Papers by Kimberly Cook-Chennault
International journal of evaluation and research in education, Aug 1, 2024
The results for a feasibility study on the inclusion of aluminum particles within cement/PZT comp... more The results for a feasibility study on the inclusion of aluminum particles within cement/PZT composites are presented. The influence of aluminum on output voltage and power is investigated, which has not been done for piezoelectric-cement composites before. In the experiments, the amount of PZT was held constant at 50% (by volume), while the aluminum content was varied, 0%, 5% and 10% volume. The samples were subjected to g-loads that ranged from 0.5–2.0 g’s and frequencies between 200 and 250 Hz, while a resistive load of 1 ohm was applied to determine output power. The output power from samples containing 5% and 10% aluminum, produced ∼3.5 and ∼5.8 times more output power than samples containing only PZT and cement. We have also demonstrated that aluminum/PZT/Cement composites can be fabricated using a mix and cold-compression method.
The quest to incorporate digital games into US classrooms has been pervasive in educational commu... more The quest to incorporate digital games into US classrooms has been pervasive in educational communities over the last two decades. Educational video games have been studied as a mechanism for enhancing the engagement and performance of underrepresented groups (UGs) in spatial learning, physics, computer science, general engineering, software and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering (ME) computer aided design, and aerospace engineering. Less than a handful of these studies have explored games’ appeal, efficacy or UG performance as a function of gender. Preliminary findings on a study that explores the appeal, efficacy, and performance of UGs in engineering-based educational video games as a function of gender and those of intersectional backgrounds is discussed. Emphasis is placed on elucidating these students' perceptions of serious game structure, design and content, and how these factors motivate their learning of engineering concepts and self-identification as engin...
Smart Materials and Structures, 2016
Three-phase lead zirconate titanate (PZT, PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3)-epoxy-multi-walled carbon nanotube (M... more Three-phase lead zirconate titanate (PZT, PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3)-epoxy-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) bulk composites were prepared, where the volume fraction of PZT was held constant at 30%, while the volume fraction of the MWCNTs was varied from 1.0%–10%. The samples were poled using either a parallel plate contact or contactless (corona) poling technique. The piezoelectric strain coefficient (d33), dielectric constant (e), and dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) of the samples were measured at 110 Hz, and compared as a function of poling technique and volume fraction of MWCNTs. The highest values for dielectric constant and piezoelectric strain coefficients were 465.82 and 18.87 pC/N for MWCNT volume fractions of 10% and 6%, respectively. These values were obtained for samples that were poled using the corona contactless method. The impedance and dielectric spectra of the composites were recorded over a frequency range of 100 Hz–20 MHz. The impedance values observed for parallel-plate contact poled samples are higher than that of corona poled composites. The fractured surface morphology and distribution of the PZT particles and MWCNTs were observed with the aid of electron dispersion spectroscopy and a scanning electron microscope. The surface morphology of the MWCNTs was observed with the aid of a field emission transmission electron microscope.
Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, 2011
Two-phase PZT-epoxy piezoelectric composites and three phase PZT-epoxy-Al composites were fabrica... more Two-phase PZT-epoxy piezoelectric composites and three phase PZT-epoxy-Al composites were fabricated using a poling voltage of 0.2 kV/mm. The influence of aluminum inclusion size (nano and micron) and (lead zirconate titanate) PZT volume fraction on the dielectric properties of the three phase PZT-epoxy-aluminum composites were experimentally investigated. In general, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the PZT-epoxy matrix were improved with the addition of aluminum particles. Composites that were comprised of micron scale aluminum inclusions demonstrated higher piezoelectric d33-strain-coefficients, and higher dielectric loss compared to composites that were comprised of nanosize aluminum inclusions. Specifically, composites comprised of micron sized aluminum particles and PZT volume fractions of 20%, 30%, and 40% had dielectric constants equal to 405.7, 661.4, and 727.8 (pC/N), respectively, while composites comprised of nanosize aluminum particles with the same PZT volume...
Integrated Ferroelectrics, 1997
Lead-based ferroelectric thin films, PT and PZT, have been deposited on platinized silicon substr... more Lead-based ferroelectric thin films, PT and PZT, have been deposited on platinized silicon substrates by using rf magnetron sputtering technique. Whatever the deposition network, the piezoelectric character has been demonstrated for all films. The piezoelectric response dependence of the poling treatment with the time and the applied dc electric field has been studied. The in-situ deposited films, without previous poling,
2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
She has a bachelor's in mathematics and doctorate in mathematics education from Rutgers Universit... more She has a bachelor's in mathematics and doctorate in mathematics education from Rutgers University. She has over ten years experience working with K-12 students and teachers. Her research interests are in engineering education at the K-16 level and understanding how to provide an excellent and equitable education to all students.
