2017 STEAM Education PROCEEDINGS

ISSN 2333-4916 CD ROM | ISSN 2333-4908 ONLINE

ABOKWAA, CLEMENTE

University/Organization
African Studies Department
Penn State University
Pennsylvania

Title
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GHANAIAN UNIVERSITIES RE-EXAMINED

Synopsis
This paper examines the scientific and technological contributions of Ghanaian universities to the development of the Ghanaian society and its people, since their inception in the 1960s. It argues that the Universities have failed to contribute adequately to the scientific and technological development needs of the country due to several constricting factors, including the nature of the science and technology curricula, lack of a national government science and technology policy, ill-equipped and obsolete scientific and technological laboratories, and inadequate funding. The paper suggests the need to re-examine the nature, objectives and relevance of the science and technology programs in the country’s universities to national development, in light of the pressures of the new global economy, as well as the fast changing socio-economic needs of the current and future Ghanaian society and its people.

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AFANDI, WALEED

University/Organization
Management Information System Department
King Abdulaziz University
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Title
THE IMPACT OF COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH INFORMATION SYSTEMS AT THE LEAN PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN SAUDI INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES

Synopsis
This study is aimed at identifying the impact of costs associated with information systems at the Lean production practices , namely: Saudi industrial companies. The study was implemented during the academic year 2016/2017.

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BACKER, PATRICIA ET AL

University/Organization
Department of Aviation and Technology
College of Engineering
San Jose State University
California

Title
REMEDIATION CHALLENGES IN CALIFORNIA

Synopsis
This paper examines remediation in California’s public universities, specifically San José State University (SJSU) and the California State University (CSU) system, and suggests possible interventions to help those students in need of remediation progress to a college degree in a timely fashion. The authors include a history of remediation in the United States and California. The effectiveness of strategies currently being employed and recommendations to further explore the issues are presented.

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BOFILL, FRANCINE ROSE ET AL

University/Organization
Senior High School
University of Santo Tomas
Manila, Philippines

Title
A CONTENT ANALYSIS IN THE DISCIPLINE SYSTEM OF SELECTED DIOCESAN SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Synopsis
The study aims to open new perspectives in handling the system of the school in terms of discipline. The study will start by conducting a survey in various schools and exploring the possible effects and impacts of the current system being implemented. The ultimate aim is to redesign a justice system for the school which best fits the students’ personalities and maximizing the potential of holistic formation of students.

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BRANDL, RAYELYNN ET AL

University/Organization
Clark Fork Watershed Education Program
Montana Tech

Title
EVALUATING EFFICACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING

Synopsis
The Clark Fork Watershed was declared a Superfund site in 1983 and the State of Montana filed its complaint against Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) shortly thereafter for recovery of damages to the watershed. The series of settlements from this suit marked the beginning of the era of Superfund in the Clark Fork Watershed, which has resulted in major changes in the landscape and ecosystems of the areas surrounding the Clark Fork River (Connole (Brandl), 2016).

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BRANDT, MELANIE

University/Organization
Division of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Title
INTEREGATING INTEGRATION: EXAMINING THE COSTS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION

Synopsis
This paper employs a pilot course that combines aspects of design engineering with the humanities to explore some of the costs and complications that are inherent in disciplinary integration.

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BROWNE, RON & COLUM, KAREN

University/Organization
Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department
Minnesota State University
Mankato
Minnesota

Title
DEVELOPMENT OF STEM CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FOR K-6 PRESERVICE TEACHERS

Synopsis
Minnesota is facing a shortage of teachers trained in STEM philosophy and possessing the knowledge and strategies needed to support a STEM curriculum. There is currently no licensure for STEM teachers in Minnesota. Minnesota State University, Mankato developed a certificate program to add on to the k-6 elementary initial licensure program. Prior to the development of the STEM certificate program the Elementary and Early Childhood Department assessed the current and projected need for elementary level STEM educators. Faculty members from Mathematics, Science, and Engineering assisted in developing the Elementary STEM Certificate program. One parameter that guided the development of the Elementary STEM Certificate was a limit on credit hours and time for completion. The approved certificate program includes twenty credits. Ten of these credits are embedded in the regular Elementary Education Initial Licensure program. Additionally, the program was designed to fit seamlessly into a graduate program for STEM education. Ten of the undergraduate credits are at the 400/500 level and can be imported into the Graduate STEM Degree.

