The SESAME Colloquium

Title: Investigating the impact of inequitable experiences in engineering student groups

Laura Hirshfield

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

As students progress through their engineering education experience, they are engaging in different groups that are found or formed. Participation in these communities can help students develop content knowledge, practice important engineering skills, and strengthen their engineering identity. However, students also bring an intersection of personal identities that impact their participation in these groups, and thus students may not have equitable opportunities to succeed.

As we all take steps toward making engineering education more inclusive, there remains a need to truly understand the inequities in how students are preparing for practice throughout their educational experience. This talk will highlight projects guided by the over-arching research question: how can we better support groups within the engineering education experience so that students are more equitably prepared for engineering practice?

About the speaker

Laura Hirshfield (she/her) started as an Assistant Teaching Professor in Berkeley’s Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering department in Fall 2024. She obtained her BSE from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from Purdue University, both in chemical engineering. She then transitioned into the engineering education research field with post-doctoral appointments at Oregon State University and Olin College, before working as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lecturer in the University of Michigan. In this role, she leveraged engineering education research methods to assess and explore metrics to gauge the climate and culture in the College of Engineering.

Her engineering education research involves investigating how students participate in various communities throughout their engineering education experience, considering how that engagement varies based on a student’s intersection of personal identities.

Beyond the textbook: Harnessing psychosomatic literacy to boost STEM student performance

Darryl Diptee

Berkeley School of Education, University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

For too long, the emotional and physiological factors that shape students’ experiences have been overlooked in education, and only recently have they gained serious scholarly attention for their potential to significantly influence academic success. In this talk, I present my research findings on how psychosomatic dimensions such as emotional intelligence (EI) and interoceptive awareness (IA; commonly referred to as mind-body awareness), can act as student-centered, equity-driven forces in STEM education. To support this claim, I will discuss the frameworks of EI and IA and share my research findings of how they interact with factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and stress to influence academic performance. Among the pivotal elements of these frameworks are emotional regulation principles, internal bodily monitoring skills, and stress reducing strategies such as deep breathing, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation.

At the macro level, policy reforms and cultural shifts remain urgently needed to uplift all students. By highlighting the moderating role of emotional intelligence in buffering the negative impact of low SES, as well as the mediating power of interoceptive awareness to mitigate stress-related declines in GPA, these findings expand our understanding of how we can empower students to increase their agency within educational systems that were not originally designed to best serve everyone. The results of my research suggest an urgent need to rethink traditional cognitive-focused educational models that have historically prioritized certain demographic populations. Equally important is the need to help students improve their psychosomatic literacy so they are better equipped to sense, interpret, and act on their internal bodily signals as a means of ushering themselves toward academic success.

EI and IA should not be seen as mere add-ons to conventional STEM curricula; rather, they represent a core opportunity to elevate academic performance, foster resilience, and bolster systemic educational equity. By allowing for deeper pedagogical engagement with emotional regulation and mind-body awareness strategies, EI and IA offer a means of achieving pedagogical goals that we have long aspired to but that have often remained elusive. In this way, EI and IA can function as disruptive, student-centered pedagogical innovations, empowering students to sustain their own academic growth.

About the speaker

Lieutenant Darryl D. Diptee is a doctoral candidate (ABD) at the Berkeley School of Education, where he investigates how emotional intelligence (EI) and interoceptive awareness (IA; commonly referred to as mind-body awareness) influence student performance. As a learning scientist, he concentrates on helping historically underrepresented STEM students unlock their academic potential through interventions that address both cognitive and physiological factors.

Lieutenant Diptee posits that many students already possess the requisite ability to excel but are hampered by stress and other bodily cues that divert mental resources and erode confidence. By examining these barriers, his work advocates for more holistic educational strategies that foster success for all students, regardless of background. He draws upon interdisciplinary research from psychology, neuroscience, and education to develop methods that target the intersection of emotional states and cognitive processing. By bridging academic theory with practice, he aims to equip educators with strategies that reduce student stress, promote resilience, and bolster long-term academic engagement. His goal is to create inclusive learning environments that ensure students experience high-level achievement while navigating social and systemic barriers.

