Cognitive and Learning Sciences News

Highlights of Psych 3001 Research Spring 2015

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Color vs ComplexityAssociate Professor of Psychology Shane T. Mueller announces that Volume 3 of the JMUBR (Journal of Midwest Undergraduate Behavioral Research)—an on-line journal dedicated to the research projects conducted by our undergraduates in PSY 3001 – Experimental Methods and Statistics II—has been published. This was research conducted in Spring 2015.

Highlights include:

  • Research that spans disciplines of cognitive, perceptual, social, moral, health, sports, clinical, and personality psychology.
  • A study on how for some types of behaviors, legality is an important factor in whether people judge them as moral.
  • A study of how people categorize and classify naturalistic objects (chairs!)
  • Two studies investigating the interaction of color and memory.
  • A study of the perceptions of how LBGTQ students on campus are viewed, both within and outside the Greek system.
  • A study on how college students balance financial pressures with convenience and health in making decisions about what they eat.
  • A study on the types of factors that may contribute to false memory.
  • A study on the factors that motivate student athletes.
  • A study of bullying and anti-social behavior in online and multiplayer video games.
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Coffee Chat with Gillian Roehrig

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COFFEE CHAT: CREATIVE WAYS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AND CHECK UNDERSTANDING

Dr. Gillian Roehrig, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Science Education at the University of Minnesota, will demonstrate several novel ways to engage students, including Concept Mapping, Photo-Elicitation Interviews (PEI’s), and the use of Socio-scientific Issues (SSI’s).

Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
Location: Library East Reading Room
Campus: Center for Teaching and Learning

Learn more and register at the Center for Teaching and Learning.

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Designing a Sustainable Future Summer 2016

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Sustainable Future
Sustainable Future

Designing a Sustainable Future

July 11 – 15, 2016
Deadline: May 2, 2016

ED 5640 Designing a Sustainable Future Teacher Institute (for Grades 4-12 Teachers)
Date: M-F, July 11-15, 2016
The institute will introduce teachers to the field of sustainability through examination of product life cycles, product recycling, repurposing materials, renewable energy sources of wind, solar, and biomass, designing energy- and resource-efficient buildings, site designs to reduce storm water runoff and increase biodiversity, and efficient transportation systems and vehicles. The institute will address the Next Generation Science Standards and be taught by a variety of Michigan Tech University faculty and graduate students, along with community and teacher experts. Cost: $400 off campus includes five lunches, 2 MTU graduate credits and instructional materials. $700 on campus includes five nights lodging & meals from Monday morning through Friday lunch, 2 MTU graduate credits and materials. 
Link to register: 2016 Designing a Sustainable Future Application

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Engaging Students in Authentic Science Research Summer 2016

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Engaging Students
Engaging Students

Engaging Students in Authentic Science Research

June 27 – July 1, 2016
Deadline: May 2, 2016

ED5601 Engaging Students in Authentic Science Research Teacher Institute (for Gr. 4-12 Teachers)
Date: M-F, June 27-July 1, 2016
Teachers gain skills in designing original research, rather than merely conducting cookbook experiments. Teachers will learn research design methods and procedures, and participate in a variety of research field and lab studies. Cost: $400 off campus includes five lunches, 2 MTU graduate credits and instructional materials. $700 on campus includes 5 nights lodging & meals from Monday morning through Friday lunch, 2 MTU graduate credits and instructional materials. 
Link to register: 2016 Engaging Students in Science Research Application

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Teaching About Global Change Summer 2016

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Global Change
Global Change

Teaching About Global Change

June 20 – 24, 2016
Deadline: May 2, 201

ED5641 Global Change Teacher Institute (for Grades 4-12 Teachers)
Date: M-F, June 20-24, 2016
This 5-day Institute will prepare you to engage your middle and high school students in a real-world study of the effects of global change on ecosystems, including the impacts of climatic change on forests— elevated carbon dioxide and ozone levels, nitrogen saturation, acid rain, and invasive species. Teachers will participate in the MEECS Climate Change workshop and receive the NEW MEECS Climate Change Unit. Cost: $400 off campus includes five lunches, 2 MTU graduate credits and instructional materials. $700 on campus includes 5 nights lodging & meals from Monday morning through Friday lunch, 2 MTU graduate credits and instructional materials.
Link to register: 2016 Global Change Teacher Institute Application

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BASIC – Building Adult Skills in Computing

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Back to BASICs: Computer help group has new name, same drive to help build skills

HOUGHTON?- It’s an hour before the Portage Lake District Library opens, but if you enter through the side door, you’ll see a group of Tech students and community members already hard at work. They bow over smartphones, tablets and laptops, deep in conversation. They’re here to teach, and to learn.

This is BASIC (Building Adult Skills in Computing), formerly known as Online at the Library. The group meets on Saturday mornings while Tech is in session.

Though its name has changed, the group’s mission has remained the same – to help answer questions for, and teach computing skills to, community members.

Another faculty member helping out Jan. 23 was Kelly Steelman, an assistant professor in Tech’s department of cognitive and learning sciences.

