Research Projects

On The Origin and Transport of Energetic Particles

PI Heidi Nykyri

CO-I Xuanye Ma

Understanding the properties, origin and dynamics of energetic particles in the solar wind and magnetosphere is crucial for safe unmanned and manned space operations. This project will unravel the birth-mechanism of the source population of the Earth's radiation belts.

Understanding the properties, origin and dynamics of energetic particles in the solar wind and magnetosphere is crucial for safe unmanned and manned space operations. Therefore, energetic particles have attracted attention from the space physics community for decades. However, different regions and energy ranges of energetic particles may have their own unique origin and role for magnetospheric dynamics, which have not been fully explored and deserve to be investigated case by case. For instance, MMS recently observed dispersionless micro-injections in the 30-300 keV electrons accompanied by strong anisotropic ion temperature at the high-latitude magnetospheric boundary layer in the vicinity of the exterior southern cusp. Due to the different magnetic field geometry, these high-latitude microinjections could have a totally different origin than the typical low-latitude microinjections. Because this region is close to the radiation belts, ionosphere, and magnetosheath, these high-latitude microinjections could be the ~ tens to hundreds of keV seed population of the radiation belts, as well as leak into the ionosphere or into the magnetosheath. This project will unravel the birth-mechanism of the source population of the Earth's radiation belts.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Experimental Identification of Plasma Wave Modes

PI Heidi Nykyri

CO-I Rachel Rice

Project uses MMS data to identify plasma wave modes contributing to the heating of the magnetospheric boundary layer

Projects uses single and multi-spacecraft data-analysis techniques to experimentally identify various plasma modes at different frequencies and assess their contribution to plasma heating

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Examining and addressing the content knowledge development needs of Florida's aspiring and newly-qualified mathematics teachers

PI Catherine Paolucci

CO-I Darryl Chamberlain

CO-I Christopher Redding

CO-I Sam Vancini

CO-I Ashley Reese

This project aims to support content knowledge development for secondary mathematics teachers, particularly those whose pathway to certification has included limited post-secondary studies of mathematics.

This project aims to support content knowledge development for secondary mathematics teachers, particularly those whose pathway to certification has included limited post-secondary studies of mathematics. Initially, it will focus on teachers in Florida who do not have a degree in mathematics or a relevant field and have earned temporary certification by taking the 6-12 Mathematics Subject Area Exam (SAE-Math). Longer term, it aims to serve teachers with similar backgrounds on a national level.

Researchers recognize mathematical knowledge as an influential factor in teachers’ classroom practice (Ball, Thames & Phelps, 2008; Goldsmith, Doerr, & Lewis, 2014; Lampert, 2001) and have established the potential for advanced mathematical studies to positively impact their mathematical knowledge for teaching (Paolucci, 2015). Therefore, it is reasonable to expect teachers with little or no mathematical studies beyond their own K-12 mathematics education to require support similar to that needed by out-of-field mathematics teachers – qualified teachers assigned to teach mathematics when it does not match their subject area training (Hobbs & Törner, 2019; Ní Ríodáin, Paolucci, & O’Dwyer, 2017). This is of particular concern given links between out-of-field teaching and teacher quality and research suggesting that teachers most often teach out of field in schools where students are already underserved (Ingersoll, 2002; Nguyen & Redding, 2018).

In Florida, aspiring mathematics teachers with undergraduate degrees in unrelated fields can still earn temporary certification by passing the SAE-Math, which allows them to immediately begin teaching. Many then enroll in programs designed to meet professional certification requirements (e.g. UF’s Educator Preparation Institute (EPI)); however, because they have passed the SAE-Math, no content-focused coursework is required. As a result, preparation for the SAE-Math can be the primary means by which they develop the content knowledge needed to teach, prior to entering the classroom.

With this in mind, this project aims to examine the content knowledge development needs of Florida’s temporarily certified mathematics teachers, with a focus on those who were required to take the SAE-Math because they did not have an undergraduate degree in or related to mathematics. The following short-term goals apply to work expected to be completed during the 12-month CRIF funding period:

Goal 1: Establish baseline trends in the mathematical backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences of Florida’s aspiring and newly-certified mathematics teachers to better understand their content knowledge development needs.