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CHATTERJEE, ARUNENDU

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
University of Wisconsin River Falls
Wisconsin

Title
BAYESIAN CHANGE POINT DETECTION: A COMPARISON BETWEEN DWT AND LIFTING

Synopsis
We use wavelets within a Bayesian framework to identify changes in the form of shifts in data collected over time in the presence of noise and missing observations. We modify and extend an existing Bayesian change point detection procedure due to Ogden and Lynch(1999) which uses the discrete wavelet transform. Our main objective is to investigate and compare the usefulness of the two procedures: Discrete Wavelet Transform and Lifting.

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CHEN, GUANGMING & MELI, OLIVER

University/Organization
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Morgan State University
Maryland

Title
ENGAGE MSU STUDENTS IN RESEARCH OF MODEL-BASED SYSTEMS ENGINEERING WITH APPLICATION TO NASA SOUNDING ROCKET MISSION

Synopsis
Large and complex system or systems-of-systems (SoS) design requires efficient collaboration between interdisciplinary teams of engineers. The engineers must communicate effectively with each other and the finished project or system must be reliable and robust. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a useful and effective systems engineering approach, which emphasizes the application of rigorous visual modeling principles and practices the systems engineering activities throughout the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Using MBSE methods and tools allows a unified representation of the system in a model that enables a highly related level of details. In this research, we engage Morgan State University (MSU) engineering students in the study of MBSE application to NASA’s sounding rocket mission, with the help of the engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center and Wallops Flight Center. Through this effort, the MSU students can significantly enhance their knowledge about systems engineering and the application to a complex system development process.

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CROWE, CHERYLL

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
Asbury University
Kentucky

Title
THE ART OF MATHEMATICS: EXPLORING TESSELLATIONS WITH TECHNOLOGY & TRADITIONAL METHODS

Synopsis
Tessellations can be used to engage K-16 students in thinking deeply about the art of mathematics, specifically the intersection of beauty and transformations. In this session, participants will create tessellations using paper/pencil, pattern blocks, GeoGebra (free, open source software), and online applets. Regular, semi-regular, and Escher-style tessellations will be explored through each of these methods. Participants will leave the session with materials to effectively implement the activities in the K-16 classroom.

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DEMACHI, KEITARO & TOYAMA, MASAO

University/Organization
Faculty of Social Systems Science
Chiba Institute of Technology
Japan

Title
CASE STUDY ON MITIGATING THE ASYMMETRY OF INFORMATION IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

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FORD, RICHARD L. & BOYD, ELIZABETH A.

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
California State University – Chico

College of Agriculture
California State University – Chico

Title
EVOLVING QUANTITATIVE REASONING EXPECTATIONS IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Synopsis
In this paper we present the efforts of the California State University (CSU) to improve college readiness in mathematics and quantitative reasoning while maintaining and improving social equity. In the AY 2015-2016 the CSU Academic Senate authorized the formation of the Quantitative Reasoning Task Force (QRTF) to examine the current state of preparation of incoming freshmen to the CSU and to make recommendations on how to improve that preparation. The QRTF released their final report in September, 2016. Since that time the report has been endorsed by several academic organizations. This paper will highlight key issues addressed in the report and present responses by various organizations including summaries of the general positions of campuses. The CSU Chancellor’s Office subsequent plans for implementation will be summarized and discussed. Specific attention is paid to the competing issues of access and opportunity, as defined in the report. We will discuss the relation between access and opportunity to the most controversial recommendation: requiring four full years of high school quantitative reasoning as a CSU admissions requirement.

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GARDNER, PATRICK

University/Organization
Center for Rapid Product Realization
College of Engineering and Technology
Western Carolina University
North Carolina

Title
STRENGTHENING INDUSTRY/UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH MULTIDISCIPLINARY STEM/STEAM CAPSTONE PROJECTS

Synopsis
STEAM Capstone projects with industry. The presentation includes (1) How companies are recruited and how cross-disciplinary teams are formed; (2) Process for organizing/executing projects; (3) Processes for tracking progress, reporting results, and applying lessons learned; (4) Methods for ensuring course credit and accreditation requirements are satisfied; (5) Vehicle for compensating faculty (across campus) in team mentor roles; and (6) How intellectual property is managed.

