Visualisation techniques, human perception and the built environment

Historically, architecture has a wealth of visualisation techniques that have evolved throughout the period of structural design, with Virtual Reality (VR) being a relatively recent addition to the toolbox. To date the effectiveness of VR has been demonstrated from conceptualisation through to final stages and maintenance, however, its full potential has yet to be realised (Bouchlaghem et al, 2005). According to Dewey (1934), perceptual integration was predicted to be transformational; as the observer would be able to ‘engage’ with the virtual environment. However, environmental representations are predominately focused on the area of vision, regardless of evidence stating that the experience is multi sensory. In addition, there is a marked lack of research exploring the complex interaction of environmental design and the user, such as the role of attention or conceptual interpretation. This paper identifies the potential of VR models to aid communication for the Built Environment with specific reference to human perception issues

The Role of Goals and Attention on Memory for Distance in Real and Virtual Spaces

Navigating in an environment generally involves a goal. However, to date, little is known about the influence of goals on immediate memory for distance and time in ‘cognitive maps.’ The main aim of the thesis is to investigate the role goals play in memory for distance and time experienced during movement through a range of types of environment, and to begin to unpack the mechanisms at play. A secondary goal of the thesis is to examine the fidelity of virtual environments with respect to memory for distance and time. There has been a recent surge in the utilisation of Virtual Reality (VR) in research and practice. However, it remains unclear to what extent spatial behaviour in virtual environments captures the experience of Real Space. The environments tested in the thesis allow direct comparison of immediate memory for distance traversed and time spent in real human mazes versus VR versions of the same mazes. The first series of experiments tested the effects of goals varying in urgency and desirability on memory immediate memory for distance and time in real and virtual straight paths and paths with multiple turns. The results show reliable effects of goals on memory for distance and time. Moreover, the studies discount the influence of arousal and mood as an explanation for these effects, and suggest that goals may mediate attention to the environment. The second series of experiments investigated the role of attention in memory for distance and time in VR and in mentally simulated environments using verbal, visual, and auditory cues. The results of these studies show some evidence that attention in one’s environment influences memory for that environment. Overall, the results reveal that both goals and deployment of attention affect the representations people construct of their environments (cognitive maps) and subsequent recall. Implications are discussed more broadly with regard to research in spatial cognition

NASA's Space Launch System: Progress Toward the Proving Ground

With significant and substantial progress being accomplished toward readying the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for its first test flight, work is already also underway on preparations for the second flight - using an upgraded version of the vehicle - and beyond. SLS is the most powerful human-rated launch vehicle the United States has ever undertaken, and together with the Orion spacecraft will support human exploration missions into the proving ground of cislunar space and ultimately to Mars. This paper will provide a description of the SLS vehicle, and an overview of the vehicle's capabilities and utilization potential

Central Washington University Campus Community Garden: A Mural Project

This service-learning project represents the first phase of constructing a mural for the campus community garden at Central Washington University. The purpose of the mural is to bring awareness to the garden by creating a welcoming space that empowers the community to learn from, work with, and teach others. As a group, we became involved with the Campus Community Garden through a Health Education (HED) course, Community Organization and Coalition Development (HED 450). The purpose of this course is to provide public health students the knowledge, practices, and skills necessary to be successful while working with community organizations. We started out developing a concept to attract more Central Washington University students to be a part of the garden through participating in a design competition for the garden’s mural. Submitted designs from Central Washington University students are currently being considered for final selection during the month of April. The chosen artist will be asked to recreate the drawing on a plywood panel for a Community Mural Painting event which will be held on the first Friday in May, and it will be open for participation by all community members. Our role in this project was to collaborate in the launching of the mural design competition, engaging local businesses to contribute resources to the mural project, and participate in the Community Painting Event in May. Our service learning project also involved several opportunities for academic reflection on this experience, and we plan to highlight some of our reflection pieces, as well as photos from the design process, and the actual garden space in our SOURCE presentation

