@inproceedings{adkins_husseini_cartee, title={Board 20: Work in Progress: Understanding Student Perceptions and Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Technical Writing}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--46766}, abstractNote={Abstract With the improvement in open generative artificial intelligence's (AI's) ability to craft human-like text, there is a valid concern by educators that this technology will be used by students to complete assignments without learning the subject matter. Also problematic is the limited ability to verify or prove a student's potentially unauthorized or unethical use of AI. While these fears are valid, we believe the best way forward is to focus on educating students on how to use this powerful technology ethically and effectively. Though there is some work establishing best practices for using AI in writing scientific manuscripts [1], how best to utilize AI as an instructional aid for teaching scientific writing is less understood. For biomedical engineers, technical writing is particularly important: they need to master both engineering and scientific approaches to written communication across multiple formats. We have previously developed evidence-based technical writing modules, tailored to biomedical students, and vertically integrated them throughout our core curriculum [2]. These modules were developed prior to the recent advent of publicly available AI. To develop guidelines on instructional AI use, we first need to understand 1) student perception on the utility and ethics of AI, 2) student prior and current use of AI, and 3) how proficient AI is in providing students with adequate feedback. To test student perceptions and use of AI, pre- and post- course surveys were administered to second- and third-year students in our department enrolled in writing-intensive lab courses (Biomedical Mechanics, Biomaterials, Human Physiology). The anonymous pre-course survey asked students to describe their experience level with using AI, how they have previously used AI in college, and their opinion on how ethical and useful AI is for an array of common technical writing assignments on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree). Students were informed by their instructor of record that use of AI on their writing assignments was permitted without penalty if they cited the name of the AI tool used and a description of how the tool was used. Data on student use of AI was collected both through the number of writing submissions that cited AI and the post-course survey. The post-course survey asked students about their use of AI during the semester and whether they felt AI was an effective tool. Total number of students who cited the use of AI and numbers who anonymously attested to using AI were compared. A two-sample nonparametric Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney Test will be used to make group comparisons between 1) student perceptions and use pre- vs post- course survey and 2) student in-semester reporting of AI use vs anonymously reported AI use in post survey. To determine AI's efficacy in providing appropriate feedback on student writing we aim to use student submissions and instructor feedback to verify and test how closely AI feedback matches the instructor provided feedback. Ultimately, we believe these insights will enable us to provide guidelines for using AI as an instructional tool that we can incorporate into existing technical writing modules. XXX University's Institutional Review Board has reviewed and approved the procedures of this study. To date 100 students, 32 second year students, and 68 third year students have enrolled in the study.}, booktitle={2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Adkins, Amy and Husseini, Naji and Cartee, Lianne} } @inproceedings{adkins_husseini_cartee, title={Board 26: Work in Progress: Technical Scientific Writing across the BME curriculum}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--42706}, abstractNote={Abstract Communication is a critical skill for engineers as they disseminate their novel solutions, experiments, products, etc. to others. ABET has defined one of the seven student outcomes required for preparing students to enter the professional practice of engineering as "an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences" [1]. In past assessments of our Biomedical Engineering (BME) program, we have found from student self-evaluations, course assignments, and external reviews that students have weak technical writing skills. Our university offers courses in technical writing, but the course topics are split into communication in engineering and technology and communication in science and research. However, BMEs need to master both technical scientific and technical engineering writing skills; six credit hours our curriculum can't accommodate. Thus, we have developed evidence-based writing modules that will be scaffolded throughout our curriculum to provide specialized and more efficient writing instruction. As a first step in evaluating the improvement and retention of students' technical writing skills, two groups of ~40 students will be assessed longitudinally for three semesters. Student participants will be grouped based on the sequence in which they take two of the required sophomore level courses in our department (Biomechanics and Biomaterials). Group A will have taken the required Biomechanics course in the Fall 2022 (FA22) semester and biomaterials in Spring 2023 (SP23). The instructors for Group A developed technical scientific writing modules which will be implemented in the lab portion of the course. Group B will consist of students who take Biomaterials in FA22 and Biomechanics in SP23 with lab instruction that does not include technical writing modules. In the Fall 2023 (FA23) semester, students from both groups will enroll in the same required Physiology course with