American Journal of Engineering Education (AJEE), 2013
In addressing the nation's need for a more technologically-literate society, the Rutgers Universi... more In addressing the nation's need for a more technologically-literate society, the Rutgers University Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering (RU RET-E) is designed to: (1) engage middle and high school math and science teachers in innovative "green" engineering research during the summer, and (2) support teachers in integrating their research experiences into their academic year, precollege classrooms. The current paper addresses the following two questions: (1) To what extent did RU RET-E impact participants? and (2) To what extent did participants implement resulting lesson plans? During the 2011 summer, seventeen math and science teachers (RU RET-E Fellows) engaged in "green" research alongside faculty and graduate students. Teachers were required to apply to the program in pairs as one math and one science teacher from the same school. The rationale was that the team would develop interdisciplinary lessons and that teachers would have a colleague at their school who shared the same experience as supports during the school year. The paper provides an overview of the summer experiences and the academic year follow-up activities. Data from the pre-and post-surveys and follow-up questionnaire about lesson implementation are presented. Preliminary data evidences that RU RET-E was successful in enhancing teachers' understanding of engineering and supporting them as they designed lessons for their precollege classrooms. Most notably, teachers' confidence in their ability to define engineering, describe what engineers do, generate challenging problems for advanced students and integrate engineering into their curriculum increased significantly.
2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)
This Work-In-Progress falls within the research category of study and, focuses on the experiences... more This Work-In-Progress falls within the research category of study and, focuses on the experiences and perceptions of firstand second year engineering students when using an online engineering game that was designed to enhance understanding of statics concepts. Technology and online games are increasingly being used in engineering education to help students gain competencies in technical domains in the engineering field. Less is known about the way that these online games are designed and incorporated into the classroom environment and how these factors can ignite inequitable perspectives and experiences among engineering students. Also, little if any work that combines the TAM model and intersectionality of race and gender in engineering education has been done, though several studies have been modified to account for gender or race. This study expands upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by exploring perspectives of intersectional groups (defined as women of color who are engineering students). A Mixed Method Sequential Exploratory Research Design approach was used that extends the TAM model. Students were asked to play the engineering educational game, complete an open-ended questionnaire and then to participate in a focus group. Early findings suggest that while many students were open to learning to use the game and recommended inclusion of online engineering educational games as learning tools in classrooms, only a few indicated that they would use this tool to prepare for exams or technical job interviews. Some of the main themes identified in this study included unintended perpetuation of inequality through bias in favor of students who enjoyed competition-based learning and assessment of knowledge, and bias for students having prior experience in playing online games. Competition-based assessment related to presumed learning of course content enhanced student anxiety and feelings of intimidation and led to some students seeking to "game the game" versus learning the material, in efforts to achieve grade goals. Other students associated use of the game and the classroom weighted grading with intense stress that led them to prematurely stop the use of the engineering tool. Initial findings indicate that both game design and how technology is incorporated into the grading and testing of learning outcomes, influence student perceptions of the technology's usefulness and ultimately the acceptance of the online game as a "learning tool." Results also point to the need to explore how the crediting and assessment of students' performance and learning gains in these types of games could yield inequitable experiences in these types of courses.