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GARRISON, JOSEPH M. (1st Paper)

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
Middle Georgia State University
Cochran, Georgia

Title
ON CHEBYSHEV’S INEQUALITY IN ELEMENTARY STATISTICS – AN ORIGINAL PROOF

Synopsis
This paper will present an original proof of Chebyshev’s Inequality and attempt to show that the inequality is extremely valuable in statistics, can be understood with minimal effort and can be proved in an understandable way in an elementary statistics course.

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GARRISON, JOSEPH M. (2nd Paper)

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
Middle Georgia State University
Cochran, Georgia

Title
AN ANALYSIS OF CAPITAL F IN THE FUNDAMENTAL THEOREM OF CALCULUS

Synopsis
his paper will reflect on the integrating function central to the statement of the theorem which will be called Capital F. Capital F’s relationship to all of the other antiderivatives of f(x) and the various structures of capital F producing the same function will be examined.

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HARRIS, SCOTT & HINTON, LEONE

University/Organization
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences
Central Queensland University
Australia

Title
FAMILIARITY BREEDS ENGAGEMENT

Synopsis
In the modern world traditional forms of distance education do not hold the attention of the students of the new millennium. To engage a distance education cohort a Mental Health unit within a 3 year bachelor of nursing degree at Central Queensland University is presenting recorded on-line lectures in a familiar and engaging way, that is, using the same format as a talk show. Concepts: talking Mental Health is a recorded talk show that presents all the information of traditional lectures.

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HAUPTMAN, JOHN & BAHNG, EUNJIN

University/Organization
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Iowa State University
Iowa

School of Education
Iowa State University
Iowa

Title
NEWSPAPER PHYSICS: INSTRUCTION, ASSESSMENT, CONTENT, AND COMMUNITY

Synopsis

I will describe and illustrate a physics course for students whose only knowledge of physics is that they do not like it! The physics content is driven entirely by what appears in the daily newspapers and generally covers most physics topics in a semester. This course was structured as a “Learning Community” at Iowa State University combining English and Physics into a single course. Most of the writing assignments were about physics.

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HAUPTMAN, JOHN & BAHNG, EUNJIN

University/Organization
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Iowa State University
Iowa

School of Education
Iowa State University
Iowa

Title
TEACHING PHYSICS CORE IDEAS TO CONTENT GENERALISTS

Synopsis

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HIHARA, MICHIYA & TOYAMA, MASAO

University/Organization
Faculty of Social Systems Science
Chiba Institute of Technology
Japan

Title
PRACTICAL METHODS FOR EASING TENSION THAT REQUIRE AS LITTLE SPEAKING AS POSSIBLE

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HILL, STACY

University/Organization
School of Education
Whitworth University
Washington

Title
TEACHER COGNITION AND PRACTICES IN A LOW-SES SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY OF FOUR TEACHERS

Synopsis
This study examined the cognition and practices of four teachers in low–SES schools. The study explored how the teachers’ schooling, professional coursework, classroom practices, and contextual factors affected their teaching. The conceptual framework for the study came from Borg’s (2003) representation of cognition for language teachers. The findings showed the teachers’ cognition was influenced by schooling, classroom practices, and contextual factors, but not professional coursework.

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HOLDEN, PFEIFFER, & JACKSON

University/Organization
School of Access Education
Central Queensland University
Gladstone, Queensland
Australia

School of Education and the Arts
Central Queensland University
Gladstone, Queensland
Australia

School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences
Central Queensland University
Gladstone, Queensland
Australia

Title
SEAGRASS AND ALUMINIUM ARE STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: A SCIENCE-ART COLLABORATION VIA THE POWER OF STEAM

Synopsis

This paper describes the collaboration of a project team consisting of two educators, an artist and a scientist who are producing a community event in the form of an art-science installation. The public event has not yet happened, but the journey to arrive at an unveiling of public art is well documented. The reasoning for undertaking the journey is a belief in the arts being a conduit to communicate science knowledge, thus shaping the way a community views their environment.