You are invited to connect with Darryl on LinkedIn, or learn more about his work at his personal website

Generative AI as a Disruptive Technology for Educational Systems: A Cognitive, Pedagogical, and Curricular Analysis

Orit Hazzan

Department of Education in Science & Technology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Abstract

Disruptive technologies are groundbreaking innovations that fundamentally transform existing markets, create new economic opportunities, and render previous technologies or business models obsolete by offering more efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly solutions.

In my talk I illustrate, from cognitive, pedagogical, and curricular perspectives, why Generative AI (GenAI) can be viewed as a disruptive technology for educational systems worldwide. To support this claim, we revisit cognitive, pedagogical, and curricular models and theories, and explore their implementation and implications regarding GenAI in educational settings. Among the pedagogical and cognitive theories and models we explore are constructivism and constructionism, motivation theories, Bloom’s taxonomy, didactic transposition, the knowledge-skills-attitudes (KSA) model, and the 21st century skills set.

One conclusion of the above claim is that there is an urgent need to rethink and apply new educational formats and models so as to remain relevant in the current transforming era that we are all witnessing, but whose future is still unclear and cannot be predicted.

One important insight that I aim for my audience to take away from this talk is that the education community should not perceive GenAI as a threat, but rather as an opportunity. That is, by enabling to increase the level of abstraction and complexity of the tasks we assign students and of the skills and competencies that we seek to impart, GenAI makes it possible to achieve pedagogical goals and impart the values that we have always sought to impart but could not, mainly but not only due to the prevailing organizational culture of education systems whose roots were planted in the first industrial revolution, which took place two hundred years ago. As a disruptive technology, GenAI will actually force education systems to adapt to, and skip directly to, the 5th industrial revolution, which is taking place now.

About the speaker

Professor Orit Hazzan has been a faculty member of the Technion’s Department of Education in Science and Technology since October 2000. Her research focuses on computer science, software engineering, and data science education. Therein, she researches cognitive and social processes on the individual, team, and organizational levels, in all kinds of organizations. Her attention has recently turned to the assimilation of GenAI into the education system and academia.

Professor Hazzan has published about 150 papers in professional refereed journals and conference proceedings, and eight books. Her co-authored book Guide to Teaching Computer Science was published by Springer in three editions (2011, 2015, and 2020); the fourth edition is schedule for publication in 2025. Her co-authored book Guide to Teaching Data Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach was published by Springer in 2023, just before the emergence of GenAI. Her new co-authored book Inevitability of AI in Education: Futuristic Perspectives for Education for the Next Two Decades was published by Springer in 2024.

In addition to her research, Professor Hazzan has held several administrative roles at the Technion. From 2011 to 2015, she served as her faculty’s Dean, and from 2017 to 2019 she served as Technion Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Recently (in November 2023), she began heading the Education in Emergency Forum, assembled by the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research.

Additional details about Hazzan’s endeavours can be found on her professional homepage.

Integrating digital and physical explorations in hybrid science investigations

Elon Langbeheim

Computer-integrated Experiential Science Learning Lab
School of Education
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Abstract

Effective learning in scientific investigations is often facilitated through the use of multiple external representations (MERs), such as physical manipulatives, simulations, and mathematical formulas. However, an ongoing challenge is determining the optimal sequencing of these representations in learning units. One approach, concreteness fading, suggests a progression from enactive (physical) to iconic (visual) to symbolic (abstract) representations to promote conceptual understanding among learners. While concreteness fading has empirical support in mathematics education, its effectiveness in science education remains debated, especially, the role of concreteness in “hybrid” investigations that integrate physical laboratories (PLs) and virtual laboratories (VLs).

In this talk I will present two studies that address the impact of curricular sequencing and concreteness fading on learning and engagement. The first study examines a 9^th grade curricular unit on energy change in chemical reactions that separates the macro-level phenomenon from the nano-level mechanism of bonding. Energy change is introduced using physical temperature measurement laboratories, and bonding is introduced by first physically interacting with magnetic models and then observing bond breaking / formation in computer simulations. The second study addresses the sequencing of VLs and PLs for learning the foundations of electric circuits in 8^th grade. Both of these studies were conducted in low income, low achievement schools, and address not only the cognitive implications of the curricular sequence but also the change in student attitudes towards learning physical science topics.