a lab requiring regular scientific reports. The technical writing modules during FA22 and SP23 concentrate on one section of a scientific report at a time, allowing students to rewrite that section multiple times using feedback. For example, when learning about each section of a scientific report (e.g., Introduction, Methods, etc.), students are provided a handout describing conventions of the genre and appropriate writing style. With this information, they create an initial draft that will be peer reviewed. After making improvements based on the peer-reviewed feedback, they submit a second draft which receives in-person, one-on-one instructor feedback. Finally, they will rewrite and submit a final version of the section. This process is repeated for each scientific section covered by the course. The two courses taken by Group A (FA22 and SP23) will cover a different set of writing sections. Specifically, the Biomechanics lab instruction focuses on Methods, Results, Graphical and Tabular Communication, and Discussion, while the Biomaterials lab teaches Abstracts, Introductions, Hypothesis Formulation, and References. The last assignment in each course is a full lab report. In the FA23 physiology course, students will be provided detailed writing rubrics and multiple opportunities to implement their scientific technical writing skills through four full lab reports. These newly developed scientific technical report writing modules are complemented by industry and FDA style deliverables (e.g., basic business plans, product launch plans, and patents) already integrated vertically into our 2nd-4th year design courses. Pre- and post-course surveys taken by Group A (FA22, SP23, and FA23) and Group B (FA23), will be used to evaluate students' self-confidence in and perceived value of technical writing skills and the effectiveness of the technical writing instruction (post-survey only). Using a standardized rubric for each section of a scientific report, intra-subject comparisons of participants in Group A will be made 1) within a semester between drafts and final report submissions, and 2) between the final lab reports submitted in FA22, SP23, and FA23. The former will provide insight on student mastery of technical writing skills, while the latter will assess retention of these skills over time. An inter-group comparison of the first lab report in the FA23 course will be used to assess the impact of the newly developed technical writing modules on technical writing proficiency. This initial assessment phase will provide insight into the effectiveness of the writing instruction implemented in the Biomechanics and Biomaterials sections and student retention of technical writing skills through their 3rd year physiology course. By distributing the technical writing modules through the curriculum, we provide students more opportunities and more frequent opportunities to practice writing and receive feedback. Ultimately, we expect that scaffolding of writing through each semester of their undergraduate career enhances not only their technical writing skills, but also their perceived value and self-confidence in technical writing skills.}, booktitle={2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Adkins, Amy and Husseini, Naji and Cartee, Lianne} } @inproceedings{cartee_griffin, title={Exposing Students to the Interactions of Science, Engineering and Public Policy through an Interdisciplinary Course}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--43668}, abstractNote={Abstract An interdisciplinary perspectives course on the topic of the Interactions of Science, Engineering and Public Policy was taught with the goals of: convincing engineering students of the importance of involvement with policy making decisions impacting engineering solutions; exposing policy students to contemporary technological issues and the importance of understanding technology in the policy creation process; and increasing future involvement of the students in the policy making process. The course was co-taught by a Political Science faculty member and an Engineering faculty member to 18 students enrolled in the University Honors program, including 8 engineering students, 7 students in science majors and 3 students majoring in other disciplines. The majority of students were in their first or second year of study. After being introduced to formal decision making theory and a realistic discussion of how decisions are made in politics, students examined multiple case studies of public policy and engineering interactions including the Volkswagen emissions scandal, the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Students examined the policy making process and identified strengths and weaknesses of the resulting policies. Interleaved with lectures on policy were lectures introducing students to the scientific method and the engineering design process. Students were able to draw parallels between engineering design steps and the creation of public policy, particularly through failure analysis and the resulting redesign. For the final course project, students were assigned one of three controversial bills passed by the state legislature. Students critically examined the problem and created an alternative policy by following an engineering design process including: needs identification, stakeholder analysis, problem definition, concept development, and concept selection through a failure mode and effects analysis. Student responses to a pre and post-survey indicated an increase in their knowledge of both the policy making and engineering design processes. Their estimation of the overall importance of a knowledge of science and engineering to the policy making process increased, but not their estimation of the importance of a knowledge of the policy making process to engineering design. Students indicated an increase of their knowledge of both state and federal policy issues. However, their inclination to be involved in policy making decisions or politics in the future was unchanged. Future goals of the course include addition of direct observation of the policy making process at the local government level and facilitating participation in summer internships in local government offices for interested students.