Machine learning(ML) has been on the rise in many fields including agriculture. It is used for many things including crop yield prediction which is meant to help farmers decide when and what to grow based on the model. Many models have been built for various crops and areas of the world utilizing various sources of data. However, there is yet to exist a model designed to predict any crop’s yield in Yuma Arizona, one of the premier places to grow crops in America. For this, I built a dataset from farm documentation that describes the actions taken before, during, and after a crop is being grown. To supplement this data, ecological data was also used so data such as temperature, heat units, soil type, and soil water holding capacity were included. I used this dataset to train various regression models where I discovered that the farm data was useful, but only when used in conjunction with the ecological data.

Culturally responsive teaching refers to an approach to teaching and learning that facilitates the achievement of all students by including content that is relatable to all cultures, and creating a culturally-supported and learner-centered environment. The CSE 110 course at ASU would greatly benefit from the incorporation of culturally relevant learning, as it would help them thrive in their chosen field of study while being able to uphold and value cultural relevance. The incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy would further help students from marginalized communities feel more accepted and capable to thrive in STEM education. We began our research by first understanding the foundations of culturally responsive pedagogy, including how it is currently being used in classrooms. Concurrently, we studied the CSE 110 curriculum to see where we can implement this teaching strategy. Our research helped us develop a set of worksheets. In the second semester of our research we distributed these worksheets and a set of control worksheets. Students were randomly assigned to an experiment or control group each of the four weeks of the study. We then analyzed this information to quantitatively see how culturally responsive pedagogy affects their outcomes. To follow up we also conducted a survey to get some qualitative feedback about student experience. Our final findings consisted of an analysis on how culturally responsive pedagogy affects learning outcomes in an introductory computer science course.

Culturally responsive teaching refers to an approach to teaching and learning that facilitates the achievement of all students by including content that is relatable to all cultures and creating a culturally supported and learner-centered environment. The CSE 110 course at ASU would greatly benefit from the incorporation of culturally relevant learning, as it would help them thrive in their chosen field of study while being able to uphold and value cultural relevance. The incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy would further help students from marginalized communities feel more accepted and capable of thriving in STEM education. We began our research by first understanding the foundations of culturally responsive pedagogy, including how it is currently being used in classrooms. Concurrently, we studied the CSE 110 curriculum to see where we can implement this teaching strategy. Our research helped us develop a set of worksheets. In the second semester of our research, we distributed these worksheets and a set of control worksheets. Students were randomly assigned to an experiment or control group each of the four weeks of the study. We then analyzed this information to quantitatively see how culturally responsive pedagogy affects their outcomes. To follow up we also conducted a survey to get some qualitative feedback about student experience. Our final findings consisted of an analysis of how culturally responsive pedagogy affects learning outcomes in an introductory computer science course.

Culturally responsive teaching refers to an approach to teaching and learning that facilitates the achievement of all students by including content that is relatable to all cultures, and creating a culturally-supported and learner-centered environment. The CSE 110 course at ASU would greatly benefit from the incorporation of culturally relevant learning, as it would help them thrive in their chosen field of study while being able to uphold and value cultural relevance. The incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy would further help students from marginalized communities feel more accepted and capable to thrive in STEM education. We began our research by first understanding the foundations of culturally responsive pedagogy, including how it is currently being used in classrooms. Concurrently, we studied the CSE 110 curriculum to see where we can implement this teaching strategy. Our research helped us develop a set of worksheets. In the second semester of our research we distributed these worksheets and a set of control worksheets. Students were randomly assigned to an experiment or control group each of the four weeks of the study. We then analyzed this information to quantitatively see how culturally responsive pedagogy affects their outcomes. To follow up we also conducted a survey to get some qualitative feedback about student experience. Our final findings consisted of an analysis on how culturally responsive pedagogy affects learning outcomes in an introductory computer science course.

