DATA VISUALIZATION HIGH-SCHOOL OUTREACH
May 2005 - August 2007
PROJECT OVERIVEW
My involvement in the data visualization outreach program began in the summer of 2005 while an undergraduate and ended upon my MS graduation. The initiative was conducted under the supervision of Dr. David J. Russomanno. The Data Visualization course and the outreach program were created through a NSF grant for incorporating undergraduate students in high-school outreach programs. Click here for project website.
Over the course of the summer and the following two years a viable application utilizing interactive 3D physics simulations was created for instructional use through iterative software development utilizing interdisciplinary research faculty and high-school teachers. My work in the outreach program became a MS project and resulted in one journal publication detailing the features of the application and its overall role in the outreach program. A conference paper also resulted from the project detailing the overall impact of the project and discussed student surveys, which provided feedback on how to improve the project in subsequent years. I presented the paper at the 2007 International Conference on Frontiers in Education. I was the TA for the course during the fall 2006 semester where I graded papers and lectured several of the courses. In conjunction with faculty committee members, I gave lectures to the high-school students on science career paths.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
D.J. Russomanno and J.C. Goodwin (2006) “Animation and Visualization Tools: From Undergraduate Projects to Pedagogical Aids,” Journal of STEM Education
D.J. Russomanno, A. Lambert, and J.C. Goodwin. (2007) “Data Visualization in the High-School Physics Classroom: Pathway to Engineering and Computer Science Careers?,” The 2007 International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering
APPLICATION SCREENSHOTS
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Below is a screenshot of the projectile motion module: |
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Below is a screenshot of the conservation of momentum: |
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Below is a screenshot of the airplane physics module: |
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Journal
D.J. Russomanno and J.C. Goodwin (2006) “Animation and Visualization Tools: From Undergraduate Projects to Pedagogical Aids,” Journal of STEM Education
Animation and visualization tools are being designed, implemented, and maintained primarily by undergraduate students at The University of Memphis as part of an interdisciplinary data visualization course established via an NSF/CCLI grant. Currently, the tools consist of modules in projectile motion, conservation of momentum, and elementary airplane dynamics, as well as tools for visualizing large medical domain data. Students are involved in a requirements elicitation process, with input provided by high-school teachers, to develop applications that may have pedagogical utility in high schools in the Mid-South area. Teachers are using the tools in the classroom and acquiring data to assess the tools effectiveness as pedagogical aids, while undergraduate students are receiving feedback regarding their software designs.
Conference
Data Visualization in the High-School Physics Classroom: Pathway to Engineering and Computer Science Careers?
This paper describes high-school student survey results related to outreach aspects of an interdisciplinary data visualization course established in part through a National Science Foundation grant at the University of Memphis. The survey focuses on the influence of outreach activities on high-school physics students’ awareness and interest in data visualization, how visualization can be used in engineering applications, the types of work engineering and computer science careers offer, the skills needed for success in such careers, and the students’ overall interest in engineering and computer science as a college major.