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HOLLINGSWORTH, MARY ANN & ROCHESTER, PAMELA R.

University/Organization
College of Education
The University of West Alabama
Alabama

Title
SERVICE LEARNING: STUDENT MEETS REAL-WORLD CULTURE

Synopsis
The presenters share reflections and benefits found in integration of Service Learning with online and face to face courses to enhance student application of course concepts in a real-world environment with cultural diversity as they also make a difference in that world.

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KUKRETI, ANANT & STEIMLE, JULIE

University/Organization
Biomedical, Chemical & Environmental Engineering Dept.
University of Cincinnati
Ohio

Title
TEACHERS “ENGINEER” CONTEXTUALIZED UNITS TO CHALLENGE & ENGAGE STUDENTS

Synopsis
An NSF-funded program provides professional development and coaching to help secondary math and science teachers integrate engineering design into their classrooms. This paper examines the process by which participating teachers individually develop five engineering design units, uniquely suited to address their classes’ academic standards, and teach those units over two school years, as well as the findings related to the impact of this process on the teachers themselves and their students.

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LAYNG ROSNER, TERRE

University/Organization
Communication & Media Arts Department
The University of St. Francis
Illinois

Title
THE TALE OF TWO CREATIVES: THE MATURING OF INTERGRATED VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Synopsis
The maturing of visual technologies into visual culture has provided a glimpse into the future life of creative mediated communication. As mass communication and visual art become more intimately intertwined they bear offspring. The study investigates contemporary research and practice leading to IVC (Integrated Visual Communication) through professional experience, academic articles, discipline-based trade magazines and professionally based textbooks—1979 through 2015.

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LEMON, ANN

University/Organization
Communication Design Department
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Title
DESIGN HISTORY LEAPS OFF THE STAGE

Synopsis
How to connect a historical survey course with today’s digitally-savvy, textbook-averse, over-entertained undergrads? This paper details the specific changes made to create a “flipped” classroom for teaching design history.

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LEMON, ANN & SUMMER, DOLL-MYERS

University/Organization
Communication Design Department
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Title
TEACHING BY STORYTELLING

Synopsis
The designer of 2015 is solving COMMUNICATION problems.
The designer of 2025 will be solving BUSINESS problems and SOCIAL problems.
The world of advertising has moved beyond a “hard sell” of products, services and organizations. “Storytelling” was once the way a brand, nonprofit organization, or candidate set itself apart from competitors. Top advertising agencies would craft elaborate stories that would make consumers fall in love, get angry, laugh themselves to tears, or break their hearts, all in the name of a brand. It worked. It was effective. But consumers are no longer passive audiences – they want to be part of the narrative. What a brand DOES is more important to consumers than self-serving messages.
This shift requires design educators to evolve from teaching brand communication (static ads or moving – in both senses – images), to teaching creative problem-solving and business-building.

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LETFULLIN, RENAT

University/Organization
Physics and Optical Engineering Department
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Indiana

Title
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM IN MEDICAL PHYSICS AND NANOMEDICINE FOR STEM UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Synopsis
We propose to enrich STEM education of undergraduates by developing a highly innovative interdisciplinary program to train STEM students in a multidisciplinary environment of medical physics and nanomedicine; to teach the latest scientific breakthroughs in nanotechnology and build the bridge between nanoscience, medicine and treatment of disease.

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LIU, SOPHIE XIAOFAN ET AL

University/Organization
Oral Roberts University
Oklahoma

Title
HAIRSTYLE AND PHOTOGRAPH AUGMENT BASED ON FACE RECOGNITION

Synopsis
This paper presents an interesting project that people may try out different hairstyles and colors on their face pictures before they make a real change on their hairstyle. It will be used in the undergraduate course to motivate the students to learn how to use MATLAB toolboxes and its application on face recognition and segmentation.