About the speaker

Elon Langbeheim is an assistant professor of science teaching and learning at the School of Education of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Elon’s research focuses on assessing and enhancing students’ engagement in learning physical science topics with the aid of computation. He develops and investigates digital tools and assessment methods for enhanced conceptual learning, interest, and self-efficacy.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elon-Langbeheim

Spatial Reality in STEM Learning

Fun Man Fung

School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

Pre-laboratory preparation in chemistry education often depends on students’ ability to interpret textual descriptions from lab manuals and mentally construct representations of unfamiliar spatial phenomena. Conventional pedagogical approaches—such as passive video demonstrations or static manual-based instruction—frequently fall short in effectively conveying the complex laboratory processes.

Virtual reality (VR) chemistry laboratories present a transformative opportunity to bridge this gap by fostering immersive, interactive learning experiences. This presentation examines the use of VR environments in enhancing spatial cognition within chemistry education, drawing parallels with its successful application in environmental chemistry and forensic science training. Our findings suggest that spatial reality improves pre-laboratory preparedness.

About the speaker

Dr. Fun Man Fung is a leading educator and researcher in the field of technology-enhanced education, with a strong focus on the innovative integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies.

After earning his postgraduate degrees at the National University of Singapore and the Technical University of Munich, Germany, he began his Assistant Professorship in Chemistry Education at the University College Dublin, Ireland, in 2024. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the FEBS Open Bio and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Journal of Chemical Education, Early Career Advisory Board of JACS Au, and he is the founding chair of the ACS Chapter Singapore.

Dr. Fung's dedication to his field has been recognized through numerous awards, including the 2024 Thieme Chemistry Journal Award and Xilong Scientific-SNIC Industry Award in Chemistry Education conferred by the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry. He is an Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Scholar and holds membership at the Global Young Academy (2024–2029). He is a current recipient of the 2024-2025 U.S.-ASEAN Fulbright Scholarship hosted at Stanford University.

Morphing Matter for All

Lining Yao

Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

Morphing Matter bridges the gap between dynamic, shape-changing materials and interactive technology, opening exciting avenues for interdisciplinary STEM education. In this talk, I will first introduce morphing matter technology through diverse examples from our research at the Morphing Matter Lab, highlighting how programmable materials can transform everyday objects and environments to be interactive, responsive, and adaptive.

The second half of the talk will delve into our effort to democratize this technology through the MorphingMatter4All initiative, an educational platform aimed at empowering young learners in STEM fields. I'll share insights, successes, and lessons learned from designing hands-on workshops and tools, informed by our recent publication detailing how morphing matter can engage and inspire youth.

About the speaker

Lining Yao is an Assistant Professor at the Mechanical Engineering department, the University of California, Berkeley, where she directs the Morphing Matter Lab (morphingmatter.org). Dr. Yao also has courtesy appointments in CMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute.

Her research explores the positive impact of active and morphing materials on sustainable design across different scales and contexts. Her work focuses on discovering and studying morphing material mechanisms, as well as algorithms for computational design and fabrication pipelines. Dr. Yao’s work has been featured as cover stories in Nature, Science Advances, and Advanced Materials Technologies, and in popular media outlets, including The New York Times, Wired, Scientific American, Fast Company, National Geographic, and BBC, among others.

Dr. Yao received her Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab in 2017, and spent her time as a tenure-tracked faculty member at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University before joining UC Berkeley. She is the co-founder of the MorphingMatter4Girls Initiative, a Wired UK fellow, and an appointed instructor in eco-design by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

The Bright Side of Grit: The Triarchic Model of Grit and Its Implications for Achieving a Successful and Happy Life

Dr. Jesus Alfonso D. Datu

Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong

Academic Unit of Human Communication, Learning, and Development, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong

Abstract

Past studies showed that grit—originally defined as predisposition to show perseverance of effort and consistency of interests in pursuing long-term goals (Duckworth et al., 2007)—can promote academic achievement, optimal work performance, and well-being outcomes. However, a number of meta-analytic (Credé et al., 2017) and integrative (Datu, 2021) reviews have identified issues regarding the (1) psychometric issues on the short grit scale, especially in non-Western contexts; and (2) failure of the consistency of interests to predict performance and psychological outcomes, above and beyond the effect of theoretically related constructs (e.g., conscientiousness and self-control).

