Education Commons^™

Evaluating The Impact Of Research Equipment Availability On Scientific Rigor, Reproducibility, And Innovation Across Stem Disciplines, Lyndi G. Hraban

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Research infrastructure plays a central role in shaping the quality and innovative capacity of scientific research. This study evaluates how the availability of research equipment influences scientific rigor, reproducibility, and innovation across STEM disciplines. Drawing on literature from science-to-science research, policy studies, and discipline-specific analyses, this project synthesizes existing scholarship to explore the relationship between access to infrastructure and key research outcomes. Findings across the literature indicate that access to advanced and well-maintained equipment can strengthen scientific rigor by enabling more precise measurements, improved experimental control, and the implementation of standardized research protocols. Shared and centralized facilities are also associated …

The Teaching Stem Center Online: Enhancing Instructional Methods For Underprepared Students' Success, Bassey Akpan, Jan Duncan

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

This study investigates the experiences and academic outcomes of underprepared and underrepresented undergraduate students enrolled in introductory STEM courses at Texas College, a minority‑serving institution committed to advancing equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The research focuses on STEM faculty across Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics and how the Teaching STEM Center Online (TSC) enhances instructional methods to support this student population.

Using a mixed‑methods design, the study evaluates the implementation and impact of the TSC initiative. This includes faculty development workshops, structured instructional coaching, and the integration of evidence‑based teaching practices. Quantitative data from faculty surveys …

Aidws1: Building With Llms And Ai Agent, Olivier Kepler Francois

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

The Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (PEAAII) at the University of Massachusetts Boston hosted the first session of its AI Demo Workshop Series, “Building with LLMs and AI Agents,” on October 5, 2026, led by Olivier Kepler Francois, Founder and Researcher of WebAIAgent. This hands-on workshop introduced participants to developing AI-powered web applications using Large Language Models (LLMs), Next.js, React, HTTP communication, and the OpenAI API. Through guided demonstrations and practical exercises, participants explored frontend and backend development, API integration, user interaction, and the end-to-end process of building an interactive AI application. The session provided foundational knowledge and practical …

Chacahoula 2026, Volume 93, Pawan Khatri, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2026 issue of Chacahoula, There's No Place Like Home, emphasizes the way in which our university becomes a home to students.  Featuring prize-winning poetry from Allyson Gee, Nick Fredrick, Amaris Kendall and Anmol Subedi, the book includes December 2025 and May 2026 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography of  campus life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. This edition includes a video message from President Carrie Castille. Download the PDF to your device …

Exploring Conceptions Of Engineering Design And Sustainability In Informal K–12 Engineering Education, Mobina Beheshti, Eunice Y. Kang, Avneet Hira

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In this study we investigate K–12 students’ conceptualizations of sustainability, their perspectives on the role of engineers in sustainable practices, and how augmented reality (AR) can facilitate sustainability-oriented engineering design activities in informal settings. The AR technology used in this study includes the Merge Cube (a physical cube that serves as a digital canvas for AR) and CoSpaces Edu (an online platform that allows students to create 3D models and animate them using code). We employ a design-based research methodology, using qualitative narrative and artifact analysis to address the research questions: (1) What are students’ conceptions of sustainability and the …

Hands-On Ransomware: An Experiential Wannacry Case Study For Undergraduate Cybersecurity Education, Eli Creek Richmond, Thomas R. Devine

Military Cyber Affairs

Ransomware represents one of the most disruptive threats in the cyber landscape, yet hands-on malware analysis remains rare in undergraduate cybersecurity curricula. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an experiential learning module centered on the WannaCry ransomware case study, deployed in a senior-level course at West Virginia University. Students performed static and dynamic analysis using industry-standard tools. Pre- and post-module assessments demonstrated measurable gains in self-reported competency across seven technical dimensions. The module's competencies align directly with DoD Cyber Workforce Framework Work Role 212, Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst, supporting education-to-workforce pipeline development.

