Understanding the Sociocultural Role of Makerspace Infrastructure When Developing Community-based Technology-rich Learning Programs
- Authored by UMBC students Erin Higgins, Jen Posada, Marie Sakowicz, Quin Kimble-Brown; UMBC faculty Foad Hamidi along with collaborator Andrew Coy
- This work examines approaches to infrastructure development for equity-based hands-on maker learning through development of an infrastructure map of a multi-organization ecosystem involved in program development with insights on how digital technology in makerspaces function as sociocultural factors.
- Link to PDF, opens in Google Drive
Belonging in the Making: Investigating Inclusive Makerspace Design for Youth with Autism
- Authored by UMBC students Krystal Zhang, Marie Sakowicz, Emily Wingeart and UMBC faculty Foad Hamidi
- This work examines how educators, architects, and accessibility specialists envision the design of accessible, technology-rich makerspaces for youth with autism, identifying autism-specific strategies for predictability, multimodality, belonging, and community-grounded sustainability.
- Link to PDF, opens in Google Drive
“We Figure It Out Together”: A Framework for Relational Communication in Disabled and Neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ Romantic Partnerships
- Authored by UMBC student Kirk Crawford and UMBC faculty Foad Hamidi
- This paper introduces the Relational Access Framework for Communication (RAF-Comm) to model the ‘relational infrastructure’ disabled and neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ partners co-create, highlighting how technology is negotiated, conditionally used, or set aside to sustain shared access.
- Link to PDF, opens in Sharepoint
Participatory, not Punitive: Student-Driven AI Policy Recommendations in a Design Classroom
- Authored by UMBC students Kaoru Seki and Manisha Vijay and UMBC faculty Yasmine Kotturi
- Through a zine-based participatory design process, this study centers student perspectives to reimagine AI policies in higher education—shifting from punitive approaches toward collaborative, pedagogically-grounded guidelines.
- Download link of PDF
Towards Designing for Resilience: Community-Centered Deployment of an AI Business Planning Tool in a Small Business Center
- Authored by UMBC faculty Yasmine Kotturi and collaborators Quentin Romero Lauro and Aakash Gautam
- Through the deployment of an AI-powered business planning tool at a feminist makerspace, this study examines how entrepreneurs collectively build AI literacy—shifting from individual anxiety about falling behind to shared strategies for evaluating, contextualizing, and refusing AI.
- Download link of PDF
Situating Youth as Interaction Co-Designers of an Interactive Mural
- Authored by UMBC faculty Fiona Bell and collaborators Alyshia Bustos, Nanibah Chacon, Alyssa Johnson, Erin McClure, Mia Shaw, and Leah Buechley
- This work positions youth as interaction co-designers of a large-scale interactive mural, demonstrating that hands-on participation in designing physical interactive installations teaches valuable high-level design skills that are distinct from traditional programming- and electronics-focused STEAM education.
Exploring Student Feedback Needs and Design Opportunities in Data Storytelling Education
- Authored by UMBC student Jennifer Posada; UMBC faculty Karen Chen: and collaborators Taha Hassan, Louise Yarnall, and Jiaqi Gong
- This study explores the needs and expectations of learners and educators for feedback on data storytelling workflows and the efficacy of user-preferred feedback modes for AI-assisted storytelling through deployment of an AI-augmented data storytelling system.
- Link to PDF, opens in Google Drive
Crepe: A Mobile Screen Data Collector Using Graph Query
- Authored by UMBC student Qi Zhao and collaborators Yuwen Lu, Meng Chen, Victor Cox IV, Yang Yang, Meng Jiang, Jay Brockman, Tamara Kay, and Toby Jia-Jun Li
- A no-code Android app that enables researchers to collect information displayed on screen through demonstrations of target data, using a novel graph query technique which augments mobile UI structures to support flexible identification, location, and collection of specific data pieces.
- Download link of PDF
“I don’t feel lonely because I don’t work alone most of the time”: Exploring Gig Work as an Opportunity for Social Participation Among Older Adults
- Authored by UMBC student Qi Zhao and collaborator Aqueasha Martin-Hammond
- This study explored the potential social benefits of older adults participating in gig work as online personal shoppers after retirement and found that gig work allowed for different levels of social activities for older adults, including (a) being with others, (b) interacting with others, (c) doing an activity with others, and (d) helping others.