Against this backdrop and guided by the existing cultural psychological perspective (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 2003), the triarchic model of grit (Datu et al., 2017; 2018) has been conceptualized to extend our understanding of the tendency to accomplish temporally remote ambitions by adding the adaptability to situations dimension, encompassing capacity to adjust goal-specific strategies or unrealistic features of long-term ambitions based on socio-contextual and situational factors. This sharing discusses contemporary evidence on the academic, relational, and well-being benefits associated triarchic model of grit’s dimensions in the context of schooling and parenting. Future research directions and practical implications are charted.

About the speaker

Dr. Jesus Alfonso D. Datu serves as the Director of the Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education (CAISE) and the Science of Happiness and Positive Education (SHAPE) Lab in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. He is also Associate Professor of Guidance and Counselling and Giftedness in the Academic Unit of Human Communication, Learning, and Development. He is a well-being scientist with research programs on well-being science, inclusive education, giftedness, and STEM learning. He was a recipient of different research recognitions such as the 2024 Tom Oakland ISPA Outstanding International Scholar Award by the International School Psychology Association (ISPA), 2023 Michael Harris Bond Award for Early Career Contributions by the Asian Association of Social Psychology, 2022 Dennis McInerney SELF PhD Award by the Global SELF Research Network, and the 2022 Rising Star Award/Designation from the Association for Psychological Science.

Education Research Matters: Responsible Science for Improving the Quality of Education

Professor Dr. Stephan Gerhard Huber

Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria) and Department of Educational Research at the Linz School of Education

Abstract

This keynote presentation addresses the role of research in response to changes in society, challenges in education, and opportunities for education in order to secure and improve the quality of education and initiate innovation. It introduces the framework of responsible science and responsive and responsible research. It is argued that academia has a responsibility to share and generate knowledge that is relevant to those who must make decisions and those who are in the midst of complex actions—particularly in times of crisis, change, and challenge. Responsible science translates such conditions into research and then reconnects research with policy and practice (as well as with further research). The keynote initiates a discussion on how research can support turning crises, changes, and challenges into opportunities.

About the speaker

University Professor Dr. Stephan Gerhard Huber holds the Chair of Excellence at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria). He is a professor of Leadership, Quality Management, and Innovation, and the Vice Head of the Department of Educational Research at the Linz School of Education. He is the director of the Institute of Quality and Innovation in Education, Switzerland. He chairs a research group also in Germany at the Leibniz-Institut in Kiel.

He was Vice President of the University of Education Zug, Switzerland, for the last 18 years. During this time, he was also the head of the Institute for the Management and Economics of Education. He studied and worked at different universities, e.g., at the University of Cambridge, England. He held guest professorships at universities in various countries, and he is a member of the academic advisory boards of different national and international associations and institutions. He is Editor-in-Chief of EAEA and a member of the editorial board of several journals. He is also head of the national interdisciplinary research consortium of the Young Adult Survey of Switzerland under the Swiss Federal Surveys of Adolescents and a National Expert of the Federal Swiss Innovation Agency. He heads various national longitudinal mixed-method multi-level studies in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

His areas of interest are organizational and system change, education management, school effectiveness, school improvement, and the professionalisation of teachers and school leaders. For around 20 years, he has hosted and chaired the World Education Leadership Symposium (WELS.EduLead.net).

Title Preparing Youth for Complex Societal Challenges: Interdisciplinary Approaches in Education

Prof. Anniken Furberg and Prof. Ingvill Rasmussen, with comments by Prof. Sten Ludvigsen

Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo

Awarded the Peder Sather grant, 2025-2026 in collaboration with Prof. Marcia Linn, Dr. Libby Gerard, and Dr. Allison Bradford

Abstract

This lecture explores the opportunities and challenges teachers and students encounter when addressing interdisciplinary societal challenges in education. Schools play a vital role in preparing youth for an increasingly complex world marked by the climate crisis, threats to democracy, and social injustice and social exclusion. In accordance with international educational trends, the Norwegian national curriculum (LK20) emphasizes three interdisciplinary topics that engage with these societal challenges: health and life skills, sustainable development, and democracy and citizenship.

