Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unraveling The Intractable Trilemma In Urban Weather And Climate Modeling, Peiyuan Li, Ashish Sharma, Rao Kotamarthi, Alberto Martilli, Subimal Ghosh, Cristina Negri, Scott Collis, Lee Chapman, Fei Chen, Luis M. A. Bettencourt, Winston T. L. Chow

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Urban weather and climate modeling is constrained by the highly heterogeneous and dynamic nature of cities. It exhibits a persistent trilemma between spatial granularity, spatiotemporal coverage, and physical interpretability. We articulate this challenge and propose a hybrid framework that integrates physics -based models, urban observations, and machine learning. Framing urban modeling as an integration problem across methods and scales, we provide a structured guide for next -generation, decision -relevant urban climate capabilities.

Budgeting Apps, Financial Literacy, And Financial Control, Max Masabo, Abdullah Mohammad Mahi

Presentations - 2026

Our paper shows the real hidden connections between budgeting app usage and financial wellbeing of U.S Households

The Willow Who Kept The Secrets Of The Heart, Ana Suarez

Speak for the Trees!

This digital museum exhibit features the climate change fairy tale The Willow Who Kept the Secrets of the Heart, presented as a written narrative and recorded reading that explores the symbolic relationship between the Weeping Willow, water, and ecological care in the face of climate change. It also includes an infographic highlighting the Weeping Willow’s habitat, characteristics, and environmental challenges in Texas, along with a curator’s talk and curator’s board. The exhibit features an artifact entry using a half-filled vial of water to represent climate instability and the often-overlooked resources that sustain life, as well as a persuasive essay, …

Foxbuddy, Luis Eduardo Garza Jr.

Posters - 2026

Emergency preparedness remains a significant challenge for individuals due to disorganized resource management and lack of accessible guidance. Additionally, cybersecurity risks during emergencies are often overlooked, leaving individuals vulnerable to digital threats such as phishing, scams, and data exposure. FoxBuddy provides a centralized, user-friendly platform that enhances both physical preparedness and cybersecurity awareness.

Conservation Communication In Web 2.0: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Alveus Sanctuary's Strategies On Twitch.Tv, Hope Denison

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how environmental creators can effectively transmit conservation messages in the evolving Web 2.0 media environment. The case of Alveus Sanctuary, a virtual sanctuary and education center on Twitch.TV, is used to explore the strategies currently used to engage audiences and raise ecological awareness online. Thematic analysis of interviews with the sanctuary’s founder revealed that Alveus combines traditional environmental education with an influencer business model to engage online audiences, leveraging parasocial behavior, interactivity, and collaboration to garner support. A quantitative content analysis of social media posts revealed that these strategies effectively induce parasocial engagement in online spaces. These …

Think First, Chatgpt Later: Guiding Human-Ai Collaboration For Learning Gains In Independent Human Creativity, Sarah Shi Hui Wong, Sophia Xuefei Qiu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT can boost creative performance, but do these boosts translate into learning gains? This study examined whether the benefits of ChatGPT for creativity persist even when its assistance is removed, and how people can effectively use ChatGPT to enhance their learning and independent creativity. University students (N = 196) solved a creative product improvement task either independently (human-only group) or using ChatGPT freely (general-AI group) or using ChatGPT in a guided way (regulated-AI group). Specifically, the regulated-AI group used a novel “think first, ChatGPT later” approach—they first generated their own ideas, then collaborated …

High-Resolution Monitoring Of Intra-Seasonal Agricultural Drought Using Sentinel-2 And Machine Learning Across Bimodal Growing Seasons In Kenya, S. Mohammad Mirmazloumi, Harison Kipkulei, Rose Waswa, Tobias Landmann, Tom Dienya, Maximilian Schwarz, Fabrizio Ramoino, Clément Albergel, Gohar Ghazaryan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Drought presents significant challenges to agriculture, threatening food security and livelihoods, across many regions. In Kenya, recurrent droughts across diverse agro-ecological zones emphasize the urgent need for reliable and scalable drought assessment methods. Although drought assessment with various datasets has been carried out for this region, many of them often use course or moderate resolution data. This study uses high-resolution Sentinel-2 observations and machine learning to monitor intra-seasonal crop conditions and assess drought impacts across bimodal growing seasons. Using pixel-based supervised random forest models trained with multiple vegetation indices as input, we classify croplands into drought-affected and unaffected areas. The …

