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Mobile Game Accessibility: A User-Centered Approach for Gamers with Disabilities.
No full textMobile gaming, embraced by over three billion smartphone users globally, surpasses traditional platforms. However, accessibility challenges persist for individuals with disabilities in this thriving landscape. Problem Statement. This research addresses the overlooked accessibility issues in mobile gaming by investigating barriers, gauging perspectives on existing accessibility, and proposing practical improvements for a more inclusive gaming environment. Method. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive design, in-depth interviews with gamers with disabilities offer nuanced insights. Thematic analysis uncovers key patterns, highlighting challenges and opportunities in mobile game accessibility. Result. Thematic analysis reveals significant barriers rooted in device limitations, disproportionately affecting individuals with disabilities. Recommendations emphasize a comprehensive approach to enhance accessibility, recognizing the transformative role of the gaming industry in promoting social justice. Conclusion. This study contributes insights into persistent challenges in mobile game accessibility, urging the industry to prioritize inclusivity for a more equitable gaming landscape
Flood Evacuation and Resource Allocation Modeling Using Agent-Based Approaches and Advanced Pathfinding Algorithms
No full textEfficient flood evacuation requires fine-grained modeling that accounts for local infrastructure and population vulnerability, factors often obscured in regional-scale simulations. This study presents a neighborhood-scale, data-driven evacuation model for Franklin Park, Illinois, integrating Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) and a dual-phase A-Star pathfinding algorithm to simulate both resident behavior and emergency response under flood conditions.
Geospatial datasets, including FEMA flood zones, road networks, and building footprints, were processed using QGIS to construct an accurate representation of the community. Agents represent population groups and responders, and evacuation paths are optimized in two stages: firetrucks navigate via Euclidean-heuristic routing on the road graph, then responders continue on foot using Manhattan heuristics through flooded zones.
Simulation results show that a single emergency vehicle would require approximately 137 hours to evacuate all residents in a worst-case flooding scenario, whereas deploying ten vehicles reduces this to 12 hours, demonstrating the model’s capacity to evaluate resource allocation strategies. The system’s tiered architecture enables future extensions such as dynamic flood growth and multi-vehicle dispatching.This work underscores the value of localized evacuation modeling in enhancing equity and efficiency. It aligns with findings that highlight the need to incorporate spatial analysis and individual agent behavior into evacuation planning to mitigate disparities (Tonn and Guikema, 2018). Additionally, prior simulation research has demonstrated that agent-based models are effective for comparing staged and simultaneous evacuation strategies under varied urban constraints (Chen and Zhan, 2014)
Charting STEM Success: Data-Driven Strategies to Empower Female Students in Chicago
No full textDespite increased efforts to improve gender diversity, women remain underrepresented and underserved across many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly in advanced and leadership positions. While previous research has extensively documented structural barriers such as gender bias, lack of mentorship, and work-life imbalance, the comprehensive understanding of the nuanced and diverse range of individual career experiences of women who succeed in these domains remains impoverished. This study addresses this gap by collecting and analyzing qualitative data from accomplished women in STEM along five thematic categories: personal traits, education and skills, career navigation, institutional barriers, and personal struggles, and organizing these patterns into three classes—established (well-documented in literature), developing (high research activity), and emerging (minimally or unaddressed in literature). By integrating the lived experiences of women in STEM, this work contributes to a comprehensive conceptual framework that enhances the understanding of women’s career journeys, highlights underexamined challenges and motivations, and provides an empirical basis for designing targeted mentorship initiatives and future research
Reintegrating Socializing in a Post-Pandemic World