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MAGUAD, BEN

University/Organization
Department of Management, Marketing & Information Systems
School of Business Administration
Andrews University
Michigan

Title
MANAGING THE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE FOR COLLABORATION

Synopsis
The systems view of quality postulates that product or service quality comes as the result of interactions between various components that comprise a production process. Thus, to be effective, any quality improvement initiative should address the needs of the system as a whole. It must balance the needs of the different functional areas in the organization as no single area operates in a vacuum. All areas are interrelated and interdependent.

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MATA-TOLEDO, RAMON A. & MUNOZ-CUENCA, GUSTAVO A.

University/Organization
Computer Science Department
James Madison University
Virginia

Centro de Investigación en Educación de Calidad
Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador
Venezuela

Title
THE FIFTH GENERATION OF EVALUATION: EVALUATING FOR QUALITY

Synopsis
This paper is the summary of more than twenty years of work, search, inquiry, and passion for all aspects of evaluation in academic settings. The authors have always understood the “Fifth Generation of Evaluation” as “Evaluating for Quality.” When the authors think of the daring cognitive notion of advancing a “Fifth Generation of Evaluation”, it is not with the intention of disavowing or disqualify the prior four generations, on the contrary, the intention is to contribute, based upon our experiences, with useful elements of analysis that will allow us to find common venues to solidify future evaluation processes [Muñoz, 2010].

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MEEK, SHAWN

University/Organization
Department of Art, Communication Design
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

Title
FONTS OF MY FAMILY: THE FLEETING CRAFT OF CURSIVE WRITING

Synopsis
Cursive writing as a means to communicate is a fleeting practice. Students in grade schools are now being taught words per minute on a keyboard versus the craft of cursive writing, making this art form close to extinction. This research project centers on resurrecting the past through typographic design. Technology can encapsulate, document and archive one’s handwriting from the past, thus creating digital typefaces for today from the handwritings of the deceased.

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MOCHIZUKI, HAJIME & SHIBANO, KOHJI

University/Organization
Institute of Global Studies
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Japan

Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Africa and Asia Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Japan

Title
THE ACQUISITION OF A JAPANESE PRACTICAL
FORMULAIC SEQUENCES LIST FROM A CLOSED
CAPTION TV CORPUS

Synopsis
This paper describes the specific results of some statistical tests on data derived from our CCTV corpus to acquire a practical list of formulaic sequences in the corpus and confirmed the statistical significant distribution of target expressions in a specific genre of TV programs, from the results of chi-squared tests. We also investigate the characteristics of the acquired practical formulaic sequences that express communicative functions. The top 100 practical formulaic sequences for each genre are classified based on their characteristics. This paper also report the results of our analyses of the expression types of acquired formulaic sequences as key phrases for smooth communication.

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NAH, JEONG EUN

University/Organization
Yonsei University
South Korea

Title
COMPUTATIONAL THINKING COURSE FOR NON-COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJORS

Synopsis
Computational Thinking focuses on introducing basic knowledge of computing along with logical reasoning and problem solving skills. The curriculum consists of computational thinking and programming language with algorithmic expressions. During lab session, students practice to solve the given problems. The programming phase starts from a very easy step and progressively moves to higher levels.

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NICOLAIDES, DEMETRIS

University/Organization
Division of Natural Science and Mathematics
Bloomfield College
New Jersey

Title
NATURE EXPLAINED NATURALLY (PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY VS. CUTTING-EDGE PHYSICS)

Synopsis
The scientific theories of the pre-Socratics, natural philosophers from the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, were extraordinary! What were they and how do they measure up with our sophisticated mind-bending modern science after two and a half millennia of scientific progress? The answer will be surprising—scientists today are still pondering the fundamental problems raised twenty-five hundred years ago.

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NIYIGABA, EMMANUEL ET AL

University/Organization
Department of Mathematics
University of Dar-es-Salaam
Tanzania

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Winona State University
Minnesota

Title
FEEDBACK LINEARIZATION AND OPTIMAL CONTROL OF ELECTROMAGNETIC BALL SUSPENSION SYSTEM (EMBSS)

Synopsis
This paper presents the non linear feedback linearization technique and the optimal control of the two models of EMBSS. One of the models has the input as voltage and the other has the input as the current. The two models were analysed and linearized, it was found out that both models are feedback state input-output linearizable. The optimal control was given by the solution of algebraic Riccati equation.

