Stephanie J. Lunn
RUBICS Laboratory Director
Assistant Professor
School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) and the
STEM Transformation Institute (STEM TI),
Secondary Appointment in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences (KFSCIS),
College of Engineering and Computing
sjlunn@fiu.edu
LinkedIn
ResearchGate
Google Scholar
Curriculum Vitae
Stephanie J. Lunn is an Assistant Professor in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education and the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University (FIU). She also has a secondary appointment in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences (KFSCIS). Her research interests span the fields of computing and engineering education, human-computer interaction, data science, and machine learning. Dr. Lunn seeks to aid students’ professional and technical development and cultivate more inclusive mindsets in computing and engineering. She works to do so through the creation, implementation, and assessment of learning activities embedded throughout the undergraduate and graduate curricula; informal and formal training programs; and technological innovation.
Previously, Dr. Lunn earned her doctorate in computer science from the KFSCIS at FIU, with a focus on computing education. She also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer science from FIU and B.S. and M.S. degrees in neuroscience from the University of Miami. In addition, she served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a focus on engineering education.
Nimmi Arunachalam
Ph.D. Student
School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED)
Director
Break Through Tech
Nimmi Arunachalam is the Director of Break Through Tech at Florida International University (FIU), where she works to increase diversity and gender equality in Miami’s tech ecosystem. Prior to that, Nimmi worked for the School District of Palm Beach County, where she served as the Career and Technical Education Specialist (Cybersecurity) and was previously a Computer Science (CS) teacher at Olympic Heights High School. Nimmi has taught AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A at her high school and is a master teacher for Project lead The Way engineering and CS courses. She worked as a business analyst for Ramco Systems in Chennai, India. She holds Florida professional certifications in Educational Leadership, Mathematics (6-12), Technology Education (6-12), and Computer Science (K-12), as well as Microsoft Technology Associate Industry Certifications in Java, JavaScript, Python, Block Based Programming, Security Fundamentals. Windows OS, REC Foundation and Pre-Engineering & Robotics. She has won numerous awards and praise for her work. She is the current President of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Chapter for Palm Beach and Broward counties as well as the at-large representative of the national CSTA Board of Directors. She holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Pondicherry Central University, India, and a Bachelor of Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, India. Nimmi is currently pursuing her doctoral studies in the area of Computer Science Education through FIU’s SUCCEED graduate program.
Veon Brewster
Ph.D. Student
School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED)
Veon is a User Experience Research (UXR) Program Manager Lead at Google, where she manages UXR programs for the Google Search team. Prior to Google, Veon worked for Salesforce as a Director of Customer Growth Strategy. She also worked as a Digital Strategist for Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) where she managed UXR for Astro, an enterprise voice assistant built by PwC. Veon has over a decade of experience in Digital Analytics, UX Research and Product Strategy and is driven by understanding the needs, wants, and motivations behind the interaction of humans and technology. She is a user first advocate and believer that the best way to design a digital experience is to iterate with the users themselves. She holds a master’s degree in Global Strategic Communications from Florida International University (FIU) and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of South Florida (USF). She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Computer Science Education at FIU. Veon is originally from Jamaica but has called South Florida home for over 25 years. If she’s not at school or work, you can find her chasing her 2-year-old son or spending time gardening with her husband.
Fun fact: Veon has a product patent and is building a device that turns a baby bottle into a smart bottle!
Jia Zhu
Lab Affiliate and Ph.D. Candidate
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences
Jia Zhu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Science at Florida International University. Her research interests include computing education, educational data mining, and data science. She aims to create an inclusive computing ecosystem, and her work focuses on exploring computing access points for women.