Reasoning On Time-Series For Financial Technical Analysis, Kelvin J. L. Koa, Jan Chen, Yunshan Ma, Huanhuan Zheng, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While Large Language Models have been used to produce interpretable stock forecasts, they mainly focus on analyzing textual reports but not historical price data, also known as Technical Analysis. This task is challenging as it switches between domains: the stock price inputs and outputs lie in the time-series domain, while the reasoning step should be in natural language. In this work, we introduce Verbal Technical Analysis (VTA), a novel framework that combine verbal and latent reasoning to produce stock time-series forecasts that are both accurate and interpretable. To reason over time-series, we convert stock price data into textual annotations and …

Personality Predictors Of Cybersecurity Vulnerability: Insights From Self-Reports And Stimulated Threat Scenarios, Saroja Roy Grandhi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In this cyber dependent and enabled era, understanding the role of human factors in digital security is essential. This study investigates the relationship between Big-Five personality traits and cybersecurity behaviors by examining both self-reported and stimulated behaviors in security threat scenarios. Participants completed validated questionnaires to report their personality traits, cybersecurity practices and engage in task-based stimulations to capture behaviors such as phishing detection, password creation, and response to security alerts. The study tested whether higher conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness would be associated with stronger cybersecurity practices and smaller discrepancies between self-reported and observed behaviors. And, whether greater extraversion and …

Measuring Market Risk Through Entropic Var, Dragomir Nedeltchev, Tsvetelin Zaevski

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

The article aims to measure the market risk beyond the basic risk measures like the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and the Expected Shortfall (ES). The Entropic Value-at-Risk is selected among the available measures based on its advantages -- it is the coherent upper bound of the VaR and ES. This risk measure is applied to the classical Black-Scholes model as well as to some more realistic ones, such as the exponential tempered stable model (the log-returns are presented by a tempered stable L\'evy process), the stochastic volatility model of Heston, its jump extension of Bates, and another stochastic volatility model but with …

The Core-Modulation Architecture (Cma): A Structural Overview Of A 14-Paper Research Program (Preprint), Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This document provides a structural overview of the Core-Modulation Architecture (CMA), a 14-paper research program on cognition, communication, and AI interaction.

The series specifies the conditions under which cognition operates, terminates, fails, and generates structure. Rather than describing cognition by its contents (beliefs, emotions, decisions), it defines cognition through its underlying architecture: constraint-governed processing across layers with distinct termination conditions.

The framework introduces a layered model consisting of Core processing (constraint preservation and structural coherence) and Modulation (affective calibration and social interface adjustment), extended by a Prior layer as the source of constraints. Across the series, phenomena such as miscommunication, …

Changes In Land, Ocean, Atmospheric Parameters Associated With The 2025 Myanmar (Mw 7.7) Earthquake, Feng Jing, Akshansa Chauhan, Ashwani Raju, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Multiple parameters associated with the land, atmosphere, and ocean were analyzed to study short-term and immediate pre-earthquake changes associated with the 28 March 2025 Myanmar earthquake (Mw 7.7). Anomalous clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation (ClrOLR) and trace gases (CH₄, CO, and O₃) were detected within two months prior to the mainshock. Vertical changes at different pressure levels suggest a possible underground source. High-temporal-resolution observations of the infrared brightness temperature and surface air pressure revealed short-lived fluctuations shortly before the earthquake, which may reflect localized stress adjustments and surface latent heat flux release during the final stage of earthquake preparation. In the …

