Engineering Commons^™

A Critical Perspective On The Society Of Environmental Toxicology And Chemistry's Adherence To Founding Principles— Opportunities For The Future, Barnett A. Rattner, Annegaaike Leopold, Carys L. Mitchelmore, Glenn W. Suter, Mark S. Johnson, Adriana C. Bejarano, Lawrence A. Kapustka, Niranjana Krishnan, Derek C. G. Muir, Beatrice O. Opeolu, Martha Georgina Orozco-Medina, April Reed, Bruce W. Vigon, Adam R. Wronski

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) is a global organization whose mission is the advancement of environmental science and management through collaboration, leadership, communication and education. On SETAC's 45th anniversary, the following question was raised: Are the 1979 founding principles of SETAC, multidisciplinary approaches to solving environmental problems, multisector engagement and scientific objectivity, still useful, adequate and effective in fulfilling its mission? In a special session held at the 45th Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, a critical evaluation of the founding principles was initiated by reviewing SETAC's history and ongoing activities, and recommendations were made …

First-Job Contract Review Cheat Sheet, Johanna Jones-Morris, Ashlee Martellacci

Teaching and Learning Resources

This cheat sheet helps first-time employees understand what to review before signing an employment contract. It highlights job duties, compensation, scheduling, employment terms, benefits, restrictive clauses, worker classification, and common red flags so that individuals can ask informed questions and recognize potentially unfair or unclear terms.

Early Stem Impressions, Student Engagement, And Readiness For Digitalization, Myron Sheu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines how early impressions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) shape business students’ learning behaviors and, ultimately, their readiness for organizational digitalization. Focusing on gender differences, subgroup identities, and perceived obstacles, the analysis uses survey data processed through correlation matrices, regression models, and subgroup heatmaps to trace the relationship between initial attitudes toward STEM and subsequent engagement patterns. The findings reveal consistent links between positive early impressions and active participation in structured STEM activities, along with gender-based distinctions in action preferences. Subgroup analyses further uncover nuanced patterns where stereotypes or perceived barriers correspond with reduced engagement. Collectively, …

Security-Oriented Voice Authentication Using Machine Learning, Ifeoluwa Stella Elegbe

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study develops and evaluates a machine learning and deep learning-based voice authentication system for secure identity verification. As traditional authentication methods such as passwords, PINs, and security tokens continue to face challenges, including identity theft, forgetting, and unauthorized access, voice biometrics offers a more secure, convenient, and user-friendly alternative, especially for remote, hands-free, and accessibility-focused applications. The study adopts a closed-set speaker identification framework, where the system determines the most likely speaker from a predefined group of enrolled users. A structured methodology is implemented, beginning with audio preprocessing and feature extraction. Key acoustic features, including Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), …

Explainable Ai-Driven Predictive Maintenance Curriculum For Smart Manufacturing, Abdullah Al Mamun, Murat Kuzlu, Katherine Smith, Vukica Jovanovic, Dalya Ismael, Adel El-Shahat, Angela Sicaja, Md. Hedayetul Islam Chy

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Nowadays, Industry 4.0 has transformed manufacturing industries into a data-rich system driven by IoT, automation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Within this context, Predictive Maintenance (PdM) provides a proactive strategy that leverages heterogeneous sensor data such as vibration, acoustic, electrical, and visual signals along with historical performance and advanced analytics to forecast equipment failures before they occur. Usually, AI-driven PdM (AI-PdM) enhances this capability by integrating AI-based sensor analytics to automate fault prediction and optimize system reliability. However, traditional AI-PdM often functions as a “black box,” providing limited interpretability of its decision-making process and posing challenges for trust, validation, and human …

When Slides Replace Thinking: How Powerpoint Culture Undermines Conceptual Learning In Engineering Education, Shahin Nayyeri Amiri, Hamid Eisazadeh