She’s been working with the program for a year, but she didn’t originally intend to become a tutor. Instead, she entered her first session hoping to gain insight on where to take Tech’s program, and see if there were technologies that could be developed to help older adults interact with technology, or to help the student tutors help others.

“I’m really interested in how people use technology, how they pay attention, and how we can get them to find the things that they’re trying to find and design technology in such a way that people aren’t getting lost,” she said.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Meghan Marquardt. (Subscription required.)

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Donations Sought For Free Sale

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The Free Sale is coming. Consider donating gently used, clean women’s business clothing and accessories (hangers are appreciated, all sizes welcome) for the Free Sale prior to the Spring Career Fair February, 16.

Your items will be available to all Tech students at no cost. Items remaining after the event will be either donated to a local non-profit or held for a future event.

This is the third “free sale”—a give away of gently worn women’s business clothing for students. We had great success with the first two events last year, helping more than 100 students and giving out more than 95 percent of donated items. Everyone walked out with something.

We plan to hold another event for our students from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, February 14, at the Meese Center. We are asking for your donations.

Donations are being accepted now during normal business hours at the following locations:

  • 107 Meese Center
  • 108A Dillman Hall
  • 219 Van Pelt and Opie Library

Also look for the drop off box in the library during Winter Carnival, Thursday through Sunday of this week.

Donations can also be shipped to:

CLS Department – Clothing Donation

Michigan Tech University

Meese Center

1400 Townsend Drive

Houghton, MI 49931

From Tech Today, by CLS.

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MTTI Driving Research Seminar Series

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MTTI DrivingA new “MTTI Driving Research Seminar Series” is being launched as an activity of the Exploring Next Generation IN-vehicle INterfaces (ENGIN) project supported by Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI).

This seminar series will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month in room 109 of the Harold Meese Center.

The title of the first talk by Shabnam is “The Effects of Google Glass on Driving Behavior.” This work has been done in the Humane Interface Design Enterprise (HIDE) under advice of Robert Pastel (CS).

In addition to the presentation, we will discuss and share ideas for research projects and proposals together. All faculty, students and staff who are interested in driving research are welcome.

The tentative list of presenters for this spring semester includes:

Tuesday, February 2 — Maryam “Shabnam” FahrHosseini (CLS/HIDE Enterprise)
Tuesday, March 1 — Mehdi Jafari (ECE)
Tuesday, April 5 — Ye “Sarah” Sun (MEEM)
Tuesday, May 3 — David Nelson (CEE/MTTI/RTP)

We will discuss various topics, such as Human Factors issues-distraction, stress and fatigue, emotions, electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles, sensors, grade crossing and naturalistic driving research. Refreshments will be provided.

If you have any questions about the seminar or want to present, contact Philart Jeon.

From Tech Today, by Myounghoon Philart Jeon (CLS/CS).

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Mi-STAR and the NEW Michigan Science Standards

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Geoseminar: Jacqueline Huntoon, Provost
The next Geoseminar will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, January 29, 2016, in 610 Dow. The discussion topic will be “Mi-STAR and the NEW Michigan Science Standards.”

Anyone who is interested in working with K-12 science educators needs to be familiar with some of the major changes taking place as a result of development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In Michigan, new Michigan Science Standards, which are based on the NGSS, were adopted in the fall of 2015. Currently, the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Science Teachers Association, teachers and teacher-educators are working together to prepare for implementation of a reformed curriculum and new instructional practices in our state.

In the past, science standards focused primarily on disciplinary content. In contrast, the new standards ask for teachers to help students become proficient in doing science, as opposed to simply learning about it. This change requires wholescale reform of curriculum and instructional practice. The Mi-STAR project, funded by the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, is working with teachers from throughout the state of Michigan to enact the needed reforms. Preliminary research and evaluation results indicate that the new standards and teaching methods are engaging students in science who were previously uninterested in the subject.

This presentation will include a brief overview of the NGSS and the Mi-STAR project along with the opportunity for everyone to try to come up with an idea for a “three-dimensional” learning opportunity for middle-school students. Come prepared to work with a partner or group to begin to create something meaningful and fun.

From Tech Today, by Bill Rose, GMES.

Hands on: Students do science, not just learn facts

HOUGHTON – When Michigan Tech researchers proposed and won funding for the new MiSTAR science curriculum development project, they were facing some challenging new state standards, according to principal investigator Jackie Huntoon.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Dan Roblee. (Subscription required.)

L’Anse students pilot hands-on science lessons

L’ANSE, Mich. (AP) – Students in L’Anse are taking part in new hands-on science units being piloted this year in the state.

Read more at 9 and 10 News.

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Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Kickoff and Celebration

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The Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach is among the organizers of a celebration to open the Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Facility.

The celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, January 16, 2016, at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton.

There’ll be hands-on activities for kids, including making paper, garbage pizzas, recycling machine, cardboard forts, lunch safari and more.

A display and information on the cardboard recycling facility, upcoming plans for how to improve curbside recycling in Houghton County and information on how you can get involved will be available.

Bring your cardboard to the Portage Lake District Library during the celebration and it will be transported to the new Cardboard Recycling Facility in Atlantic Mine.

From Tech Today.

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