The Waldo Dataset, Mary E. Koone, Rosie Kallie, Vassilis Athisos, Laurel S. Stvan

Computer Science and Engineering Datasets - Archive

Distinct from the task of predicting the author of a document (authorship attribution), we focus on addressing the issue of how to estimate the similarity between the written language styles of authors. To do so, we present a dataset of metadata derived by asking human annotators, who were presented with three documents, to identify which two were written by the same author and which was written by a different author. The dataset has over 400 such annotations, creating a companion to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) customer review dataset, laying the groundwork for crowdsourcing applications to other natural language processing …

Pong Revised: Network-Based Competitions Through Secure Socket Services, Noah T. Jennings, Destiny D. Hale, Jared D. Williams, Michael J. Lively-Scholz

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

We aim to provide a safe, thrilling, locally hosted, and educational multiplayer experience that can be quickly replicated in modern Capture The Flag (CTF) events.

Being There For Mom: The Strengths Of Daughtering, Allison M. Alford, Kaitlin E. Phillips, Luke V. Stipanovic, Cayd A. Rocha-Barnette, Michelle Miller-Day

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Daughters undertake daughtering, or the everyday role portrayal of contributing to a meaningful family relationship with their mothers, but the labor of it is often invisible.

Background

Using a strengths-based approach, we investigated what daughters do well in their relationships with mothers.

Method

We analyzed the responses of 1,444 women to the open-ended question, “What do you do well as a daughter?” to learn more about how women describe their daughtering. Utilizing the artificial intelligence of a large language model for data analysis, we supplied definitions and descriptions of 12 virtues and strengths from existing literature and created a …

Quantifying Global Internal Displacement Risk At The Hazard-Vulnerability-Conflict Nexus, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Hesham Morgan, Ali Elgendy, Susan Mikhail, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study introduces a novel, diagnostic hazard-specific displacement risk index that integrates high-resolution hazard data with social vulnerability metrics and historical displacement records, uncovering overlooked compound risks in conflict areas and links between environmental stress and instability. Our methodology combines historical displacement records with environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic indicators to identify high-risk regions and quantify interactions between hazards and conflict across six major hazard types. Results reveal floods as the primary displacement driver, particularly in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) and Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Ethiopia), where dense populations in flood-prone areas intersect with low socioeconomic resilience. Droughts disproportionately impact arid …

Advancing Environmental Justice Through Chemical Education: Perspective From New Orleans’ Water And Air Quality Challenges, Ja’Lynn Keller, Sita Aggarwal, Rami A. Al-Horani, Morewell Gasseller, Navneet Goyal

Faculty and Staff Publications

New Orleans, Louisiana, faces profound environmental vulnerabilities arising from the convergence of industrial pollution, urban runoff, and climate change–driven weather events. This paper examines systemic challenges affecting water and air quality in the region, with particular focus on low-income and marginalized communities disproportionately burdened by environmental degradation. Drawing on educational and community-based monitoring initiatives at Xavier University of Louisiana and Southeastern Louisiana University, we highlight the integration of student learning with real-time data collection of contaminants such as fecal coliforms, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina revealed significant fecal contamination in sediment layers, …

Understanding Key Lssues In Current Artificial Intelligence Development And Governance, Meng Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

At present, as global artificial intelligence advances vigorously, the industry is engaged in intense discussions about the future direction of its development and governance, where certain consensus has been reached alongside notable divergences and controversies. This study focuses on several key contentious issues in the current development and governance of artificial intelligence, analyzes their inherent logic by combining the laws of scientific and technological progress, and puts forward corresponding solutions. Regarding the potential bubble risk, it emphasizes the need to strengthen the application of artificial intelligence in the real economy to channel and guide its development momentum. For the future …