Project-Based Conversion Versus Prototype-Based Instruction In Automotive Teacher Education, Ramdhani Ramdhani, Sriyono Sriyono, Wahid Munawar, Raafi Rizki Maulana, Apriyansah Bahrudin

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The transition to electric and hydrogen mobility is reshaping the competencies that automotive vocational teaching requires, yet institutions with limited equipment must choose between authentic learning designs without evidence of what each produces. Indonesian research to date has built substitute learning media and reported feasibility ratings rather than measured learning. This study asks what cognitive and psychomotor gains two contrasting designs produce and how those gains compare. Two pre-experimental studies were conducted in one automotive teacher education programme in Indonesia. Study A used a time-series design across three project cycles of 200 minutes in which 15 undergraduates converted a combustion …

Harmonicthreads: A Formative Evaluation Of A Fabric-Based Digital Musical Instrument Toward Inclusive Music-Making, Ellie Nguyen, Franceli L. Cibrian

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Background:

Inclusive music-making requires instruments that support varied bodies, abilities, musical backgrounds, and forms of participation. Digital musical instruments provide diverse approaches to sound creation, and fabric-based interfaces offer an alternative interaction modality that may support participation for some users and contexts. Their tactile and deformable properties enable forms of interaction that differ from conventional rigid or screen-based controllers and may offer inclusive possibilities in particular settings.

Objective:

This paper presents HarmonicThreads as a formative interaction-design case of a fabric-based digital musical instrument. The prototype explores how tactile cues, fabric deformation, projected visual feedback, and assisted accompaniment can support low-barrier …

The Instability And Unsustainability Of Our Planned, Or Imagined Media Future, Thom Gencarelli

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In the face of the growth and planned growth of industrial developments in artificial intelligence, embodied AI, immersive media/virtual reality, and the fintech industry and cryptocurrencies – and the energy requirements for each of these and all of them together – this paper examines the question of whether the plans for growth and future development in these areas is probable, possible, problematic, or impossible.  Additionally, the examination is situated atop both state-based and criminal threats to use the Internet and mobile Internet to wreak havoc and instability.

Ask Dr. Wang: A Community Conversation On Ai At Cary Library, Stephen Yang, Zhengjia Yang, Julie Yin, Eric Gu, Jiawei Liu

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This report describes a community engagement project by the Youth STEAM Initiative (YSI) in conjunction with a public talk by Dr. Haixun Wang, “How AI Remembers, Imagines, and Creates,” held at the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, Massachusetts. Prior to the talk, YSI collected questions and perspectives from community members through an online survey, gathering thirteen responses spanning students, parents, and professionals. This report summarizes the talk, themes that emerged from those responses, the community’s views on AI creativity, and reflections from the YSI team.

Utilising Video Recordings To Assess Student Pilot Performance: An Exploratory Study During A Simulated Training Flight, Bradley Moncion, Shi Cao, Allison Lynch, Suzanne K. Kearns, Elizabeth Irving, Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

In ab initio flight training, the quality of the feedback a flight instructor provides their student is essential to their success. While other high-performance and safety-critical industries have incorporated the use of video recordings into training and assessments, the aviation industry generally has not. There are some studies addressing the potential benefits of video recordings in training professional pilots, but there is a lack of research at the ab initio level. In this study, five flight instructors assessed the performance of student pilots conducting a simulated training flight using a 4-point marking scale. The flights instructors were then tasked with …

The Self-Aware Room: A Framework For Operational Self-Awareness In Evolvable Blended Environments, David B. Smith

Publications and Research

The Self-Aware Room (SAR) is a room-scale research environment developed within the larger Balanced Blended Space and Blended Reality Performance System research trajectory. Rather than treating the room as a conventional “smart” environment composed of fixed automation technologies, SAR approaches it as an evolvable blended environment made from physical, virtual, conceptual, sensory, computational, and performative relationships. Its defining feature is not any particular sensor, model, or output device, but the set of transformations through which physical activity becomes structured observation, bounded representation, interpreted state, governed decision, and mediated response.

