Geology and its tangential studies, collectively known and referred to in this thesis as geosciences, have been paramount to the transformation and advancement of society, fundamentally changing the way we view, interact and live with the surrounding natural and built environment. It is important to recognize the value and importance of this interdisciplinary scientific field while reconciling its ties to imperial and colonizing extractive systems which have led to harmful and invasive endeavors. This intersection among geosciences, (environmental) justice studies, and decolonization is intended to promote inclusive pedagogical models through just and equitable methodologies and frameworks as to prevent further injustices and promote recognition and healing of old wounds. By utilizing decolonial frameworks and highlighting the voices of peoples from colonized and exploited landscapes, this annotated syllabus tackles the issues previously described while proposing solutions involving place-based education and the recentering of land within geoscience pedagogical models. (abstract)

This project explores how modern mobile technology can be used to provide support for domestic violence victims. The goal of the project is to create a proof-of-concept iOS mobile application that maintains a discreet safety front and provides domestic violence victims with resources and safety planning. The design and implementation are disguised as a hair salon app to maintain a low profile on the user’s phone. The HairHelp app features quick exit navigation, a secure database to store a user’s private and personal documents in case of emergency, and a checklist of safety planning measures. The steps taken in this project serve as the foundation for a larger project in the long term.

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning opportunities. Joystick Education is our approach to addressing this need. Through online, game-based tutoring and a database of video games with high educational value, Joystick Education creates a learning environment that is effective, fun, and engaging for students. We analyzed popular, mainstream video games for educational content and selected nine games that teach concepts like history, biology, or physics while playing the game. Through promotion on social media, we generated buzz around our website which led to 103 unique visitors over our first month online and two customers requesting to book our tutoring service. We are confident that given more time to grow, Joystick Education can generate profit and become a successful business.

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning opportunities. Joystick Education is our approach to addressing this need. Through online, game-based tutoring and a database of video games with high educational value, Joystick Education creates a learning environment that is effective, fun, and engaging for students. We analyzed popular, mainstream video games for educational content and selected nine games that teach concepts like history, biology, or physics while playing the game. Through promotion on social media, we generated buzz around our website which led to 103 unique visitors over our first month online and two customers requesting to book our tutoring service. We are confident that given more time to grow, Joystick Education can generate profit and become a successful business.

HackerHero is an educational game designed to teach children, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, computation thinking skills needed for STEAM fields. It also teaches children about social injustice. This project was focused on creating an audio visualization for an AI character within the HackerHero game. The audio visualization consisted of a static silhouette of a face and a wave-like form to represent the mouth. Audio content analysis was performed on audio sampled from the character’s voice lines. Pitch and amplitude derived from the analysis was used to animate the character’s visual features such as it’s brightness, color, and mouth movement. The mouth’s movement and color was manipulated with the audio’s pitch. The lights of Wave were controlled by the amplitude of the audio. Design considerations were made to accommodate those with visual disabilities such as color blindness and epilepsy. Overall the final audio visualization satisfied the project sponsor and built upon existing audio visualization work. User feedback will be a necessity for improving the audio visualization in the future.