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PELTOMAA, ABIGAIL ET AL

University/Organization
Clark Fork Watershed Education Program
Montana Tech
Montana

Title
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN ONE OF THE LARGEST SUPERFUND SITES IN AMERICA

Synopsis

How do you teach the next generation about Superfund, and its associated environmental damage and repair? How do you talk about the science of toxic waste effects on a local ecology and environment? How do you engage a community and their beliefs to encourage stewardship of the land? As STEAM program providers, we will describe how we do this work, our opportunities for improvement, as well as our pedagogical minds-on and hands-on approach to this tackle this complex issue.

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POURNAGHSHBAND, HASSAN & JOHNSON, LAURA

University/Organization
Department of Software Engineering & Game Development
Kennesaw State University
Georgia

Title
BRINGING WOMEN INTO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Synopsis

Women are a minority in Software Engineering careers and studies. This paper serves to discover the reasons for the imbalance of genders in Software Engineering and other STEM related fields.

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RATHER, JOHN & HARTLEY III, DEAN

Company
Sisyphus Energy, Inc.
Tennessee

Title
ESSENTIALS OF ENERGY STORAGE

Synopsis

Hawaii is the most fossil fuel dependent state in the United States. But HI has set 2045 deadline for 100% renewable electricity sourcing. Unfortunately, two of the principal renewable energy sources, wind and solar are intermittent, producing energy only when the wind blows or the sun shines. Even with substantial increases in renewable electricity production, there will be periods without enough available power. Some sort of bulk energy storage will be required. For various reasons, only the Sisyphus system of energy storage will be suitable for Hawaii’s use. Fortunately, the cost of the Sisyphus system in terms of levelized cost of energy is lower than all other renewable options.

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RAY, DIPANWITA

University/Organization
College of Education
University of South Carolina, Columbia

Title
HOW NATURE ENGAGES YOUNG MINDS TO BUILD STEM/STEAM SKILLS?

Synopsis

My interactions with children in classrooms, my experiences, and my observations in early childhood settings make me reflect and realize that even though we often use terms such as broad, exhaustive, and comprehensive to describe content areas in early childhood, very little STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning actually occurs within the classroom. We focus mainly on language and literacy in the early years, since most preschool teachers’ do not show any interest in teaching STEM/STEAM subjects. This paper focuses on the importance of building STEM/STEAM skills in early childhood settings and discusses how nature and outdoor activities contributes to STEM/STEAM skill development among children through explorations, observations, and findings. The study also suggests that students need to explore and teachers need to integrate STEM/STEAM in early childhood and elementary curriculum to offer students unlimited opportunities in learning scientific concepts. In the workshop sessions, I will discuss many different activities that build STEM/STEAM skills among children in early childhood classrooms along with hands-on opportunities. Participants will also learn how to create nature inspired STEM/STEAM activities and get take away lesson plans to implement such activities in their classrooms.

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RAY, DIPANWITA

University/Organization
College of Education
University of South Carolina, Columbia

Title
WHY ART AND CREATIVITY ARE AT THE CENTER OF CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD?

Synopsis

How do children learn and express themselves? How do children think? What role do imagination, thinking, and cognitive development play in learning Art and Creativity during early childhood? I believe Art and Creativity are interconnected and the creative development in children is expressed through their artistic abilities. Art is all about process and not product in children. Creativity enhances Art, building on their imaginations. This paper explores how Art starts with scribbling and scratching among toddlers and transforms into drawing, painting, and coloring in the early childhood period. Creativity is one’s own expression and continues throughout one’s life. Thus, Art is how children express themselves when they are actively involved in their own learning. Some other forms of Art are expressed in Music, Acting, and Play in children. This makes Art and Creativity the center of curriculum during the early childhood period. “For creativity to flourish in an educational setting, it is necessary for learners to be actively involved in the process of their own learning ” (Prentice, 2000).

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RUECKERT, FRANZ ET AL

University/Organization
Sciences and Industrial Design Department
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Massachusetts

Title
IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEBODY LEARNS

Synopsis
At Wentworth Institute of Technology the authors led students of both Industrial Design
and Physics in the creation of gamified lab kits that deliver a more complete learning experience for all participants. In this paper, we review the process and creation of the lab-kits from both scientific and design perspectives. We then show how the design and implementation of these lab-kits led to appreciable gains in both physics and design learning environments.