This paper develops the conceptual and methodological foundations of SAR as …

Rickettsia Africae Discovered In A Short-Term Urban Traveller To South Africa: A Case Report, Zunairah Sikder

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Rickettsia Africae is a pathogen that causes African tick-bite fever (ATBF). Transmission typically occurs from ticks within the Central and South African regions. Previous studies suggested that ATBF is not uncommon amongst travelers to rural sub-Saharan Africa, especially during the rainy months of November through April. However, this case report highlights a woman who contracted ATBF in novel conditions. The 70-year-old woman reported travelling strictly to and from the local church and hotel for her four-day stay in July. After returning to America, the patient experienced extreme irritation on her arm, as well as complaints of headaches. She presented to …

A Message From The Managing Editor, Carissa Bayack

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

A message from the 2025-2026 Managing Editor of the Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, Carissa Bayack.

Customization That Clicks: Human Factors Evaluation Of A User-Centered Vehicle Customization System, Noah Clark, Shawn Mathura, Sarah Bailey, Paul Seal, Brandon Ibarra, Kailey Hrbek, Carissa Aumack, Kevin Sun, Olivia Honan, Kelly Nguyen, Caroline Deck, Brandon D. Dreslin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Older adults (OAs) and drivers with disabilities (DwDs) often encounter challenges when customizing vehicle features (e.g., seat adjustment, lighting, climate control) because existing human-machine interfaces (HMIs) may not be designed to accommodate diverse sensory, motor, and cognitive capabilities. HarmonIQ is a biometric-based, user-centered vehicle customization system designed to improve accessibility and inclusivity for OAs and DwDs, developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in collaboration with Bethune-Cookman University (BCU). This research, supported in part by the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle Challenge, builds on Fall 2024 proofs-of-concept and Spring 2025 initial development of HarmonIQ and its components, namely the driver profile software and …

Genai Goes To Campus: A Narrative Literature Review Of Benefits, Challenges And Policies, Jayson Warren Peters, Mmasechaba J. Seopa, Justin T. Maistry, Tebogo J. Matome, Christen Du Toit, Maureen C. Tanner

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

This study examines the role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the learning and administrative experiences of students and educators in higher education, through a narrative literature review of thirty-one articles. The literature was thematically reviewed and coded to identify themes and factors contributing to challenges, benefits, and policies and guidelines. These themes were explored in depth with their relation to GenAI for learning outcomes, the role of GenAI in student’s learning experiences and the effectiveness of using GenAI tools to support educators’ administrative processes. In light of the challenges and deterrents identified (e.g. implementation - maintenance, privacy and security, …

Comparative Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Implications For Active Learning And Assessment At Various Curricular Levels Of Stem And Health Sciences In Developed Versus Underprivileged Countries, Vinay Munlapudi, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Today’s all-pervasive emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of its role in education, especially for occupational disciplines in health sciences and STEM. AI has reshaped student learning and instructors’ navigation of the evolving, post coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) global academic landscape. This study aimed at encapsulating evidence-based AI implications for student-centered, active learning and assessment at various curricular levels of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and health sciences education in developed versus underprivileged or less developed countries. An extensive, scoping review of 65 recent, scholarly publications was conducted over six months through diverse search engines (PubMed, Google …

Rockin’ Rover On The Rainbow Road, Michael Kolta, Lawrence Burgee, Ying Yuan

Transformations

This paper presents a progressive series of age-appropriate lesson plans for grades K-12 that all use the same interdisciplinary activity to educate students about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) simultaneously. Technology from Texas Instruments (TI) was employed including a TI Nspire graphing calculator that can run Python programs, a TI Innovator Hub, and a TI Rover. The TI Rover is a small, robotic car that has sensors and is controlled by the calculator via the Hub hardware interface. A Python program was developed that uses the color sensor in the Rover to detect the color on colored paper …

Asm And A Culture Of Sharing, Caring, And Fun In Education, David J. Westenberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