Campus STEM Innovation from a Foothold in Mathematics: Lessons Learned from a Place Where it Happened

A metropolitan university, has had a productive journey in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which eventually led to a campus STEM priority, endowed STEM Community Chairs, an increase in external grants, disciplinary degree pathways for high school teachers and even a Citywide STEM Ecosystem organization. Much of this journey surfaced from collaborations originating in mathematics education, which then synergized into campus wide efforts. This article describes one campus’ journey into STEM and how transforming the mathematics teacher education program represented a “springboard” for formalizing STEM collaboration and innovation. It is offered to aid other institutions who want to make STEM more of a priority on campus and to assist in their institutional journey toward a collaborative STEM effort both on and off campus

Solving Logic Problems with a Twist

The crossroads of logic and mathematics breeds critically thinking students that have the confidence and independent working skills to tackle any problem they come across. In this artifact, several applications of logic to common problems have been applied in a way that would allow teachers to use the examples in their classrooms in a wide range of grade levels. More specifically Boolean Algebra and Truth Tables have been making their way into middle and high school mathematics classrooms with the nation\u27s shift from just being able to compute to an understanding on a cognitive level why you solved the problem the way you did. In United States schools the standardized testing is becoming increasingly rigorous as the years go by and mathematics concepts that used to be reserved for higher education students are now considered everyday math. “Mathematical knowledge and the ability to solve quantifiable problems and utilize critical thinking skills enhance the abilities of students to think and make decisions (Su, 2016). Applying logic to common math problems in a low-pressure classroom setting prepares students and interests them in higher-level mathematics applications. The goal of every teacher is to expand the mind of and inspire their students to go farther in the subject matter than they ever thought possible and teaching them these logic skills and applications will help them get there

Learning Assistantships in College Mathematics: Value for Preservice Teacher Development

Increasing the participation and achievement of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from early grades to college coursework continues to be at the forefront of educational transformations and research. Faculty members at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) plan, implement, and investigate how program structures might aid in the development, retention, and overall success of undergraduate students in STEM. Active learning classrooms, especially in mathematics, are one way IHE are reforming student learning experiences, and these environments also provide a unique opportunity to engage undergraduate learning assistants with faculty to support near - peer students and deepen their own learning. Identifying aspects of undergraduate learning assistants’ experiences that they find most valuable and interrogating how those are linked to their development can help IHE faculty better understand and plan for how to support undergraduate students in particular fields, such as STEM and STEM teaching. In particular, this paper examines scholarship participants serving as learning assistants in active learning college mathematics classrooms to see where and how they find value in their experience. Implications of this research can inform faculty and university programs on how they might prioritize and transform learning opportunities for students to impact their current and future development in STEM and beyond

Mentoring Future Mathematics Teachers: Lessons Learned from Four Mentoring Partnerships

Mentoring is an important aspect of mathematics teacher education, and in particular, pre-service teacher education. Faculty at a large Midwestern university developed and refined a mentoring program designed to help pre-service secondary mathematics teachers, called Scholars, become future leaders in mathematics education. This paper describes how faculty mentors leveraged challenges in the mentoring program’s early stages based on their reflections and initial mentee outcomes to create a more effective mentoring program. Recommendations based on research and practice are provided for other university programs interested in mentoring future mathematics teachers

The Farmacy Garden: A Model Program for Expanding Services to Low-Income Families

Fruit and vegetable prescription, or FVRx, programs present an opportunity for expanding and promoting gardening projects, which are a mainstay of Extension programming. The Farmacy Garden, a collaboration of multiple local partners, provides a point of access for learning about and obtaining fresh fruits and vegetables and represents an integrated programming approach for increasing food security for low-income families. The garden serves as a living laboratory—a community venue for agricultural workshops and nutrition education and a space to pilot test additional programming. The Farmacy Garden is a replicable model for Extension professionals interested in leveraging local resources to expand programming and services