No full textIn our research project, we aim to tackle the pervasive issue of loneliness, a problem that affectsa significant portion of the American population. Loneliness has garnered attention as apressing societal concern, with the U.S. Surgeon General even referring to it as an epidemic. Itsrelevance and importance are underscored by its association with severe health risks, includingsuicide, cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, and anxiety. Furthermore,loneliness places a substantial economic burden on the United States, costing an estimated6.7 billion in Medicare expenses for sociallyisolated older adults.Addressing loneliness proves to be challenging for both society as a whole and within the fieldof data science. On a societal level, this challenge arises from the complexity of loneliness,which is a highly subjective and variable experience. Stigma surrounding loneliness oftendiscourages individuals from seeking help or acknowledging their own isolation. Moreover,social and economic factors, the impact of technology, and cultural shifts further complicateefforts to combat loneliness. Access to resources and the development of effective policies alsopose significant hurdles.Within the discipline of data science, addressing loneliness presents unique complexities.Quantifying loneliness, a subjective and multifaceted emotion, is a central challenge. Dataprivacy and ethical concerns arise when collecting and analyzing sensitive personal data relatedto social interactions and emotional states. The interdisciplinary nature of addressing lonelinessrequires collaboration between data scientists and experts in psychology, sociology, and healthsciences. Algorithmic bias and fairness must be carefully considered to avoid exacerbatingexisting biases. Integrating digital solutions with real-world interventions and ensuring userengagement and adoption are additional obstacles. Furthermore, measuring the effectivenessand long-term impact of technological interventions is a complex endeavor, as is balancing theuse of technology with the preservation of essential human interactions.Our solution introduces a unique collaborative model known as the \u27trifecta’ which forms thecore of our approach to combating social isolation. This trifecta represents a synergisticpartnership between three key stakeholders: individual users, local businesses, and corporatesponsors. Each stakeholder group plays a vital role in our ecosystem, creating a mutuallybeneficial relationship. Individual users gain access to a variety of local events that cater to theirinterests, fostering community engagement and social connections. Local businesses, servingas event venues, benefit from increased foot traffic and visibility within the community.Meanwhile, corporate sponsors finance these events, leveraging the opportunity for direct,authentic marketing and consumer engagement. This trifecta model not only addresses thepressing issue of social isolation but also revitalizes local economies and introduces a novelapproach to corporate marketing.In this research paper, we delve into the multifaceted issue of loneliness, exploring its effectsand potential solutions. We begin by examining the profound effects of loneliness on individuals,including its associations with mental and physical health challenges. Our focus then shifts tothe role of gathering and social connections in reducing loneliness. We research existingmethods of gathering and identify their pitfalls, leading us to our unique solution. We introduceour solution, highlighting the potential interest of companies in leveraging events for marketingand research existing marketing solutions. To ensure companies reach their target audienceeffectively, we delve into the development of a recommendation algorithm. Finally, weinvestigate the advantages of implementing this solution as a mobile app. This comprehensiveexploration aims to shed light on the critical issue of loneliness and proposes an innovativeapproach that integrates technology, community, and marketing strategies to combat iteffectively.The key findings of our research unveil the significant impact of gathering in reducing loneliness,contrasting starkly with the exacerbating role that social media plays in this issue. As we delveddeeper into the dynamics of gathering, we recognized a challenging trend: the reduction of thirdspaces has made it increasingly difficult for people to socialize, ultimately intensifying feelings ofloneliness. These barriers to social interaction have prompted us to investigate existingsolutions, such as Meetup.com, only to discover their limitations, particularly in the lack of freetailored events.Our quest then led us to the question: How can we make events more accessible and free foreveryone? To address this challenge, we proposed leveraging the interest of companies, whostand to gain by accessing their desired audience for marketing products and services whilebypassing the saturated online marketing landscape.However, a critical hurdle remained: ensuring that companies could effectively attract their targetaudience to these events. To overcome this challenge, we developed a sophisticated algorithmcapable of matching users to events, thus maximizing the chances of successful engagement.To put our research into practice, we curated a comprehensive dataset containing event anduser information, including event names, types, timings, accessibility, cost, and geographicalcoordinates. Leveraging this dataset, we created a neural network model designed to predictthe probability of a user attending an event based on their unique interests.Recognizing the need for a user-friendly platform that could seamlessly connect users andevents, we concluded that implementing our solution as a mobile app would be the mosteffective approach, catering to our target audience and providing a holistic solution to addressthe pervasive issue of loneliness.