2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2020
This Research Full paper focuses on perceptions and experiences of freshman and sophomore enginee... more This Research Full paper focuses on perceptions and experiences of freshman and sophomore engineering students when playing an online serious engineering game that was designed to improve engineering intuition and knowledge of statics. Use of serious educational engineering games has increased in engineering education to help students increase technical competencies in engineering disciplines. However, few have investigated how these engineering games are experienced by the students; how games influence students' perceptions of learning, or how these factors may lead to inequitable perspectives among diverse populations of students. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, appeal, and opinions about the efficacy of educational online games among a diverse population of students in an engineering mechanics statics course. It was hypothesized that compared to majority groups (e.g., men, White), women of color who are engineering students would experience less connections to the online educational game in terms of ease of use and level of frustration while playing. It is believed that these discordant views may negatively influence the game's appeal and efficacy towards learning engineering in this population of students. Design/Method: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is expanded in this study, where the perspectives of women of colour (Latinx, Asian and African American) engineering students are explored. The research approach employed in this study is a mixedmethod sequential exploratory design, where students first played the online engineering educational game, then completed a questionnaire, followed by participation in a focus group. Responses were initially analyzed through open and magnitude coding approaches to understand whether students thought these educational games reflected their personal culture. Results: Preliminary results indicate that though the majority of the students were receptive to using the online engineering software for their engineering education, merely a few intimated that they would use this software for engineering exam or technical job interview preparation. A level-one categorical analysis identified a few themes that comprised unintended preservation of inequality in favor of students who enjoyed contest-based education and game technology. Competition-based valuation of presumed mastery of course content fostered anxiety and intimidation among students, which caused some to "game the game" instead of studying the material, to meet grade goals. Some students indicated that they spent more time (than necessary) to learn the goals of the game than engineering content itself, suggesting a need to better integrate course material while minimizing cognitive effort in learning to navigate the game. Conclusions: Preliminary results indicate that engineering software's design and the way is coupled with course grading and assessment of learning outcomes, affect student perceptions of the technology's acceptance, usefulness, and ease of use as a "learning tool." Students were found to have different expectations of serious games juxtaposed software/apps designed for entertainment. Conclusions also indicate that acceptance of inquiry-based educational games in a classroom among diverse populations of students should clearly articulate and connect the game goals/objectives with class curriculum content. Findings also indicate that a multifaceted schema of tools, such as feedback on game challenges, and explanations for predictions of the game should be included in game/app designs.
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Her research interests include design of integrated hybrid energy systems and investigation of th... more Her research interests include design of integrated hybrid energy systems and investigation of the structure-property relationships in ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric materials in the form of thin films and bulk composites for sensing/actuation and energy storage/harvesting applications. Dr. Cook-Chennault's research group, the Hybrid Energy Systems and Materials Laboratory, conducts work towards understanding the fundamental mechanisms and processing parameters that allow for the control of physical material characteristics. In addition to this work, Dr. Cook-Chennault is the director of the Green Energy Undergraduate Program (GET UP) program which is funded through the National Science Foundation and the Student Learn and Achievent in Aerospace and Mechanical (SLAAM) Engineering Program.
Smart Materials and Structures, 2008
Power consumption is forecast by the International Technology Roadmap of Semiconductors (ITRS) to... more Power consumption is forecast by the International Technology Roadmap of Semiconductors (ITRS) to pose long-term technical challenges for the semiconductor industry. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to provide an overview of strategies for powering MEMS via non-regenerative and regenerative power supplies; (2) to review the fundamentals of piezoelectric energy harvesting, along with recent advancements, and (3) to discuss future trends and applications for piezoelectric energy harvesting technology. The paper concludes with a discussion of research needs that are critical for the enhancement of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices.
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 2008
Providing efficient and clean power is a challenge for devices that range from the micro to macro... more Providing efficient and clean power is a challenge for devices that range from the micro to macro in scale. Although there has been significant progress in the development of micro-, meso-, and macro-scale power supplies and technologies, realization of many devices is limited by the inability of power supplies to scale with the diminishing sizes of CMOS-based technology. Here, the authors provide an overview of piezoelectric energy harvesting technology along with a discussion of proof of concept devices, relevant governing equations, and figures of merit. They present two case studies: (a) energy capture from the operation of a novel shear and elastic modulus indentation device subjected to applied voltage and (b) energy capture from vibrating commercial bimorph piezoelectric structures mounted on household appliances. Lastly, areas of development needed for realization of commercial energy harvesting devices are suggested.
2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2021
Though engineering digital game inclusion in undergraduate classrooms has steadily increased over... more Though engineering digital game inclusion in undergraduate classrooms has steadily increased over the last two decades for in-person courses, their use has exponentially increased in remote and contactless higher education learning environments. Studies exploring student technological acceptance of and content mastery from the use of engineering digital games have provided mixed results in terms of student enjoyment, engagement, and game effectiveness. The majority of these studies have relied on pre- and post-questionnaires to assess differences in students' gaming experiences and performance in the game and learning environment. However, quantitative methods such as the measurement of physiological responses during gameplay have been less explored for the exploration of student engagement and education. The goal of this work is to explore how a set of eye - tracking metrics can be related to gamer attention to in-game stimuli and game interface areas of interest.