The core objective of this thesis project is to highlight the enriching contributions of Japanese authors to university-level literature courses that survey human history through literature. Japanese literature, rich in its exploration of complex emotions and philosophical depths through the novella and other forms, presents a unique opportunity to broaden the scope of "Great-Books" courses. Traditionally, these courses have predominantly featured Western texts, inadvertently reinforcing the notion that modern philosophical thought is exclusively a Western domain. This project has taken thematic elements from HON272 at Arizona State University (ASU), Barrett, The Honors College's flagship humanities course, as a basis for analysis. A selection of texts from a diverse array of Japanese literature was then methodically paired with these materials based on periodization, thematic resonance, and the audience's interests. Of the twenty-seven different pieces of literature spanning from 1651 to the present day included in HON272, this project has identified twenty-one Japanese novels or primary texts that can serve as complements to the existing curriculum. This approach not only enriches the curriculum but also empowers professors to introduce themes vital for a comprehensive understanding of human history and thought, thereby enhancing the flexibility and inclusivity of their course designs. To support this endeavor, a comprehensive sourcing guide has been developed. This guide prioritizes Japanese literature, listing these texts first and detailing their potential integration into conversations typically dominated by Western texts. It provides, where possible, links to free online PDF versions or excerpts, purchasing information, and availability within the ASU library system. This initiative aims to foster a curriculum that appreciates the global expanse of intellectual heritage and encourages a move away from a Euro-centric narrative. By doing so, it aspires to cultivate a diverse cultural perspective within higher education, both for faculty and students alike. By embracing the vast thematic landscapes offered by Japanese literature, this project serves as a step towards avoiding the pitfalls of cognitive imperialism. It champions the cause of diversifying educational content, ensuring we are moving in the right direction by celebrating and integrating the depth and diversity of global literature into our academic pursuits.

Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths and severe illnesses can be prevented via active monitoring and reporting of temperature and humidity data from these living spaces. The team will design, build, test, and implement a Heat Warning Detection System (HWDS) to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths. The HWDS will detect when temperature and humidity levels have reached a dangerous threshold and will issue notifications to the emergency contacts of the resident over SMS and/or email. This will allow for timely preventative measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the resident. The team will investigate the ideal threshold to notify the mobile home residents. HWDS will require minimal user interaction. Apart from the initial physical installation of the device, the user will have to provide a list of emergency contacts that they would like the system to notify in the event that HWDS detects dangerous conditions in their residence. By deploying prototypes of HWDS to volunteer participant homes, we will be able to validate the functionality of the system as well as the usability of the physical device by homeowners. HWDS provides homeowners and their loved ones with the opportunity to take preventative measures before being exposed to conditions that could potentially have more severe implications. In the spirit of promoting accessibility and prevention among the most vulnerable communities in Greater Phoenix, our team partners with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU (KER) to interface with organizations such as the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home, RV & Park Model Owners (AAMHO) to promote legislation and subsidies aimed towards making solutions such as ours more financially viable for the communities that need it most.

Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths and severe illnesses can be prevented via active monitoring and reporting of temperature and humidity data from these living spaces. The team will design, build, test, and implement a Heat Warning Detection System (HWDS) to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths. The HWDS will detect when temperature and humidity levels have reached a dangerous threshold and will issue notifications to the emergency contacts of the resident over SMS and/or email. This will allow for timely preventative measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the resident. The team will investigate the ideal threshold to notify the mobile home residents. HWDS will require minimal user interaction. Apart from the initial physical installation of the device, the user will have to provide a list of emergency contacts that they would like the system to notify in the event that HWDS detects dangerous conditions in their residence. By deploying prototypes of HWDS to volunteer participant homes, we will be able to validate the functionality of the system as well as the usability of the physical device by homeowners. HWDS provides homeowners and their loved ones with the opportunity to take preventative measures before being exposed to conditions that could potentially have more severe implications. In the spirit of promoting accessibility and prevention among the most vulnerable communities in Greater Phoenix, our team partners with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU (KER) to interface with organizations such as the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home, RV & Park Model Owners (AAMHO) to promote legislation and subsidies aimed towards making solutions such as ours more financially viable for the communities that need it most.