This is valuable information for mathematics teacher educators and teacher education programs throughout Florida committed to offering professional certification pathways that better support content knowledge development.

Goal 2: Create an online dynamic assessment tool that addresses gaps and weaknesses in alternatively- certified teachers’ content preparation and supports content knowledge development aligned with Florida’s B.E.S.T. standards.

Outcomes from these two goals will inform preparation of a federal funding proposal with the following long-term goals that build on the work completed during the CRIF funding period:

Goal 3: Expand and measure the statewide impact of the dynamic assessment tool through partnership with school districts and institutions currently offering Florida’s 24 state-approved EPI programs.

Goal 4: Scale implementation and impact measurement to a national level through analysis of other state certification exams that can inform online learning tools for a range of certification pathways and programs designed to support out-of-field teachers (e.g. Teach for America).

Findings from this research will contribute to two areas of mathematics education research – understanding and addressing the needs of out-of-field mathematics teachers (Hobbs & Törner, 2019; Ní Ríodáin et al., 2017) and teachers’ development of the specialized content knowledge that has been linked to classroom practice (Ball et al., 2008). It is also likely to have state and policy implications for teacher education. In particular, the research will contribute insight to an ongoing international debate about the amount and nature of the mathematics content that should be required for teacher preparation.

An array of theoretical frameworks concerning the knowledge required for teaching mathematics have been developed by key researchers in the area (e.g. Ball et al., 2008; Davis & Renert, 2013; Rowland & Ruthven, 2011; Tatto et al., 2012). Such models provide guidance for designing experiences that target teacher knowledge development (Chapman, 2013), and particularly in this context, thinking about the development alternatively certified mathematics teachers. This project will incorporate and build on this work. The findings will also be valuable for mathematics teacher education in Florida as the state shifts to its new B.E.S.T. state standards in 2022.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Mobile Technology in Higher Education: An Extended Technology Acceptance Perspective

PI Dennis Pires

PI Leila Halawi

The study provides an important theoretical framework for decision-making for educational institutions as they seek improvement in user acceptance of technology in the higher education setting. The study adds to the knowledge in the field of information technology by providing statistical research that uses path analysis to disentangle the various causal processes underlying the acceptance of technology in higher education. In this study, the research addresses the following question: Are the constructs of perceived resources, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude towards use significant predictors of educators’ acceptance of mobile technology in higher education as defined by actual use?

The objective of this research study is to study the mobile technology acceptance of educators in the higher education industry in the United States. This study will utilize the Chen et al. (2013) extended technology acceptance model, that extended the original Davis (1989) TAM. In this research study, Chen et al. (2013) survey instrument will provide the necessary tool to collect data. Preliminary results show statistical significance exist in relationships across the assessed factors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward use, and behavioral intention, that contribute to the acceptance of mobile technology in higher education. The implications of the study are that institutions face a challenging task to understand the technology acceptance of educators as they incorporate the use of mobile technology to support their work and improve instructional practices. (Chen, B., Sivo, S., Seilhamer, R., Sugar, A., & Mao, J., 2013) and (Davis, F. D., 1989).

Categories: Faculty-Staff

What Differentiates Superior Performing Aviation and Aerospace Leaders

PI Linda Pittenger

The requirements of leaders today are radically different than just a couple years ago. Leaders need to be able to manage change, think critically, act globally, think technologically, and successfully lead a diverse workforce. Specific behavioral competencies may distinguish superior performing leaders from average performing leaders

This qualitative study will examine the differences between average and superior aviation and aerospace leaders to uncover what differentiating behavioral competencies might predict superior performance in the leadership role.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Matrix Analysis and Operator Theory

PI Edward Poon

Matrices and operators are ubiquitous throughout science, engineering, and mathematics; they are the transformations that arise whenever one studies a linear system (or approximates a nonlinear system by a linear one). Examples include rotations and reflections (rigid motions of space), spin operators (quantum mechanics and quantum computing), stress tensors (mechanics), regression and curve fitting (statistics and data analysis), derivatives and linear differential operators (dynamical systems), to name just a few. By studying various properties, relations, and transformations of matrices and operators one may obtain insight into a wide range of phenomena.