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SHIBAHASHI, YUTA & TOYAMA, MASAO

University/Organization
Faculty of Social Systems Science
Chiba Institute of Technology
Japan

Title
CASE STUDY ON PROMOTING ATTENDANCE FOR JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL TEAMS

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SMITH, CHARLES

University/Organization
Department of Chemistry
Our Lady of the Lake University
Texas

Title
“SCIENCE WITH BOBERT” A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INTRODUCTORY SCIENCE COURSE CREATED WITH THE HELP OF MY DOG

Synopsis

A highly successful online introductory science course (with lab component) has recently been developed at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. The course is designed for undergraduate non science majors. The objective of the course is to introduce today’s science in a fun and interactive way through “do-at-home” activities, original video, and animations of scientific concepts.

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STOCCO, LEO

University/Organization
Electrical & Computer Engineering Department
University of British Columbia
Canada

Title
SUPERCHARGING RESULTS THROUGH SELF-MOTIVATION

Synopsis

Various techniques for improving students’ accomplishments through self-motivation are presented. These techniques are demonstrated in a 3rd year Electrical Engineering Design Studio course. An end-of-course survey and a comparison to a prior iteration of the same course demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.

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TABATA, RYOYA & TOYAMA, MASAO

University/Organization
Chiba Institute of Technology
Japan

Title
CASE STUDY ON FAILED LOCAL AREA REVITALIZATION PROJECTS IN JAPAN

The purpose of this study is to investigate failed local area
revitalization projects in Japan. Local area revitalization projects
are various actions that are taken with the goal of strengthening
the local economy or increasing the population. In terms of
policies for local area revitalization, achieving short-term
revitalization of an area is comparatively simple, but maintaining
it in the long term is difficult. In this study, we focus especially on
the aspects of local area revitalization plans that have failed.

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THOMPSON, KENNETH R. ET AL

University/Organization
Aquaculture Research Center
Kentucky State University
Kentucky

Title
EVALUATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS IN AQUACULTURE: A QUALITIVE STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ LEARNING

Synopsis
The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify the impact of three separate mentor-guided, project-based learning programs with foci on aquaculture as perceived by high school students.
This case study attempted to explore the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes of students and their intrinsic desire to learn more about STEM-related fields and careers when exposed to hands-on/minds-on, aquaculture projects (activities) located at Kentucky State University’s Aquaculture Research Center in Frankfort, Kentucky. Students were engaged in real-world aquaculture environments such as learning how to construct, size, and troubleshoot a small-scale backyard aquaponics system, water quality management, and fish nutrition research. The data-gathering techniques included field observations, written questionnaires, journal reflections, and in-depth interviews with participants about insights learned as a result of their participation.

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TRUDEL, LOUIS & METIOUI, ABDELJALIL

University/Organization
Faculty of Education
University of Ottawa
Canada

Département de Didactique
Université du Québec à Montréal
Canada

Title
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF PARABOLIC MOTION

Synopsis
High school students experience difficulties when they studied parabolic motion since it requires, to understand its properties, that they combine one dimensional kinematics concepts. To understand the nature of their difficulties, we analyzed with qualitative methods the content of students’ answers to a questionnaire. Among key results, we found that many students encounter difficulties differentiating between position (time) and speed (time) along X and Y components.

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TRUDEL, LOUIS & METIOUI, ABDELJALIL

University/Organization
Faculty of Education
University of Ottawa
Canada

Département de Didactique
Université du Québec à Montréal
Canada

Title
CONCEPTION AND IMPLANTATION OF AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO SCIENCE TEACHERS’ TRAINING IN FRANCOPHONE MINORITY COMMUNITIES: A THREE PHASES DESIGN RESEARCH

Synopsis
We describe an “experiential” approach to training for science teaching in minority settings in which future teachers are encouraged to explore their representations about science teaching and learning and to undertake a process of internal transformation of their representations in order to improve their pedagogical skills towards minority communities. In this regard, our research is part of a partnership between a faculty of education and a French high school in a minority setting.