One doesn't always equate a professional scientific society with sharing, caring, and fun, but in this age of public distrust, public engagement with science and active student learning are ways to regain trust. ASM holds a leadership position in promoting and recognizing the value of education in the future of our profession and is there to support your educational journey. From K12 outreach and public engagement, to professional development, to presenting and publishing scholarship of teaching and learning, ASM has been at the forefront of biology education. Under the leadership of visionary directors such as Amy Chang and now Irene …

Advancing Internationalization With Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil): A Systems Engineering Approach, Sharon Bommer, Olumuyiwa Asaolu, Paul Dagnall, Scott Segalewitz, Oluwatoyin Popoola, Esther Adeyemi

Journal of International Engineering Education

As globalization accelerates and engineering careers increasingly require international collaboration, engineering education programs must design courses and curricula to adequately prepare students for careers as engineers in modern industry. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a model of teaching and learning that supports the development of intercultural competence through a joint online learning environment. This paper presents a systems engineering approach of module development for an integrated COIL undergraduate course between a university in the United States and a university in Nigeria. The key objectives of this course are to increase students’ intercultural competence and to simulate global engineering management …

The Impact Of Early Exposure To Engineering Concepts In The Form Of Family, School Classes, And Stem Extracurriculars On The Long-Term Sense Of Belonging In Undergraduate Women In Engineering, Hannah Lloyd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Engineering continues to struggle with the underrepresentation of women, and many women who begin engineering programs report feeling isolated or uncertain about whether they belong. A strong sense of belonging has been linked to greater confidence, persistence, and success in engineering. This study examined how early experiences with engineering before college may influence students' sense of belonging later in their undergraduate engineering programs.

Using survey responses from undergraduate engineering students across the United States, this study explored several types of early exposure to engineering, including family influence, school-based engineering and STEM courses, extracurricular programs such as robotics clubs and engineering …

Predicting Student Belonging In Computing Education: A Multimodal Machine Learning Approach Using Eeg And Survey Data, Hannah Moshtaghi

Master's Theses

Measuring students’ sense of belonging, characterized by feelings of acceptance, inclusion, and encouragement from teachers, remains a significant challenge in computing education. Prior research has associated this multidimensional construct with positive academic outcomes and has identified instructors’ growth- and fixed-mindset messaging as a potential influence. However, belonging is a complex and deeply personal experience that is difficult to capture through direct observation alone. Current measurement methods rely on self-report surveys, which may not capture every aspect of an experience that can also involve emotional and cognitive responses.

This thesis investigates whether combining EEG data recorded during a belonging questionnaire with …

Human-Centered Design Of Extended Reality For Learning Adoption, Effectiveness, And Collaborative Training Performance, Bhargav Upadhyay

All Dissertations

Extended reality (XR) technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be used for technical training to help students learn and practice complex tasks in a safe digital environment. Despite known benefits evidence is required to explore the effectiveness of these technologies to support student learning outcomes. Furthermore, technical training programs need evidence about when these tools improve learning, what are the barriers to adoption of these technologies, and how training should be designed by leveraging these technologies. This dissertation examined how XR technologies can support higher education and workforce training, specifically focusing on barriers and facilitators to …

Constructing Female High School Students’ Stem Self-Efficacy: The Role Of High School Stem Research Experiences, Hyunjin Son

Dissertations

In the U.S., nearly a quarter of the workforce is employed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations. However, the STEM workforce lacks diversity, limiting perspectives to address real-world problems facing society. While many factors influence decisions to pursue STEM majors in college and enter the STEM workforce, one factor commonly associated with performance and persistence in STEM is STEM self-efficacy. Independent research experiences have been shown to increase conceptual understanding and confidence in STEM, leading to STEM degrees and careers. As high school co-curricular STEM research opportunities become more common, the effects of such experiences on students’ STEM …

Systematic Review Of The Institutionalization Of Service Learning In Higher Education, Wilmer Hernan Cruz Gutierrez

