The impact of undergraduate research experiences on students' academic development and retention in STEM fields is significant. Students' success in STEM fields is based on developing strong research and critical thinking skills that make it essential for students to engage in research activities throughout their academic programs. This work evaluates the effectiveness of undergraduate research experiences with respect to its influence on student retention and academic development. The cases presented are based on years of experience implementing undergraduate research programs in various STEM fields at Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) funded by HSI STEM Grants. The study seeks to establish a correlation between students' retention rates and academic development and students' involvement in undergraduate research experiences and programs during their academic journey. The work also delves into different mentoring approaches, including group-based and mentoring by individual faculty. This study provides the engineering and STEM education community with a deeper understanding of the advantages of undergraduate research experiences in enriching STEM and mentoring practices that can increase students' participation and mold their academic and professional character.
Any software application can be divided into four distinct interconnected domains namely, problem domain, usage domain, development domain and system domain. A methodology for assistive technology software development is presented here that seeks to provide a framework for requirements elicitation studies together with their subsequent mapping implementing use-case driven object-oriented analysis for component based software architectures. Early feedback on user interface components effectiveness is adopted through process usability evaluation. A model is suggested that consists of the three environments; problem, conceptual, and representational environments or worlds. This model aims to emphasize on the relationship between the objects
... Show MoreImage databases are increasing exponentially because of rapid developments in social networking and digital technologies. To search these databases, an efficient search technique is required. CBIR is considered one of these techniques. This paper presents a multistage CBIR to address the computational cost issues while reasonably preserving accuracy. In the presented work, the first stage acts as a filter that passes images to the next stage based on SKTP, which is the first time used in the CBIR domain. While in the second stage, LBP and Canny edge detectors are employed for extracting texture and shape features from the query image and images in the newly constructed database. The p
This paper focuses on the optimization of drilling parameters by utilizing “Taguchi method” to obtain the minimum surface roughness. Nine drilling experiments were performed on Al 5050 alloy using high speed steel twist drills. Three drilling parameters (feed rates, cutting speeds, and cutting tools) were used as control factors, and L9 (33) “orthogonal array” was specified for the experimental trials. Signal to Noise (S/N) Ratio and “Analysis of Variance” (ANOVA) were utilized to set the optimum control factors which minimized the surface roughness. The results were tested with the aid of statistical software package MINITAB-17. After the experimental trails, the tool diameter was found as the most important facto
... Show MoreHiding technique for dynamic encryption text using encoding table and symmetric encryption method (AES algorithm) is presented in this paper. The encoding table is generated dynamically from MSB of the cover image points that used as the first phase of encryption. The Harris corner point algorithm is applied on cover image to generate the corner points which are used to generate dynamic AES key to second phase of text encryption. The embedded process in the LSB for the image pixels except the Harris corner points for more robust. Experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed scheme have embedding quality, error-free text recovery, and high value in PSNR.
Computer systems and networks are being used in almost every aspect of our daily life, the security threats to computers and networks have increased significantly. Usually, password-based user authentication is used to authenticate the legitimate user. However, this method has many gaps such as password sharing, brute force attack, dictionary attack and guessing. Keystroke dynamics is one of the famous and inexpensive behavioral biometric technologies, which authenticate a user based on the analysis of his/her typing rhythm. In this way, intrusion becomes more difficult because the password as well as the typing speed must match with the correct keystroke patterns. This thesis considers static keystroke dynamics as a transparent layer of t
... Show MoreBiometrics represent the most practical method for swiftly and reliably verifying and identifying individuals based on their unique biological traits. This study addresses the increasing demand for dependable biometric identification systems by introducing an efficient approach to automatically recognize ear patterns using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Despite the widespread adoption of facial recognition technologies, the distinct features and consistency inherent in ear patterns provide a compelling alternative for biometric applications. Employing CNNs in our research automates the identification process, enhancing accuracy and adaptability across various ear shapes and orientations. The ear, being visible and easily captured in
... Show MorePattern matching algorithms are usually used as detecting process in intrusion detection system. The efficiency of these algorithms is affected by the performance of the intrusion detection system which reflects the requirement of a new investigation in this field. Four matching algorithms and a combined of two algorithms, for intrusion detection system based on new DNA encoding, are applied for evaluation of their achievements. These algorithms are Brute-force algorithm, Boyer-Moore algorithm, Horspool algorithm, Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm, and the combined of Boyer-Moore algorithm and Knuth–Morris– Pratt algorithm. The performance of the proposed approach is calculated based on the executed time, where these algorithms are applied o
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