Gamifying STEM education

A professor-student team of computer scientists is changing the landscape of production management with its latest research.

In collaboration with Christian Lopez, assistant professor of computer science, affiliated with mechanical engineering, Aidan Mathieu ’26 and Wilson Hong ’26 are creating game-based learning models to support the production engineering training process. (see Full article HERE)

Christian Lopez with Aidan Mathieu ’26 and Wilson Hong ’26

 

Advancing allyship in STEM

Clare Boothe Luce program provides research opportunities for women and paves the way for a more inclusive workplace. Junior and CBL Ally Miles Morrison ’26 worked alongside Christian Lopez, assistant professor of computer science this summer. Morrison, who is also majoring in integrative engineering with a concentration in robotics, is researching large language models like ChatGPT as a tool to improve engagement in computer science.  Full Article HERE

 

Miles Morrison '26 is seated and looking at his laptop. Professor Lopez is looking over his shoulder.

Prof. Christian Lopez receives NSF grant

By Bryan Hay

Christian Lopez, assistant professor of computer science (affiliated with mechanical engineering), has received his first National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to advance his research in gamification and machine learning to support STEM education in collaboration with colleagues from Pennsylvania State University and Carnegie Mellon University.

“While this is not my first grant per se, since I was awarded two grants from the Dominican Republic government in the past few years, this is my first NSF grant,” says Lopez, whose research interests include machine learning and persuasive technologies.

Prof. Christian Lopez

 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Virtual Tours of Campus Mechanical Engineering Lab

image of the mechanical engineering classroom

In preparation for teaching ES 101 remotely this past fall, Professor Christian Lopez created a virtual tour of the mechanical engineering lab with the help of one of his students so students away from campus could learn about the lab and its equipment. The students were appreciative of the opportunity to see the machinery and imagine themselves in the lab. The tour was created using a regular camera and then uploaded onto Google Poly and Google Expedition to be used with the Google Cardboards that were sent to his students. Showcasing VR content is a common feature of his classes and he has collaborated with other professors to create VR projects for their courses, such as these aerial views generated using Google Earth studio for a Geology course.

https://citls.lafayette.edu/2021/02/02/virtual-tours-of-campus-mechanical-engineering-lab/

STEM Star: The VR Mover and Shaker

Alexa Gould '23, mechanical engineering, architectural studies minor, is a 2021 STEM Star

By Bryan Hay

Recent studies suggest that Americans exercised less during the height of the pandemic, but a research project by Alexa Gould ’23 and Prof. Christian López may help get sedentary people moving again.

Gould and López have been working on an innovative way to promote physical activity by developing a virtual reality exergame. Wearing a VR headset, viewers physically respond to obstacles coming toward them, and with the use of depth-sensor technology, they can control an avatar in the virtual environment.

 

READ MORE HERE

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