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineering education has gradually shifted from deep conceptual teaching to a culture dominated by presentation slides. In many universities today, core courses such as Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials are taught through PowerPoint files rather than through reasoning, derivation, and problem solving. While slide-based instruction may appear efficient, it encourages passive learning and has severely weakened students’ ability to think independently and make sound engineering judgments. Traditionally, these fundamental courses were taught by seasoned instructors who had mastered the subjects and took genuine pride in explaining complex ideas with clarity and passion. They guided students through the logic behind …

The Professional Constructor, Full Issue

The Professional Constructor

Full Issue, Winter 2026

Volume 50, Number 01

Iuse: A Gamified Virtual Learning Platform For Connected Vehicle Applications To Enhance Undergraduate Transportation Education, Tianyu Shen, Di Yang, Kai Sun, Hong Yang, Kun Xie, Mansoureh Jeihani

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Emerging transportation technologies are rapidly reshaping transportation systems and industry practice. However, most transportation undergraduate curricula still emphasize foundational topics such as geometric design, travel demand forecasting, pavements, and soil properties, typically delivered through lecture-centric instruction. While these subjects remain essential to the discipline, they do not fully reflect the pace of technological change or provide sufficient opportunities for experiential learning with modern tools and data. This gap limits students’ exposure to CV concepts and their ability to translate theory into practice.

Focusing on a key emerging technology, connected vehicles (CVs), this paper bridges the above gap by introducing a …

Affordable Course Content And Open Education Resources For Undergraduate Courses Teaching Fundamentals Of Wireless Communications And Networking, Dimitrie C. Popescu, Otilia Popescu

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Wireless communication systems and networks along with the services they provide have become an essential component of the modern 21st century society, fueling job growth in the wireless industry and increasing the need for engineers specialized in wireless communication systems. As a consequence, over the past two decades, undergraduate courses teaching fundamentals of wireless communication systems and networks have become common in electrical and computer engineering and technology programs. At the same time, the number of textbooks dedicated to wireless systems and networks published by mainstream publishers has also grown, with availability in various formats and offerings and a significant …

Using A Study Journal To Support Class Engagement And The Development Of Entrepreneurial Mindset Habits, Otilia Popescu, Dimitrie C. Popescu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Engineering Technology programs were historically introduced to support non-traditional students and offer college pathways for students working and having already a developing career. This is even more true in the current academic environment, with a large percentage of students enrolled in engineering technology programs being either fully or part-time employed, active or retired military, and at different stages in their lives, usually with families to care for. Often, non-traditional students attend classes online, either synchronously or even more often asynchronously, due to their schedule constraints. Course instructors regularly face schedule or time management constraints from the students’ side, and they …

Designing Narrative-Based Ai Assistance For Sensemaking In Collaborative Environments: Case Studies In Education And Dementia Care, Dylan Edward Moore

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis addresses a gap in the human-computer interaction literature regarding the design, development, and evaluation of narrative-based AI assistance for collaborative, complex problem solving. I explore this design space through three case studies across the domains of education and dementia care. This work encompasses multi-year industry partnerships and longitudinal fieldwork, user-centered design, dataset curation, model training, and system evaluation.

Specifically, the first case study considers a story-based web platform for teaching AI literacy through peer-generated, personalized narrative scaffolding. Learners on the platform showed significant knowledge gains and other learning-related outcomes. To describe the novel design of this system, I …

Getting Started With Research In International Engineering Education, Kirsten A. Davis, Brent Jesiek

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

International Engineering Education In Turbulent Times: Reflections, Strategies, And Visions In Honor Of John M. Grandin, Sigrid Berka, Mark W. Rectanus

Journal of International Engineering Education

At a time when private and public universities are facing the potential of significant cuts in federal funding for research and education, international engineering education programs need to navigate the turbulent landscape facing higher education at large and consider how they might reposition themselves within it. In this collection of essays dedicated to the memory, vision and legacy of the late Dr. John Grandin, we remind international educators that by mobilizing innovative thinking and an entrepreneurial spirit they can propel change in a seemingly deadlocked academic landscape. We have asked some of Dr. Grandin’s colleagues – who have led interdisciplinary, …