An Exploration into the Necessary Transparency Needed in the Recycling Culture
No full textThe lack of education and transparency in the industry and the culture around recycling has led to misunderstanding and misinformation in regard to the status of recycled materials and their environmental impact which will continue to lead to environmental harm in the future. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 only 8.7% of all plastics were recycled. According to a more recent report published by Greenpeace, that percentage has decreased to only 5% in the year 2020. Yet plastic is still pronounced as a \u27recyclable\u27 material with little regard for the more complex and wider context. Many people still are under the illusion that all or at least most plastic is easily recyclable with no material strength degradation but that is not the case. Plastic is just one material in which we can see the impact of the lack of transparency and education. We see these issues of recycling and landfill management impact minority communities at a much higher rate than those of the majority community.
While it may seem small and insignificant, these issues impact a variety of environmental aspects like soil and air quality which play a larger role in both mental and physical health. Our research and mission will consider both local and larger elements like industry, policy, and culture to create a possible proposal and steps to address the issues of transparency and education in regard to the larger recycling industry and culture with ways to mitigate the issue at hand. By taking a look at both the global and local scale we will be able to quantify the possibility of success with each potential proposal in order to figure out what will work best for Englewood and create a framework for other minority communities. Elements of transparency will be addressed by furthering education in regard to how the recycling process goes, the policy in play, and the role that the recycling industrial complex impacts
IIT Public Safety Off-Campus Ride Service Optimization
No full textThe Mies Campus of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is in the high-crime area of Bronzeville in Chicago, with a crime rate significantly higher than the national average. According to anecdotal sources, students report feeling embarrassed due to long waits for off-campus ride services and a lack of equitable resource allocation. This concern is particularly pressing for students who stay late on campus for classes, studying, or project deadlines and must resort to alternative means of transportation such as ride-hailing platforms (e.g., Lyft and Uber) or walking, which can be, respectively, financially burdensome and risky in high-crime areas. Limited pickup locations, an inequitable first-come, first-served system, and uneven fleet distribution exacerbate these issues, leaving many students feeling unsafe.
Despite the efforts and efficiency of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), there is room for improvement in its performance regarding student ride services, as many students face significant challenges during late-night commutes when they are unable to use DPS services. Therefore, IIT should take on the ethical responsibility of addressing the challenges faced by students commuting to the Mies campus.
This project aims to identify the gaps in the DPS ride services by conducting a qualitative study and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of students’ experiences and opinions. After extracting the sub-indicators in each challenge category, relevant solutions and equity indexes are provided to help the university in the development of a fair and effective system for allocating public safety resources
Equity-focused primary care network in Chicago
No full textPrimary care is essential to equity, providing a “front door” to preventative healthcare and access to specialty care. Healthcare accessibility can be defined as the opportunities such as public transportation for residents at various locations to obtain healthcare services . Our project is an equity-focused healthcare effort to re-imagine the infrastructure for primary care in Chicago Area. Driven by persistent and deadly deficits in human health among residents of Chicago’s most underinvested neighborhoods, our project aims to combine a cost-effective, community-tailored primary care model with a geographic optimization strategy that locates primary care centers. The model is integrated with data-based computational tools, and implemented by using large-scale solution algorithms. 
Tutor Experience at Metro Achievement Program
No full textMidtown Educational Foundation (MEF) is a non-profit with the mission to guide low-income urban youth in Chicago along pathways of success. MEF has two centers; Midtown for Boys and Metro for Girls. The focus of this study is on Metro specifically.
Volunteers play a key role in the organization’s mission. MEF enlists hundreds of volunteers to provide individual attention to students across 7-grade levels. The educational impact of Metro plays out on two levels. On one level, marginalized students benefit from one-on-one attention from college students and professionals who volunteer their time as tutors and mentors. On another level, these volunteers are exposed, many for the first time, to the trials of underserved youth, especially the disparity in educational resources and systems, a chasm that has increased during the Covid pandemic.
There is an opportunity to build on this symbiotic educational relationship between volunteer and student such that volunteers are inspired to draw from their experience working with students at Metro to seek ways to promote social impact in their professional sphere of influence. Since volunteer onboarding, training and engagement are activities through which the desired educational goals will be learned and shared, it is essential to understand how volunteers currently experience these activities