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

An increasing number of universities are integrating service-learning (SL) to fulfill their social mission. However, sustainable institutionalization of SL remains a persistent challenge. This study identifies and analyzes the factors, actors, and strategies that drive and inhibit SL institutionalization in higher education. Using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic literature review analyzed 52 documents from seven academic databases (including WoS, Scopus, and ERIC). The findings were grouped into three sections: cultural (integration into institutional values/missions), process (articulation within teaching, research, and outreach), and structural dimensions (dedicated support entities). The results obtained reveal a reciprocal relationship where cultural alignment enables processual …

Ascc-M Based Transformational Education Model For Enhancing Carbon Literacy And Agroecological Resilience Among Rural Farmers, Alya Dwi Arianty, Fitria Fatichatul Hidayah, Eny Winaryati, Rica Mae Badilla Guarin

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Climate change has become a major ecological and social challenge affecting food security and agricultural sustainability worldwide. The agricultural sector significantly contributes to carbon emissions through fertilizer use and land conversion, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to conceptualize a place-based, technology-enhanced Transformational Education Model grounded in Agro-Smart Carbon Capture Microbiome (ASCC-M) technology, designed to strengthen rural farmers' carbon literacy and agroecological resilience while advancing geography education through deeper understanding of human–environment interactions, spatial agricultural processes, and climate-related dynamics within real rural landscapes. The research employed conceptual design through systematic literature review and model development, integrating theories of transformative …

Co-Designing New Website Ideas In The Age Of Ai, Rami Huu Nguyen

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This workshop introduced students to the principles of website co-design in the age of artificial intelligence through a collaborative, project-based learning experience. Participants first explored the mission of the Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute and the instructor's career journey before learning the fundamentals of e-commerce website design. Students were organized into five teams to develop original website concepts in areas including travel, fashion, sports, and gaming. Each team conducted research using search engines and generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, created website wireframes, and presented their ideas using Canva. The workshop emphasized teamwork, creativity, user-centered design, …

Transmogrifying Coding Into A Social Studies Technology Tool: Using Participatory Design With Engineers And Social Studies Educators To Design Data Visualization Tools For Social Studies Data Literacy Education, Bahare Naimipour, Jessica Zhang, Tamara Shreiner, Mark Guzdial

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Our work aims to inform, design, and create data visualization tools that are meant to be integrated specifically into social studies classes. In this essay we discuss the use of participatory design methods to learn what social studies teachers (both pre-service and in-service) want in their classrooms and test the usability of real tools with these participants. Through this approach we iteratively engage our users, and they inform the design and development of learning tools for the learning and instruction of social studies data literacy. Using a social construction of technology lens, we describe the scaffolding embedded in our tools …

Understanding Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Students’ Experiences In Precollege Engineering Education: A Latent Profile Analysis, Jialing Wu, Medha Dalal, Rachel Figard, Adam R. Carberry

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Promoting gender equity and inclusion in STEM education remains a central priority, yet empirical research inclusive of transgender and gendernonconforming (TGNC) students is limited, particularly in precollege engineering contexts. This study leverages social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to identify latent profiles of students’ engineering-related beliefs while examining how TGNC students are represented across these profiles relative to their cisgender and gender nonreporting peers. The study draws on four years (2019–2023) of repeated cross-sectional survey data from a national precollege engineering initiative involving 75 high schools across 20 US states. Seven SCCT-related constructs were measured and used as part of latent …

Signal And Substance: Why Methodological Sophistication Fails To Guarantee Inference, Aamir Rashid, Rizwana Rasheed

Publications and Research

Despite increasing analytical sophistication, empirical research in organization studies continues to suffer from fragile inference, uneven theoretical accumulation, and contested credibility. This paper seeks to explain why these problems persist by shifting attention from authors’ methodological choices to the evaluative dynamics of peer review. Adopting a conceptual and theory-analytic approach, the paper theorizes peer review as an inferential gatekeeping system. Drawing on research design, theory evaluation, and philosophy-of-science literatures, this study develops an analytical framework to examine how evaluative routines shape what constitutes empirical rigor during the review process. The analysis identifies five recurring reviewer blind spots: inferential scope inflation, …