}, booktitle={2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Cartee, Lianne and Griffin, Clifford} } @inproceedings{petrella_cartee_hubbard_donnelly_zaharoff_ligler, title={A Vertically Integrated Design Program Using Peer Education}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--34080}, abstractNote={Abstract A yearlong capstone project for fourth year undergraduate engineering students is often put forward as the model for experiential learning. However, in most undergraduate engineering curricula, there are typically limited opportunities for second or third year students to practice the design skills employed in a capstone project. These skills include engaging in project-based learning with a scope beyond a one semester course, developing physical prototypes using an iterative process, and performing verification and validation testing on a self-designed prototype. With the aim of exposing second and third year students to these skills prior to for a fourth year capstone project, a vertically integrated design program using peer education is being implemented. In practice, the vertically integrated design takes place via a three week immersion experience in which both second and third year students are temporarily and sequentially embedded in a fourth year capstone project. As a precursor to the capstone immersion, both second and third year students participate in technical skills modules required as part of the design courses. The currently-offered topics for technical skills modules are computer-aided drafting, embedded systems, 3D printing, laser cutting, machining, and mammalian cell culture. Additional modules are also planned. At the conclusion of learning a technical skill, the second and third year students are integrated with the fourth year capstone team to apply the newly acquired skill. Throughout the immersion, capstone students function as peer educators for second and third year students. Fourth year students are responsible for providing context to the technical skills and instructing underclass team members in the implementation of deliverables for the project. The anticipated enhancement of learning outcomes from the vertically integrated design program include second, third, and fourth year students. As part of the vertically integrated experience, second year students create technical drawings, develop embedded systems, culture human or bacterial cells, and participate in prototype fabrication of either complete designs or subsystems all within a framework of a meaningful application. These students will gain mastery through repetition, practice translation between abstract representations and physical products, implement quality management systems, and observe the bio-design process. Third year students will primarily be tasked with verification and validation of designs. They will execute good engineering practice while taking part in risk assessment, experimental design, prototype testing, systems integration, and/or data analysis. Outcomes from fourth year students are principally management and leadership training. They will have the opportunity to serve in the capacity of a project manager whose responsibility is to establish and communicate training, deliverables, and schedules.}, booktitle={2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Petrella, Ross and Cartee, Lianne and Hubbard, Devin and Donnelly, Kenneth and Zaharoff, David and Ligler, George} } @inproceedings{ozturk_cartee, title={Adding Biomedical Context To A Traditional Engineering Course In A Biomedical Engineering Curriculum}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--3276}, abstractNote={Abstract NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Adding Biomedical Context to a Traditional Engineering Course in a Biomedical Engineering Curriculum Abstract The interdisciplinary nature of Biomedical Engineering programs requires that biomedical engineering students learn many traditional engineering subjects. The inclusion of biomedical context is then necessary for a complete learning experience. For simplicity, many traditional engineering courses are directly incorporated into biomedical engineering curricula with little or no modification, but the curriculum as a whole must address biomedical applications of these traditional engineering topics. Linear Systems is one example of a traditional engineering course with roots in Electrical Engineering that is a required course in many biomedical engineering programs. We designed a BME curriculum that includes a Linear Systems course as a co- requisite with a Physiology for Biomedical Engineers course. Students analyze data collected in the laboratory portion of the physiology course as part of Linear Systems course assignments. We aligned the topics to explicitly incorporate two physiology experiments that facilitate a joint learning experience. In the first experiment, students collect EEG data in the physiology laboratory and analyze the frequency content of that data in Linear Systems. In the second experiment, they study speech production in the physiology laboratory and perform a speech segmentation exercise in Linear Systems. In this paper, the experiments, assignments and assessment of the joint exercises are described, and an efficient way of bringing relevancy to a course imported from another discipline is demonstrated. Introduction The Biomedical Engineering Program at XXXX University has three emphasis areas: Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics and Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering. Before