Comparative Study On Ai Talent Cultivation In China And The United States: Strategies And Recommendations, Lexuan Li, Ke Wen, Wenjie Liu, Wei Shen, Zhenguo Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Artificial intelligence (AI), as the core driving force of the new industrial revolution, has become a strategic pillar for enhancing national competitiveness, with the cultivation of AI talent being a decisive factor. This study systematically compares the AI talent cultivation systems of China and the United States from three perspectives: strategic planning, formal education, and practical domains. The findings reveal that the U.S. has continuously and systematically advanced AI talent cultivation plans at the national level, granted institutions substantial autonomy in talent cultivation with deep integration of industry-academia-research collaboration, and established a well-developed AI innovation and entrepreneurship environment. Accordingly, the …

Transformation Of Open-Source Innovation Governance Of Large Models, Zhe Wang, Jinsong Cai

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), represented by large-scale models, is a transformative driver of new-quality productive forces, making the effective construction and governance of open-source innovation commons increasingly critical. Yet traditional open-source models are under strain, and existing commons theories require further development. Model training costs rise exponentially with each iteration, while a sustainable profit cycle from innovation to industrial application has not been established, rendering long-term cost-bearing infeasible for individual organizations. The traditional community-enterprise collaboration model, once successful in generating ecosystem value, now faces escalating computing and data costs, uncertain commercial returns, and governance risks related to social and national …

Science And Technology Communication And Construction Of China’S International Discourse System: Strategic Significance, Current Challenges, And Innovative Pathways, Haonan Du, Ting Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of a new round of scientific and technological revolution with the ongoing restructuring of the global governance system, science and technology have become central to competition in national comprehensive competitiveness and struggles for international discourse power. China’s science and technology have achieved a historic leap from “catching up” to “running alongside” and even “leading in certain areas”, providing solid strength support for the construction of an international discourse system. However, the transformation of scientific and technological advantages into discourse advantages remains insufficient, and the international community holds a dual perception of China’s technological advancements—recognition alongside concerns. The …

Combatting Desertification Scientifically: Where Feasible, Where Necessary, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Shuai Wang, Yijia Wang, Guipeng Cui, Yue Guo

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has made remarkable achievements in combating desertification, achieving “zero net growth” in land degradation. With the goal of scientifically improving the relationship between humans and nature in drylands, the continuous exploration of new concepts, methods, and pathways for scientific desertification control will contribute to advancing the harmony between humans and nature in China’s drylands. Based on the definitions of desertification, ecological restoration baselines, and the contributions of nature to humans, we clarified the scientific implications of “controlling desertification where it is feasible and necessary”. We discussed the shift in China’s desertification prevention and control direction from “humans advancing while …

The International Decade Of Sciences For Sustainable Development: Global Progress And China’S Actions, Lin Wang, Shaofeng Hu, Fan Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD, 2024–2033) was officially launched by the United Nations in 2024, with the aim of strengthening and demonstrating the central role of science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study systematically reviews the development of IDSSD, its governance structure, mechanisms for project solicitation and endorsement, as well as the thematic and regional distribution of endorsed initiatives. On this basis, it assesses China’s current participation and potential opportunities. During the first call for initiatives, IDSSD received 221 proposals from 52 countries, with 109 …

Construction Of Emerging Contaminants Risk Governance System, Cheng Li, Mingcheng Wang, Chunlei Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Emerging contaminants pose considerable risks to the ecological environment, human health, and social safety. The establishment of an emerging contaminants risk governance system constitutes a crucial component of the national ecological security strategy and the ecological civilization framework in the new era. When examined through the lens of the holistic view of national security and guided by the ecological civilization philosophy of the new era, China’s current efforts in managing emerging contaminants reveal several shortcomings—including a fragmented and incomplete risk management system, as well as preliminary stages in chemical environmental management policies and related technologies. Therefore, grounded in national conditions …