One particular class of problems of interest is the study of preservers. For example, if M_n denotes the space of n x n matrices, one might ask for a complete classification of the isometries preserving a fixed norm. More generally, given any (possibly multi-valued) function f of a matrix (such as its determinant, rank, eigenvalues, singular values, numerical range, etc) one can ask for a description of the maps T:M_n -> M_n satisfying f(T(A)) = f(A) for all A in M_n; in this case one says that T preserves f. Usually one imposes some additional structure on T, requiring that it be linear, or simply additive, or multiplicative, and so on. One might also wish to describe those maps T leaving certain special subsets of matrices invariant (such as projections, unitaries, rank one matrices, etc.). A broad range of tools and concepts are used in solving such preserver problems; for example, consideration of the dual norm, coupled with convexity arguments, can be handy in classifying isometries, while majorization may appear in problems involving eigenvalues, singular values, and unitarily invariant norms. Currently, investigation is being conducted on isometries of certain matrix subalgebras, as well as preservers of certain collections of projections.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

UAV-based tools in forest environments

PI Scott Post

Measuring turbulent wind forces in forests to understand the forces on UAVs in flight, with a goal of being able to keep a UAV in position to mm tolerance.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Astronomy

PI Pragati Pradhan

CO-I Brian Rachford

CO-I Noel Richardson

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, as people have been observing and learning from the stars for thousands of years. Astronomy has expanded beyond visible light to include the full spectrum of electromagnetic waves, from radio to x-rays and gamma rays, as well as cosmic messengers beyond the electromagnetic spectrum.

Embry‑Riddle Prescott's astronomy research covers a broad range of topics and observation techniques, with a particular focus on binary star systems. Our Campus Observatory includes 20-inch and 16-inch optical telescopes, several radio dishes and cameras for meteor observations. Student and faculty researchers work with data from both space-based satellites spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the high-energy X-rays through the thermal infrared, as well as ground-based optical and infrared telescopes across the globe. Our astronomy faculty has a strong track record of publications with student authors and receives external funding from various sources, including NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Investigate Detect and Avoid Track Classification and Filtering

PI Richard Prazenica

CO-I Troy Henderson

CO-I Morad Nazari

CO-I Tyler Spence

This research will identify key sources of uncertainty in representative detect and avoid architectures and assess the downstream risks and effects of spurious information on downstream system performance

In this project, which is funded by the FAA ASSURE program, the research team consisting of The Ohio State University, Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University, University of North Dakota and Cal Analytics will work together to:

Identify the key sources of misleading surveillance information produced by airborne and ground-based detect and avoid (DAA) systems. Develop risk modeling and analysis tools to assess the system-wide effects of false or misleading information on alerting and separation, as well as impacts on pilots in command (PIC) and air traffic operators.
Provide guidance and recommendations for track classification and filter performance and safety requirements to standards bodies, including Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) DAA working groups, and inform Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rulemaking on DAA operations.

Current guidance provided by the Federal Aviation Administration has made beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions an executive priority. Key to the success of these missions is the development of DAA systems capable of providing accurate pilot in the loop, or autonomous deconfliction guidance. Current standards for DAA services provided by RTCA and ASTM do not address the requirements for system performance with respect to generation of false or misleading information to the PIC or autonomous response services of the unmanned aircraft system. This research will identify key sources of uncertainty in representative DAA architectures and assess the downstream risks and effects of spurious information on downstream system performance. Additionally, recommendations will be developed for track classification accuracy requirements that provide sufficient safety margins for enabling DAA services in support of BVLOS missions.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Argumentative Knowledge Construction in Asynchronous Calculus Discussion Boards

PI Zackery Reed

CO-I Darryl Chamberlain

CO-I Karen Keene

Social learning tasks can provide additional cognitive benefits to students. These tasks are necessarily different in an asynchronous environment though. Our proposed study will investigate how instructors can encourage students to socially construct knowledge during asynchronous discussions.

Categories: Faculty-Staff