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TSENG, TZU-LIANG & AKUNDI, ADITYA

University/Organization
Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering (IMSE)
The University of Texas at El Paso
Texas

Title
LEGO BASED LOW COST TEACHING FOR ENHANCING MANUFACTURING EDUCATION

Synopsis
The United States to maintain its role in technology and innovation, Manufacturing industries provide an important foundation in ensuring the world leadership. According to a skills gap report conducted by the Manufacturing Institute and Delloitte consulting, critical concerns were addressed on the potential of the manufacturers to fill the positions required for manufacturing settings that require post secondary education with a deficit of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

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UHLIG, RONALD P. ET AL

University/Organization
School of Engineering and Computing
National University
California

Title
ENHANCING STUDENT COLLABORATION FOR IMPROVED LEARNING

Synopsis
In a traditional class, students interact primarily with the instructor. Increasing the level of student interaction with one another during the learning experience provides a significant multiplier in the student learning experience. Instead of all learning occurring on the student-instructor axis, learning occurs on multiple axes between students. Getting students to interact meaningfully with each other is an important result of student collaboration. During this academic year, we have conducted research on collaboration with student mentors and in small groups. Results are presented, including analysis of surveys of students along with instructors’ experiences.

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WAY, AMY & BELL, JENNIFER

University/Organization
Health Science Dept. & Physician Assistant Dept.
Lock Haven University
Pennsylvania

Title
OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION, EDUCATION AND RESEARCH: COMBINING INTERNATIONAL SERVICE LEARNING AND RESEARCH IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES

Synopsis
This paper describes a short term study abroad program that incorporates service-learning, research and collaboration in the health sciences. Undergraduate health science and graduate physician assistant studies students operate a clinic in rural Jamaica. The undergraduate students take patient histories and record vital signs, in addition to implementing lessons on topics relevant to Jamaican health. The physician assistant students perform physical exams and biometric data is collected on each patient. The data is used to better understand the population that is being served and to make improvements on future service-learning programs within this community. Students and faculty leaders use the data to conduct meaningful research in their area of expertise.

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WIEDMAN-ROUSE, TERI

University/Organization
School of Education, Hospitality & Continuing Studies (SEHCS)
Widener University
Pennsylvania

Title
HORTICULTURAL ACTIVITIES PRESENTED TO PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN IN AN INCLUSIVE SETTING AND THE INFLUENCES OF THE ACTIVITIES ON PEER INTERACTION AND TASK ENGAGEMENT

Synopsis
This study will investigate the possible influences of horticultural activities with two classes of preschool children in a theoretically inclusive setting. As well as considering the influences of using Horticulture activities in a science methods course on students in Higher Education as part of a Teacher Preparation program and their perceptions of teaching science in PreK-4.

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YAKUT, CENGIZ

University/Organization
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Title
GENDER, AND PRACTICE FACTORS ON LEARNING OF A VISUAL AIMING, AND TARGET-ACQUISITION TASKS

Synopsis
This paper demonstrates that current social, cultural, and task contexts, not the motor control and learning deficiencies affect women’s performance in complex visual motor tasks. The results showed that, although males’ performance appeared to be better overall (largely due to small differences accumulates) across conditions, women performed as well as men and even better for accuracy when practicing the altered task factors simultaneously in a complex visual motor task. Therefore, gender differences in performing visual motor tasks should not be exaggerated because they may carry a greater risk of promoting gender-based discrimination in the workplace. However, we should not ignore differences just because the current social, cultural, and task contexts in real-life motor skills are advantageous to males and may discourage women from becoming involved in performing certain visual motor tasks.

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ZHANG, CHAOHUI

University/Organization
Mathematics Department
Morehouse University
Atlanta, Georgia

Title
ON UPPER BOUNDS FOR THE RATIOS OF TEICHMULLER TO STABLE TRANSLATION LENGTHS OF SOME PSEUDO-ANOSOV MAPS

Synopsis
In this presentation we provide a better upper bounds for the ratios of Teichmuller to stable
translation lengths of point pushing pseudo-Anosov maps on punctured Riemann surfaces.

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