2019 IEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference (URTC), 2019
The energy crisis is worsening as non-renewable energy resources are depleting and contributing t... more The energy crisis is worsening as non-renewable energy resources are depleting and contributing to climate change. The solution lies in renewable energy sources, one of which is piezoelectricity. Piezoelectric elements show promising results in generating small amounts of electricity when compressed in everyday applications. The goal of this project was to use these elements to harvest energy from the repetitive motion of a rocking chair, which supplies the compression. Twenty piezoelectric discs, each connected to a bridge rectifier to convert AC voltage to DC voltage, were mounted onto a modified chair. The elements were then wired in parallel to charge a lithium-ion battery. With adjustments, the piezoelectric chair could provide a clean solution to charging small electronic devices in public and private spaces while avoiding the drawbacks of non-renewable energy sources.
2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a paradigm shift in how educators incorporate STEM educational activ... more The COVID-19 pandemic forced a paradigm shift in how educators incorporate STEM educational activities into remote online informal experiential learning environments for high school students. While some primary and secondary institutions were “technically equipped” to seamlessly transition to an online lecture format using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and WebEx, others were not. Instead, many instructors were not armed with the pedagogical educational infrastructure, training, and assessment tools to elucidate how concepts were presented, absorbed, and retained by students. Experiential learning programs for high school students have been uniquely impacted by this mercurial set of circumstances, where eager students and parents seek venues for engaging in meaningful learning experiences. This work-in-progress explores and compares the experiential programmatic changes in a STEM program for high school students pre- and post-COVID, with the aim of beginning the conversation and exploration of how to deliver “hands-on learning” in a contactless and remote learning environment.
Education Sciences, 2022
The use of educational digital games as supplemental tools to course instruction materials has in... more The use of educational digital games as supplemental tools to course instruction materials has increased over the last several decades and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Though these types of instructional games have been employed in the majority of STEM disciplines, less is known about how diverse populations of students interpret and define the value of these games towards achieving academic and professional pursuits. A mixed-method sequential exploratory research design method that was framed on the Technology Acceptance Model, Game-Based Learning Theory and Expectancy Value Theory was used to examine how 201 students perceived the usefulness of an intuitive education game that was designed to teach engineering mechanics used in designing civil structures. We found that students had different expectations of educational digital games than games designed for entertainment used outside of classroom environments. Several students thought that the ability to design their own...
physiological measurement to industrial monitoring systems. Sensors that can be easily integrated... more physiological measurement to industrial monitoring systems. Sensors that can be easily integrated with the host, while maintaining high sensitivity and reliability over a wide range of frequencies are not readily feasible and economical with homogenous piezoelectric materials. It is well known that two-phase piezoelectric-epoxy composites offer several benefits over their single phase counterparts, as the properties of the constituent phases combine to improve the range of applicability. However, the piezoelectric properties of these materials suffer from the electrically insulating properties of the epoxy matrix. The electrical properties of the matrix may be enhanced by including electrically conducting inclusions however, less is known about the mechanisms that drive the changes in these properties. Hence, this experimental investigation of sensor materials builds on the previous work in two-phase piezoelectric composites, where the aims are to understand the roles that specific fabrication parameters and inclusion composition play in determining the piezoelectric and iii dielectric performance the aforementioned composites. The materials under investigation will be comprised of Lead Zirconate Titanate, Epofix Cold-Setting Embedding Resin and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, i.e. the piezoelectric, epoxy and electrical inclusions respectively. Our work suggests that inclusion of MWCNTs enhances the piezoelectric and dielectric properties with increasing volume fraction below the percolation threshold. This work seeks to understand how the processing parameters: poling temperature, poling type and particle distribution influence the contact resistance, space charge double layer at the piezoelectric and conductor interfaces and electric field intensity at the piezoelectric boundary, which all ultimately dictate the piezoelectric and dielectric performance of the composite materials. Conventional solid oxide mixing, spin coating and deposition techniques will be used to fabricate the bulk and thick films. The piezoelectric and dielectric performance will be determined from the measurement of the piezoelectric strain coefficients, d33 and d31, dielectric constant, impedance and dielectric spectrum, dielectric loss tangent, and capacitance. These measurements will be correlated with inclusion size, shape, distribution, and surface morphology observations obtained from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM).
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Papers by Kimberly Cook-Chennault