Research And Reflections On Model Of China’S Ai Open-Source Innovation Ecosystem, Yuntao Long, Haibo Liu, Qigang Zhu, Xudong Ren, Yanjun Wu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Open-source innovation, leveraging its strengths in collective collaboration and agile development, is increasingly becoming a core driver reshaping innovation paradigms and industrial ecosystems in the global artificial intelligence field. As a significant force in global technological development, China is actively promoting technology enterprises, research institutes, universities, and other diverse entities to deeply integrate into the construction of the global AI open-source innovation system through policy guidance, community building, and breakthroughs in large models. Based on the practical experience of building China’s AI open-source innovation ecosystem, this study systematically examines the current development status and challenges. By analyzing the operational models …

Synergistic Strategies For Regional ‘Zero-Waste City’ Construction, Xiaolong Liu, Zongguo Wen, Yanyan Tang, Xiangwan Du

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

“Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development” emphasizes deepening cross-administrative cooperation, and improving mechanisms for inter-regional planning coordination, industrial collaboration, and benefit sharing to promote regional linked development. While China’s “zero-waste city” initiative has achieved remarkable results, its long-term sustainability necessitates a shift towards coordinated regional synergy. This requires establishing enduring mechanisms for collaborative solid waste governance that transcend governmental, hierarchical, and departmental boundaries. The ultimate goal is to optimize the allocation of waste treatment resources between neighboring and even non-adjacent regions, foster a …

Research On Signal Perception System Of Key Technology Regulation In The United States, Kaile Wang, Hao Liu, Yunwei Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The purpose of the study is to analyze the operation mechanism of the key technology control signal perception system, and reveal the deep logic and basic procedures of the United States’ external technical containment. Through literature review and information mining, this study analyzes the structural features of the U.S. key technology control signal perception system, such as “front-end technical perception and technology locking”, “mid-end technical evaluation and risk identification”, and “back-end technical control response and dynamic sanctions”. It further explores the participating subjects and role positioning of the United States in key technology control signal perception, the sources and mechanisms …

A Review Of Satellite-Derived Terrestrial Evapotranspiration: Theories, Methods And Products, Yunjun Yao, Jiquan Chen, Joshua B. Fisher, Changliang Shao, Yuanbo Liu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Accurately estimating terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET), the second-largest hydrologic flux in the terrestrial water cycle, is vital for understanding global water and carbon exchanges. It is difficult to measure and estimate terrestrial ET at regional and global scales. Satellites have provided us an effective tool to estimate regional and global terrestrial ET in recent decades. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the basic theoretical foundations, methods and products of satellite-derived terrestrial ET. The basic theoretical foundations for estimating terrestrial ET are the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) and other budding theories (e.g., Maximum entropy production theory, and generalized Hamilton …

Documenting For Success: A Case Study Of A Graduate Writing Retreat, Elliott Rose, Denise Wetzel, Sara C. Kern, Katie O'Hara-Krebs, Laurin Davis, Salah Seoudi, Carmen Cole

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Graduate students often find themselves balancing the demands of research and writing while managing complex academic and personal needs. Writing retreats provide an intentional space for graduate students to focus on their academic goals while supporting community-building, institutional belonging, and a welcoming environment. This proposal outlines a model for academic librarians and staff to plan and implement an effective graduate writing retreat designed to support graduate student academic activities through intentional collaboration and documentation.

Penn State University’s (PSU) Graduate Student Writing Retreat started as an event housed within the University Library’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) department. The retreat …

Thermal Inequities In Public Parks And Open Spaces In Los Angeles Determined By Remote Sensing, Ashley Agatep, Joshua B. Fisher, Kainani Tacazon, Ambar Rivera, Rossmery Zayas, Reginald Archer, Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon, Jason A. Douglas

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Urban heat island (UHI) effects are amplified by disparities in community-level cooling infrastructure—such as urban public parks and open spaces (PPOS)—with the most severe impacts occurring in communities that lack sufficient city-wide cooling resources. We found that the underserved community of South Los Angeles, as compared to their neighboring West Los Angeles counterparts, suffers a double burden of inequitable (1) access to and (2) absence of cooling materials and surfaces within these spaces, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures. Identifying these inequities requires high-resolution temporal and spatial mapping of surface temperatures, which has been previously limited. In this community-based participatory research …