Impact Of The International Engineering Program (Iep) At The University Of Rhode Island (Uri): What’S In It For Languages And For Engineering?, Sigrid Berka

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Garnering External Support For Languages In International Engineering Programs, Michael A. Nugent

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Study Abroad And Languages: Leveraging Study Abroad For Engineering Education During Turbulent Times, Chad M. Gasta

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Education And Partnerships With Industry, Chris Cooper, Gayle G. Elliott

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Collaborations And International Partnerships: Keys For International Education In Times Of Change, Bettina Cothran, Amy Bass Henry

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

International Engineering Education In Turbulent Times: Concluding Observations And Selected Publications By John M. Grandin, Sigrid Berka, Mark W. Rectanus

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

An Entrepreneurial Approach To International Engineering Programs, Mark W. Rectanus

Journal of International Engineering Education

No abstract provided.

Memo Metodológico: Elaboración De La Investigación Titulada “Ser Deseo. El Deseo Femenino Como Abyecto En El Filme Thelma.” [Reporte De Investigación], Ximena Diaz Santillán, Romano Ponce Díaz

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Realizar una tesis de grado siempre constituye un reto, pero también una oportunidad para desarrollar las habilidades y métodos de investigación que serán la base de futuros trabajos. Pese a que, en apariencia, la elección de un filme como objeto de estudio en la licenciatura en Lengua y Literaturas Hispánicas puede resultar extraña, las herramientas adquiridas a lo largo de la formación permiten explorar diversos productos culturales como textos; es decir, se trata de entramados sígnicos que se interrelacionan para generar un sentido dirigido a un público. Si bien existen teorías como la estética de la recepción en la que …

Role-Playing Game Studies: A Transmedia Approach Por José Pablo Zagal, Y Sebastian Deterding, (Editores). (2018). [Reseña], Cristo Leon, Edgar Meritano

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

"Role-Playing Game Studies: A Transmedia Approach," editado por José P. Zagal y Sebastian Deterding (2018b), es una recopilación exhaustiva del estado actual de la investigación sobre los juegos de rol a través de diversas disciplinas, culturas y medios. El libro traza la historia de los juegos de rol desde sus precursores en los juegos de guerra (wargames) hasta los juegos de mesa (Tabletop), el juego de rol en vivo (live-action role-play), y los juegos de rol contemporáneos de computadora y en línea. Cada capítulo ofrece perspectivas y hallazgos de disciplinas clave como …

Umwelt, Sujetos Transindividuales E Intencionalidad Compartida: Cuerpo, Significación Y Socialidad En La Construcción Del Conocimiento, Juan C. González Vidal

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En este trabajo abordamos, desde el punto de vista semiótico, el vínculo indisoluble que existe entre el cuerpo humano, la significación y la socialidad. Partimos del postulado de que el cuerpo es, desde el nacimiento, una entidad sintiente; luego, una vez adquirida la capacidad de generar procesos semiósicos primarios, empieza a ordenar y a clasificar los estímulos exteriores, hecho en el que se asienta el fundamento de su orientación básica en el entorno. Conforme aumentan sus competencias semiósicas, se incrementan sus capacidades perceptivas y cognitivas que, al ser afirmadas, lo llevan a alcanzar finalmente los más altos grados de socialidad. …

Editorial: Jugar, Narrar, Habitar Mundos: Cuerpos Y Ficciones En La Cultura Contemporánea, Romano Ponce Díaz

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En este número del Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM (Vol. 4, núm. 2, Noviembre 2025- abril 2026) buscamos situarnos en ese cruce. En los artículos de investigación que aquí se exponen, se observa cómo los sistemas de juego, los universos narrativos, los performance, la mirada artística y las operaciones cognitivas intervienen en la configuración del concepto de sujeto, paisaje y comunidad. Estos artículos no son meras descripciones de objetos culturales; aquí se enuncian procedimientos metodológicos, contigencias operativas y aplicaciones eminentemente prácticas a campos de conocimientos transdisciplinarios.