In 2019, researchers at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo, were commissioned to conduct a five-year, comprehensive evaluation of the revised national curriculum by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. This research is currently in its concluding phase and includes six in-depth case studies from three lower and three upper secondary schools. The data comprises 323 hours of classroom video recordings, observational notes, student work, and interviews with students, teachers, and principals. In this lecture, we discuss how teachers, among them STEM teachers, navigate the conflicting and controversial aspects of social challenges in interdisciplinary learning contexts.

About the speakers

Anniken Furberg is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and School Research at the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on classroom dynamics and technology-enhanced learning, particularly how teachers facilitate conversations and student collaboration. She has led and participated in numerous research projects funded by the European Union and the Norwegian Research Council, primarily in STEM education, and has contributed to the development of digital learning environments including interactive simulations and lab-experiments. Currently, she leads the EVA2020 project, commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, to evaluate Norway's recent national curriculum reform.

Ingvill Rasmussen is a Professor at Department of Education at the University of Oslo, where her research focuses on dialogue, collaboration, and the transformation of learning practices through digital technologies. She leads the Living and Learning in the Digital Age (LiDA) research group. She has been the principal investigator on international projects that unite teachers and technology developers to create innovative educational tools, including the microblogging tool Talkwall. She participates in the EU Kids Online research network, conducting a Europe-wide interview study on how young people use and understand generative artificial intelligence. Rasmussen has been honoured with the title of Distinguished Educator and is a member of the Pedagogical Academy at the University of Oslo.

Sten Ludvigsen: Professor Sten Ludvigsen holds a PhD in educational sciences from the University of Oslo (1998) and has over 25 years of experience researching how to foster social and cognitive skills development through digital learning resources in education and workplaces. His methodological expertise spans various qualitative methods and design-based research. He has led academic programs and research education at multiple levels nationally and internationally. He chaired the committee appointed by the parliament that delivered the knowledge foundation for the development of the reform in the Norwegian school system called The subject renewal reform - in K-12. From 2016 to 2019, Ludvigsen was Editor-in-Chief of the "International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning" and became an ISLS Fellow in 2021.

Chemistry Education and Education for Sustainable Development: Justifications, Models, and Classroom Experiences

Ingo Eilks

Institute for Science Education, University of Bremen, Germany

Abstract

This talk explores key concepts of sustainable development and their implications for the future of chemistry education. It offers a rationale for reorienting the chemistry curriculum in alignment with the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Various models for integrating ESD into chemistry instruction will be presented and exemplified through classroom practices at both lower and upper secondary levels.

These cases demonstrate that merging the philosophical underpinnings of ESD with chemistry teaching holds significant promise for fostering students’ general educational competencies—particularly those relevant to building a more sustainable future. At the same time, this approach promotes a more nuanced and balanced perspective on the role of chemistry within societal and professional contexts.

About the speaker

Prof. Dr. Ingo Eilks has been a Full Professor (Chair) of Chemistry Education at the Institute for Science Education (IDN) at the University of Bremen, Germany since 2004. In 2023, he also assumed the role of Adjunct Professor of Science Education at Universitas Negeri Malang in Java, Indonesia. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a grammar school teacher in chemistry and mathematics before transitioning into the field of chemistry education research and development.

His research interests span a range of topics, including socio-scientific issues-based science teaching, education for sustainable development, the teaching and learning of the particulate nature of matter, and cooperative learning—primarily at the secondary school level. For over two decades, these interests have been closely tied to collaborative work with in-service teachers, guided by specifically adapted models of action research in science education. In addition, his research explores teachers’ beliefs and professional learning, as well as innovations in higher education chemistry instruction.

Prof. Eilks is a prolific author, having published approximately 750 works to date, including over 150 articles indexed in the Web of Science. His scholarly contributions include journal articles, book chapters, textbooks, and several edited volumes. Notably, he co-edited the first international handbook on innovations in higher chemistry education (2009) and a textbook on chemistry teaching for prospective educators (2013). His contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous national and international awards for excellence in research and teaching.
Selected Awards:

• 2006: Teaching Award, University of Bremen
• 2008, 2009, 2013: Three projects recognized as official contributions to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
• 2010: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
• 2014: STEM for Tomorrow School Award
• 2017: Award for the Incorporation of Sustainability into Chemical Education, American Chemical Society (ACS)
• 2021: STEM Ambassador of the Year, Initiative MINT-Zukunft schaffen