yonkers Public Library and as a tutor for Kaplan Test Prep. She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, with a minor in mechanical engineering, from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

Elissa Ball
From this contributor
Why autism training for police isn’t enough
Inconsistent and underfunded training programs may hurt more than they help, experts say.

Why autism training for police isn’t enough
Autistic and non-autistic youth get different healthcare as they age
Young people with autism receive more mental health services, more consistent primary care and less gynecological or urgent care than their neurotypical peers.

Autistic and non-autistic youth get different healthcare as they age
Almost one-third of autistic children in the United States live in poverty
Children younger than age 5 and Black and Hispanic children on the spectrum experience the most financial hardships.

Almost one-third of autistic children in the United States live in poverty
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Babies, bees and bots: On the hunt for markers of consciousness
To truly understand consciousness, we need new methods to measure it and detect it in other intelligent systems.

Babies, bees and bots: On the hunt for markers of consciousness
To truly understand consciousness, we need new methods to measure it and detect it in other intelligent systems.
Jennifer Prendki explains why AI needs to emulate life
Prendki describes how her work on large artificial-intelligence models shaped her view that current AI needs inspiration from living organisms.
Jennifer Prendki explains why AI needs to emulate life
Prendki describes how her work on large artificial-intelligence models shaped her view that current AI needs inspiration from living organisms.
Eye puffs prompt separable sensory, affective brain responses in mice, people
Post-puff brain state might not be an emotion, some researchers caution, but the protocol provides a cross-species approach to study emotions.

Eye puffs prompt separable sensory, affective brain responses in mice, people
Post-puff brain state might not be an emotion, some researchers caution, but the protocol provides a cross-species approach to study emotions.