Journal Of Roleplaying Studies And Steam (Jrpssteam) Vol. 4 [2025], Número 2 (Issue 2), Cristo Leon, Romano Ponce-Díaz Phd, Ivan Avila Gonzalez Phd, James Lipuma Dr., Bruce G. Bukiet, Ricardo Victoria-Uribe, Nazario Robles-Bastida, Chris Birmingham, Ximena Diaz Santillan, Edgar Francisco Vázquez Martínez He, Jorge Prieto Terrones, Juan Carlos C. González Vidal S, Edgar Meritano, Laura Magela Garcés Ramírez

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En una sesión de juego por medio del registro lingüístico se organiza la escena, se orienta la manera de nombrar las tareas, se distribuyen los roles actanciales, se establecen la expectativas; por lo tanto, se establece una puesta en escena. De tal forma, las prácticas lúdicas y ficcionales se configuran a partir de nuestra mirada del mundo e irremediablemente también reconfiguran esa misma mirada. El ser y el estar en un espacio es la especificidad mediática fundamental de los juegos de rol; dicho de otra manera, en los sistemas de juego de rol dentro de sus universos narrativos, en su …

Design Of A Fuzzy Set-Point Tracking Controller Based On The State-Dependent Control Characteristics Of Fuzzy Logic And Pid For Temperature Control Systems In Electrical Equipment, Rahim Mammadzada

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This paper presents a Fuzzy-SPT (Fuzzy Set-Point Tracking) controller designed to combine the strengths of FLC (Fuzzy Logic Control) and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control while mitigating their limitations across varying operating conditions. Inspired by state-dependent reasoning but implemented within a single controller, the method uses internal logic to adapt the control effort across different operating regions. FLC handles rapid changes and nonlinear transients, enabling fast system response without overshoot, while PID-like integral action is activated when the FLC reaches steady state or enters a threshold region near the set point, eliminating residual errors and maintaining stable performance. By applying each behavior …

Object Tracking Based On Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization, Rajesh Misra, Kumar Ray

Journal of Global Awareness

In Computer Vision domain, moving Object Tracking is considered as one of the toughest problems. As there are so many factors associated like illumination of light, noise, occlusion, sudden start and stop of moving object, shading which makes tracking even harder problem not only for dynamic background but also for static background. In this paper we present a new object tracking algorithm based on Dominant points on tracked object using Quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) which is a new different version of PSO based on Quantum theory. The novelty in our approach is that it can be successfully applicable in …

Modeling The Mojave: A Multiphase, Mixed Methods Phenomenological Investigation Of Novice Understanding Of A Complex Ecological System, Nicole Juliana Thomas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research explores early college science majors’ conceptions of the Mojave Desert ecosystem as a complex system. A multi-level, explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed to study college science majors’ understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystem to better inform science pedagogy. The first level, the quantitative phase of the study, consisted of developing a mathematical representation of twelve ecosystem variables present within the Mojave Desert. The second level, the qualitative phase of the study, consisted of phenomenological semi-structured interviews with 23 early college science majors. The findings of this research suggest that the Mojave Desert operates as a complex, …

Patent Searching With Uspto, Derwent Innovation And Lens.Org, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

No abstract provided.

Developing Accessible Narrative-Based Stem Learning Software For K-6 Braille Display Users, Dylan Ravel, Daniel Tsivkovski, Brandon Foley, Maryam Etezad, Franceli Cibrian, Ariel Han, Rajeev Joshi

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This research develops a free, accessible web application that enables K-6 students who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) to learn STEM concepts using refreshable braille displays. Currently, most online learning tools are not designed for BVI students, creating a significant educational barrier.

The application interfaces with commercial braille displays and uses narrative-based learning to make STEM content approachable and engaging. By presenting material as interactive stories, students can connect with concepts while developing braille reading skills. The curriculum design prioritizes accessibility through the Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) standards and screen reader support.

The goal is to provide BVI …