At Michigan Tech, we believe the hallmark of innovation is the ability to think differently. By applying cutting-edge ideas in new arenas of human factors, bridging research between disciplines of STEM fields, and making connections across the University and with collaborators around the world—PHF faculty and students create the future.
Labs
Cognition and Aging Lab
Think cognitive psychology, movement science, and neuroscience combined. Research in the Cognition and Aging Lab improves understanding of age-related changes in cognitive functioning and explores the impact of those changes on people’s lives.
Decisions and Games Lab
How do individuals and groups make decisions, plan, and reduce cognitive biases? We find out by exploring how technologies such as video games support learning in natural environments and STEM fields.
Mueller Lab
Where advances in cognitive theory are designed in authentic settings, using a combination of experimentation and computational modeling to enhance memory, comprehension, and knowledge.
STAR Lab
Safety, Technology, and Attention Research Lab studies ways to improve people’s attention control in real-world settings, from airplane cockpits to security screening and education.
Vigilance, Movement, and Multitasking Lab
Our lab seeks to mitigate mental fatigue and enhance cognitive performance by employing behavioral, physiological, and self-report methods to explore how we pay attention in both mentally and physically demanding settings.
The WELL
The Wellness Engineering and Learning Laboratory aims to improve informed decision-making through development of human-centered tools and interventions to facilitate well-being.
Groups
Avida-ED: Digital Evolution for Education
Avida-ED is an NSF-funded, research-based educational tool that allows students to observe evolutionary processes in real time while engaging in authentic science practices, and has been shown to increase both student understanding and acceptance of evolution.
Breaking Digital Barriers
Breaking Digital Barriers studies how K-12 and undergraduate students, software development professionals, and senior citizens communicate, learn, and interact with computers.
MOST
Mathematically Significant Pedagogical Opportunities to build on Student Thinking focuses on improving secondary school mathematics by improving teachers’ abilities to use student thinking during instruction to develop mathematical concepts.
Mi-STAR
Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform project focused on developing and evaluating new problem-solving and inquiry-based techniques for teaching science in K-12. It is funded by the Dow Foundation.
PREPScI
PREPScI is an NSF Noyce Track 4 project that develops and evaluates induction program supports for beginning secondary science teachers in order to promote reform-based science teaching, develop teachers' reflective practices, and foster their equitable, culturally responsive science teaching.
RET PLACE
Focuses on the application of computational tools for researching environmental engineering systems, which have relevant applications in science and mathematics classrooms. Our co-mentoring program emphasizes meaningful interactions between secondary math and science teachers and PhD students at Michigan Tech.
Syntactic Knowledge in the Sciences
This REF Scholarship and Creativity project examines the relationship between educator experience in the sciences, especially with regard to research, and influence on both knowledge of the nature and practices of science and on science teaching practice.