Workshop

Computation as a Tool for Growth and Development

Event Date: March 25, 2026 2:00pm-3:30pm

Speaker(s):
More Info
Luis M. Vicente, Ph.D.
Director and Associate Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
More Info
Steven Neshyba, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Puget Sound and NorthWest Research Association

Recording and slides to be posted soon!

Hear from two educators about their experiences integrating and advancing innovative, evidence-based approaches to computation and pedagogy across STEM education. 

Dr. Luis Vicente will open by examining how insights from cognitive science can improve student learning in undergraduate engineering and computing courses. Dr. Vicente will explore common student challenges with abstraction, uncertainty, and logical reasoning, and demonstrate practical teaching strategies that help students develop deeper conceptual understanding while maintaining technical rigor. 

Dr. Steven Neshyba will continue by presenting outcomes from the NSF-funded Penguin project, which explores the use of Computational Guided Inquiry (CGI) to support student learning through data-driven scientific investigation. This presentation will highlight findings from efficacy studies, as well as strategies for disseminating teaching materials and building communities of practice.

Speaker(s)

View Profile
Luis M. Vicente, Ph.D.
Director and Associate Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
Luis M. Vicente is Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri–Columbia. Before joining academia, he worked for more than a decade in industry in Spain and the United States, with experience in aerospace, software development, and engineering systems. His academic work focuses on undergraduate and graduate engineering education, cybersecurity, signal processing, and applied artificial intelligence. He has extensive experience with program assessment, accreditation, and curriculum development, including active involvement in ABET accreditation processes and national cybersecurity education initiatives. Dr. Vicente’s recent work explores how students learn complex technical concepts such as logic, probability, and abstraction, and how emotional engagement and cognitive factors influence learning outcomes in engineering courses. He regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity, and mentors students in applied research and capstone projects. His teaching and scholarship aim to connect technical rigor with evidence-based learning practices, with the goal of improving student understanding, retention, and long-term success in undergraduate STEM education.
View Profile
Steven Neshyba, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Puget Sound and NorthWest Research Association
Steven Neshyba teaches chemistry and interdisciplinary courses at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. His research interests are in the area of physical atmospheric science, with a focus on ice in the climate system, which he carries out with undergraduates as co-investigators; recent research projects include molecular-level simulations of ice surface dynamics, scanning electron microscopy studies of ice roughness, and STEM pedagogy (flipped classrooms, nbgrader-enabled Jupyter Notebooks).