BME students start taking elective courses in their specializations, they take courses from the Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments as they complete their basic science courses and core biomedical engineering courses. The courses offered by the Biomedical Engineering department, in contrast to the traditional engineering courses, are interdisciplinary and focus on the interface of engineering and biology. It is not surprising to find that, in general, students find the courses offered by the BME department much more relevant to their disciplines. In this paper, the specifics of how a Linear Systems course taught by the BME Department, but directly imported from an Electrical and Computer Engineering department increases in relevancy, as measured by Proceedings of the 2008 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2008, American Society for Engineering Education}, booktitle={2008 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Ozturk, Hatice and Cartee, Lianne}, pages={13.150.1–13.150.10} } @inproceedings{cartee_ozturk_ligler, title={Board 10:Work in Progress: 3-D Curriculum - An Innovative Structure to Model the Co-curricular Experience in Biomedical Engineering}, DOI={10.18260/1-2--29854}, abstractNote={Abstract The era of producing top performing graduates by following a one-size-fits-all curriculum composed of a flowchart of prescribed courses is over. The “flat” curriculum has been maximized and optimized and has no more room to grow without adding other dimensions and mapping the student experience to a layered process. The proposed 3D curriculum has academic, synergistic and professional dimensions and has the capacity to create the eco-culture necessary for educational innovation. The 3D curriculum is a process that aligns the attributes of graduates with their post-graduate plans in a way that is customized for each student in the Biomedical Engineering program. In the first dimension, the academic dimension, core courses have been converted into course bricks that also include synergistic activities and professional development, but not in a way that is customized to each individual student. Courses are embedded with research based instructional technologies. In the second, synergistic dimension, students may pursue a diverse set of opportunities such as clinical, research, and entrepreneurial experiences to be realized in partnership with another academic division such as the medical school, business school, college of veterinary medicine and college of arts and sciences. In the professional development dimension, students are encouraged to develop a rich set of professional and communication skills. Student outcomes and sub-outcomes of the program assessment plan were mapped to the course bricks required for all students, guaranteeing students meet the minimum requirements for an accredited degree. The rest of the undergraduate educational experience is flexible. Students who choose to take full advantage of the added dimensions will be awarded a Certificate in Leadership and Professional Development. This certificate program has its own program educational objectives and assessment plan. A mentor, chosen by the student, will oversee the fulfillment of the requirements for the certificate. Alumni, members of the Industrial Advisory Board, start-up company CEO’s, faculty from other institutions, and others with relevant experience will be eligible to mentor these students. By creating a structure for co-curricular experiences and providing an incentive to pursue these options, more reticent students may be encouraged to develop additional skills other than traditional academic skills, and more ambitious students can be guided to optimize their co-curricular experiences.}, booktitle={2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings}, publisher={ASEE Conferences}, author={Cartee, Lianne and Ozturk, Hatice and Ligler, Frances} } @article{cartee_miller_honert_2006, title={Spiral ganglion cell site of excitation I: Comparison of scala tympani and intrameatal electrode responses}, volume={215}, ISSN={["0378-5955"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.heares.2006.02.012}, abstractNote={To determine the site of excitation on the spiral ganglion cell in response to electrical stimulation similar to that from a cochlear implant, single-fiber responses to electrical stimuli delivered by an electrode positioned in the scala tympani were compared to responses from stimuli delivered by an electrode placed in the internal auditory meatus. The response to intrameatal stimulation provided a control set of data with a known excitation site, the central axon of the spiral ganglion cell. For both intrameatal and scala tympani stimuli, the responses to single-pulse, summation, and refractory stimulus protocols were recorded. The data demonstrated that summation pulses, as opposed to single pulses, are likely to give the most insightful measures for determination of the site of excitation. Single-fiber summation data for both scala tympani and intrameatally stimulated fibers were analyzed with a clustering algorithm. Combining cluster analysis and additional numerical modeling data, it was hypothesized that the scala tympani responses corresponded to central excitation, peripheral excitation adjacent to the cell body, and peripheral excitation at a site distant from the cell body. Fibers stimulated by an intrameatal electrode demonstrated the greatest range of jitter measurements indicating that greater fiber independence may be achieved with intrameatal stimulation.