Past Short-term Working Group Projects
Faculty Members: Drs. Waseem Abbas & James Yurkovich
School of Engineering and Computer Science
In this project, students will learn about cutting-edge technologies, including digital wearables and multi-robot systems, with a focus on harnessing these innovations systematically to address pressing societal challenges. Students will explore the potential of these technologies and then propose creative ideas for engagingly presenting their findings, particularly for high school students attending a summer boot camp and workshop. The sessions will involve interactive discussions, activities in our multirobot systems lab, and interactions with multiple faculty and graduate students. The project participants will not only acquire knowledge about these emerging technologies and their practical applications but also work collaboratively to present and disseminate them to a broader audience, preparing themselves for impactful roles in the technology-driven world.
Faculty Member: Dr. Torrie Cropps
School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Students will help to develop an online journal/magazine for student publications. We will choose a name, format, platform, develop the artwork for the cover (or at least an idea of what it could look like), content plan, and branding. Students interested in print and digital media, environmental sciences, and publishing (e.g., op-eds, poetry, book reviews, etc; not journal manuscripts) would be great for this SWG. The deliverable will be available for UTD students interested in publishing previously mentioned works by the end of Spring 2024. I would also like participating students to consider (definitely not required) serving on the Editorial Board.
Faculty Member: Dr. Monica Evans
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
Students will assist with identifying, categorizing, selecting, and analyzing between twenty and thirty science fiction games as part of the research process for a book project. Analyses will focus on single-player digital games released within the last two decades, ranging from large-scale triple-A releases to small independent titles across multiple game genres and platforms. Students are expected to have experience in playing digital games at various difficulty levels. Our sessions will explore the relationship between science fiction as a narrative genre and digital games as an interactive, mechanics-driven medium.
Faculty Member: Dr. Christine Veras
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
In January 2024, Disney Studios pioneering animation Steamboat Willie (1928) became public domain. In this SWG, I propose deconstructing what the character means, adding its popular and controversial meanings related to Disney Studios’ history as a re-animation of segments of Steamboat Willie. This experimental animation will be created on paper, with the film frames printed and Mickey Mouse’s character cut out frame by frame manually. In the void left by the character, different textures and quick snapshots of highlight moments of the studio will blink, helping to reshape the character’s meaning. This re-animation- must will be submitted to Aurora’s 2024 Video Art Night in downtown Dallas.
Faculty Member: Dr. Francesca Filbey
School of Behavior & Brain Sciences
Students will assist in all aspects of writing a 2nd edition of a textbook on the Neuroscience of Addiction. They will be engaged in conceptualization, literature search and review via public databases, organization of materials using tools, formatting and reference compilation via reference managers, creation of images, proofreading, etc. Students will be exposed to the process and actively contribute to a product.
Faculty Member: Dr. Maria Hasenhuttl
Jindal School of Management
Join the Neurodiversity Celebration Week Team! We’re inviting enthusiastic students from all fields to plan and execute unique events in March 2024. You’ll get to brainstorm workshops, connect with alumni and faculty, and promote programs for neurodivergent individuals. We are looking for students with a passion for learning and making a difference. Whether you’re neurodivergent, know someone who is, or just want to make a positive change to our campus community, we welcome you. Apply now to contribute to memorable events. Let’s make a real-world impact together!
Faculty Members: Drs. Sarah Moore and Kathryn Lookadoo
Jindal School of Management
Have you been assigned a textbook to read for class? Did you love/like it? Did you hate it (and maybe not read it…shhh, we won’t tell)? If you answered “yes” to these questions, this SWG is for you! We are writing a business communication textbook for first-year students and want your input on what students like and don’t like in textbooks and what helps you learn. You will consult on textbook content, innovate learning and training in business education, and create the type of textbook content you would want to use.
Faculty Member: Dr. Ben Porter
School of Engineering and Computer Science
Students will develop a project to teach the basics of engineering design. This project will be used by K-12 teachers to educate their students about the engineering process. Members of the SWG will learn about engineering design, demonstrate creativity and problem solving skills, and learn about creating assessment materials.
Faculty Member: Dr. Melanie Spence
School of Behavior & Brain Sciences
Students will help to develop course materials for an entry-level graduate course focusing on the development of infants from the prenatal period until the age of two years. A reading list will be developed for course topics and assessment questions relating readings to the text will be developed. Two learning activities designed to steer students to critically evaluate research in infant development will be designed.
Faculty Member: Dr. Stephanie Taylor
School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Students will investigate, plan out and (hopefully) build a hydroponics set up for home/classroom use. This will involve (1) choosing plants that can grow in such setups, figuring out how to germinate seeds or start with grown plants, (2) selecting the most economical nutrition/chemical balances, as well as testing and measuring procedures to check on the health of the plants, (3) determining materials and building supplies needed to create the set up itself and (4) building as well as tear down and storage. (On one hand it would be nice to build on the 3rd meeting so the students could see a few weeks of growth/development, but this will depend on how the first two sessions go.) We’ll also use Safety Data Sheets and have discussions about proper safety.
Faculty Members: Drs. Salena Brody, Ben Kolber, & Regina Ybarra
School of Behavior & Brain Sciences
Students had an exciting opportunity to work alongside three professors, Drs. Salena Brody, Ben Kolber, & Regina Ybarra, on a National Institute of Health (NIH) funded project aimed at improving rigor in science. The project involved the development of creative and engaging modules to showcase the decision-making processes involved in scientific research and how unintentional shortcuts undermine rigor. Students curated content for teaching modules and contributed to the development of narrative arcs and storyboards for interactive online modules. The program welcomed students with research methods training who could think creatively about narrative arcs for the “choose your own adventure” style training envisioned.
