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1. Single-Ended Coherent Channel Estimation

   Alireza Fardoost, Fatemeh Ghaedi (May 2022, Conference on Lasers and Electrooptics)

   We demonstrate a novel method for finding the coherent transfer matrix (CTM) of a multi-channel transmission medium utilizing backscattering and coherent optical time-domain reflectometry (COTDR). We measured the CTM for two polarizations of a single-mode fiber with ±0.3dB and ±8.5˚ amplitude and phase precisions 

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2. Open-ended Modeling Problems and Engineering Identity

   Swenson, J.; Treadway, E.; Lape, S.; Casson, A. (June 2023, ASEE annual conference proceedings)

   Engineering identity is an integral determinant of academic success in engineering school, as it allows students to have an understanding of themselves in relation to what they study. Studies in engineering and other STEM disciplines have shown a positive correlation between identity and retention. Previous studies by Carlone and Johnson, Hazari, and Godwin have examined the following facets of a STEM or engineering identity: performance, competence, recognition and interest. While many current papers examine how culture and social interactions may influence identity, this paper examines how doing engineering coursework can uncover or influence a student’s engineering identity. This comparative case study examines how two students’ experiences solving an Open-ended Modeling Problem (OEMP) in their statics class may have contributed to their engineering identities. Cristina and Dylan, our two cases, both recalled how they solved a problem about a hands-free crutch device in an interview at the end of the semester. None of the questions were explicitly about identity. The interviews indicate that both students were interested in solving these problems and recognized themselves as being capable of solving the problem. In the case of Cristina, the problem helped her build confidence, both through her understanding of the material and her problem solving abilities. Our results also saw both students discussing how the disciplinary authenticity made them ‘feel like an engineer.’ Implications of this work include a deeper understanding of how day-to-day problem solving within courses can influence engineering identity and may aid in understanding how certain activities and scaffolding can influence engineering identity. This is important as students who have strong engineering identities are more likely to stay in engineering, become competent engineers, and find success in their respective fields. This research can inform educators on the importance of assigning novel, ill-defined problems that require students to apply their critical thinking skills and logic skills in real world situations. 

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3. Toward open-ended fraternal transitions in individuality

   Moreno, Matthew; Ofria, Charles (April 2019, Artificial life)

   The emergence of new replicating entities from the union of simpler entities characterizes some of the most profound events in natural evolutionary history. Such transitions in individuality are essential to the evolution of the most complex forms of life. Thus, understanding these transitions is critical to building artificial systems capable of open-ended evolution. Alas, these transitions are challenging to induce or detect, even with computational organisms. Here, we introduce the DISHTINY (Distributed Hierarchical Transitions in Individuality) platform, which provides simple cell-like organisms with the ability and incentive to unite into new individuals in a manner that can continue to scale to subsequent transitions. The system is designed to encourage these transitions so that they can be studied: Organisms that coordinate spatiotemporally can maximize the rate of resource harvest, which is closely linked to their reproductive ability. We demonstrate the hierarchical emergence of multiple levels of individuality among simple cell-like organisms that evolve parameters for manually designed strategies. During evolution, we observe reproductive division of labor and close cooperation among cells, including resource-sharing, aggregation of resource endowments for propagules, and emergence of an apoptosis response to somatic mutation. Many replicate populations evolved to direct their resources toward low-level groups (behaving like multicellular individuals), and many others evolved to direct their resources toward high-level groups (acting as larger-scale multicellular individuals). 

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4. Resource Rush: Towards An Open-Ended Programming Game

   https://doi.org/10.1109/BB48857.2019.8941215  

   Lytle, Nicholas; Echavarria, Jennifer; Sosa, Joshua; Price, Thomas W. (October 2019, 2019 IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop (B&B))

   null (Ed.)

   Programming games provide players opportunities to practice and learn the fundamentals of coding in engaging ways. Many games have players program in block-based languages similar to environments like Scratch and Snap! as a means to scaffold student learning and reduce syntax errors. Block-based environments (BBEs) have been praised for their open-ended, constructionist designs allowing students to develop what they wish, express themselves, and explore the possibilities of the system. However, programming games tend to be more linear, usually designed as a fixed series of puzzles. We present Resource Rush, a game designed to resemble BBEs and present users with a game world that allows users to learn the fundamentals of programming in an open-ended game environment. 

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5. Open-ended Commonsense Reasoning with Unrestricted Answer Candidates

   https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2023.findings-emnlp.540  

   Ling, Chen; Zhang, Xuchao; Zhao, Xujiang; Liu, Yanchi; Cheng, Wei; Oishi, Mika; Osaki, Takao; Matsuda, Katsushi; Chen, Haifeng; Zhao, Liang (January 2023, Association for Computational Linguistics)