}, number={1-2}, journal={HEARING RESEARCH}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Cartee, LA and Miller, CA and Honert, C}, year={2006}, month={May}, pages={10–21} } @article{cartee_2006, title={Spiral ganglion cell site of excitation II: Numerical model analysis}, volume={215}, ISSN={["0378-5955"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.heares.2006.02.011}, abstractNote={An anatomically based model of cochlear neuron electrophysiology has been developed and used to interpret the physiological responses of the auditory neuron to electrical summation and refractory pulse-pair stimuli. For summation pulses, the summation time constant, tau(sum), indicates the ability of the membrane to hold charge after cessation of a pulse. When a spiral ganglion cell with a cell body was simulated, the value of tau(sum) was elevated at the peripheral node adjacent to the cell body. For refraction pulses, the refraction time constant, tau(ref), indicates the duration of the relative refractory period of the membrane. In spiral ganglion cell simulations, tau(ref) was decreased at the peripheral node adjacent to the cell body and slightly elevated at other peripheral nodes. The extent of the cell body influence on tau(sum) and tau(ref) was high localized. Excitation times for the nodes adjacent to the cell body were either simultaneous or near simultaneous resulting in similar response latencies. Results indicate that values of tau(sum) and tau(ref) may be useful for distinguishing central and peripheral excitation sites while latency measures alone are not a good indication of site of excitation.}, number={1-2}, journal={HEARING RESEARCH}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Cartee, LA}, year={2006}, month={May}, pages={22–30} } @article{cartee_honert_finley_miller_2000, title={Evaluation of a model of the cochlear neural membrane. I. Physiological measurement of membrane characteristics in response to intrameatal electrical stimulation}, volume={146}, DOI={10.1016/s0378-5955(00)00109-x}, number={1–2}, journal={Hearing Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Cartee, Lianne A. and Honert, Chris and Finley, Charles C. and Miller, Roger L.}, year={2000}, month={Aug}, pages={143–152} } @article{cartee_2000, title={Evaluation of a model of the cochlear neural membrane. II: Comparison of model and physiological measures of membrane properties measured in response to intrameatal electrical stimulation}, volume={146}, DOI={10.1016/s0378-5955(00)00110-6}, number={1–2}, journal={Hearing Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Cartee, Lianne A.}, year={2000}, month={Aug}, pages={153–166} } @article{cartee_plonsey_1992, title={Active response of a one-dimensional cardiac model with gap junctions to extracellular stimulation}, volume={30}, DOI={10.1007/bf02446166}, number={4}, journal={Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Cartee, L. A. and Plonsey, R.}, year={1992}, month={Jul}, pages={389–398} } @article{cartee_plonsey_1992, title={The effect of cellular discontinuities on the transient subthreshold response of a one-dimensional cardiac model}, volume={39}, DOI={10.1109/10.125011}, abstractNote={Previous studies have examined the influence of the gap-junction discontinuity on the steady-state response of a cardiac cable to electrical defibrillation. It is important to understand when steady-state conditions may be assumed. For this reason, the transient, subthreshold behavior of a discontinuous cardiac cable is examined in this study. The behavior of the cable reflects two characteristics: (1) the continuous nature of the entire cable and (2) the isolated behavior of individual cells caused by the junction discontinuity. The results show two effective time constants of activation: a large time constant corresponding to the time constant of a continuous cable of equivalent length, and a small time constant reflecting the rapid activation of an isolated cell. The rapid activation establishes a voltage gradient, across each cell of the cable with one end of the cell hyperpolarized and the opposite end depolarized. This pattern of hyperpolarization and depolarization reaches a maximum value in approximately 3 mu s and may play an important role in the mechanism of defibrillation.< >}, number={3}, journal={IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering}, publisher={Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)}, author={Cartee, L.A. and Plonsey, R.}, year={1992}, month={Mar}, pages={260–270} } @article{cartee_plonsey_1992, title={The transient subthreshold response of spherical and cylindrical cell models to extracellular stimulation}, volume={39}, DOI={10.1109/10.108130}, abstractNote={The effect of extracellular stimulation on excitable tissue is evaluated using analytical models. Primary emphasis is placed on the determination of the rate of rise of the membrane potential in response to subthreshold stimulation. Three models are studied: 1) a spherical cell in a uniform electric field, 2) an infinite cylindrical fiber with a point source stimulus, and 3) a finite length cable with sealed ends and a stimulus electrode at each end. Results show that the rate of rise of the transmembrane potential was more rapid than the step response of a space-clamped membrane for all geometries considered. The response of the cylindrical fiber to extracellular stimulation is compared to previously reported studies of the cylindrical fiber response to intracellular stimulation. It is found that the location of the stimulus has little effect on the infinite fiber response. For terminated cables, however, an accurate model of stimulus response must discriminate between intracellular and extracellular stimulation.}, number={1}, journal={IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering}, publisher={Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)}, author={Cartee, L.A. and Plonsey, R.}, year={1992}, pages={76–85} } @article{virgin_cartee_1991, title={A note on the escape from a potential well}, volume={26}, DOI={10.1016/0020-7462(91)90074-4}, number={3–4}, journal={International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Virgin, Lawrence N. and Cartee, Lianne A.}, year={1991}, month={Jan}, pages={449–452} }