Faculty Member: Dr. Torrie Cropps
School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Students assisted in developing new content/material for a relatively new course – environmental justice. Students with basic knowledge and/or environmental justice were a good fit for this program.
Faculty Member: Dr. Meridith Grant
School of Behavior & Brain Sciences
Students had the opportunity to contribute to the development of course materials for a graduate-level course focused on toddlers’ and preschoolers’ development, emphasizing information relevant to early childhood intervention (ECI). They created a reading list tied to core course topics, such as physical, cognitive, and social development, and developed in-class collaborative learning activities and individual assessment questions from those readings. Alongside deepening their content knowledge, students refined their research analysis, course design, and assessment development skills. The materials they worked on were implemented in the Spring 2024 course.
Faculty Member: Dr. Kimberly Hill
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
The Working Group collaborated to create a multi-page website on the archival collection of Dallas civil rights leader A. Maceo Smith. Hosted by the African American Museum of Dallas, the virtual exhibit showcases Smith’s life. The group enhanced historical details provided by Brenda Lakhani, a UTD Ph.D. student, determining optimal formatting and visual aids. This joint effort provided students with the opportunity to develop skills in web design, copy editing, media analysis, and organization. Through the process, they gained valuable professional experience by incorporating feedback from faculty, museum staff, and community members of various ages.
Faculty Member: Dr. Heidi Kane
School of Behavior & Brain Sciences
Students assisted in co-creating course materials for a Health Psychology course, contributing content like news articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, and empirical readings for Perusal Guided Reading assignments and class engagement activities. They developed skills in course design, inclusive teaching, group collaboration, and public speaking within a supportive environment. This experience provided insight into the behind-the-scenes process of course design.
Faculty Member: Dr. Ben Porter
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Students developed a project to teach the basics of engineering design and will be used by K-12 teachers to educate their students about the engineering process. members learned about engineering design and how to create assessment materials, demonstrating creativity and problem solving skills.
Faculty Member: Dr. Katrina Rushing
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
Students assisted in a research project exploring the intersection of music and generative AI. The project assessed the capabilities of current AI platforms in creating, analyzing, and describing/writing about music. Additionally, the team developed recommendations for optimal use of AI in the creative process, targeting both students and instructors. While the students were required to read music, enrollment in music courses at UTD was not a prerequisite.
Faculty Member: Dr. Lamya Saleh
School of Natural Science & Mathematics
Students assisted in the preparation of educational online materials for an “Electricity and Magnetism Course.” They developed skills in utilizing online resources and art materials, while also exploring the incorporation of AI in material development. Applying their knowledge in Electricity and Magnetism, students assessed suitable methods to demonstrate concepts.
Faculty Member: Arthur Vasquez
School of Economics, Political & Policy Sciences
Students assisted in developing a working list of potential agencies interested in collaborating with the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department. They cultivated skills in organization, communication, networking, and writing. The experience emphasized the significance of networking in establishing partnerships beneficial to students, the university, and agencies. The goal was for students to gain practical knowledge of professional development and collaboration while exploring diverse career opportunities. The group focused on four sessions to identify and connect with area agencies keen on establishing a working partnership with the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department.
Faculty Member: Dr. Christine Veras
Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
Students assisted with creating a 14-foot dinosaur to help promote the play Winsor & Gertie performed on campus in the fall of 2023. They helped research the best solutions to build Gertie the dinosaur and built it during four sections in the summer. This Short-term Working group was open to students with drawing and sculpting skills from any major. From character accuracy to developing visual-spatial abilities, the in-person meetings covered collaboration and crafts skills to build something together. The dedicated team consisted of six undergrads and one graduate student. More information and behind-the-scenes of this project is available here: https://labs.utdallas.edu/experimental/building-a-dinosaur/
Faculty Member: Dr. Alexey Root
School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Students modernized, with algebraic notation and inclusive language, Howard Staunton’s The Blue Book of Chess. They developed chess skills, English language skills, and webpage design skills. The objective was to put Chapter I: Introduction of this public domain book on accessible webpages. Chapter I is approximately 14,000 words plus numerous chess diagrams. Each of the four sessions tackled approximately 3,500 words.
Faculty Member: Dr. Ben Porter
Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
Students assisted in the planning and execution of a new student boot camp for bioengineering students held at the end of the summer. They helped determine the topics to be covered, researched the topics and prepared background information, determined an appropriate schedule, and helped present the information.
Faculty Member: Dr. Salena Brody
School of Behavioral and Brain Science
Students assisted with co-creating course materials for a Social Psychology course. Specifically, students contributed relevant content (e.g. news articles, podcasts, YouTube videos) for the 15 Perusall Guided Reading assignments that were in development. Students developed skills related to course design, inclusive teaching, and online pedagogy.
Faculty Member: Dr. Kelli Palmer
School of Natural Science and Mathematics
Students assisted with evaluating the use of bioconcrete for building infrastructure on other planets. They developed skills related to scientific research, presentation of research and experimental design. Students worked together to identify the strengths and weaknesses of using bioconcrete in space and to identify the most important experiments to be done to address unanswered questions in the field. These activities will be used in applications to NASA spaceflight experiments and for design of course-based research experiences at UT Dallas. Experience in biology, chemistry and/or geosciences coursework was recommended but not required.
Faculty Member: Dr. Kristin Atchison
School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Students helped redesign Lifespan development (PSY/CLDP 2314) for diverse student needs. Students helped tailor content to the needs of psychology and child learning and development majors, as well as students taking the course for preparation for the MCATs or working in healthcare. Student best suited for this project had taken Lifespan Development and ideally also had insight into the needs of students in various groups. Students also helped design active class assignments where students can more deeply engage with the content to develop a richer understanding.