PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New project to improve information retrieval for lifelong learning

2025-08-25
(Press-News.org) Jessie Chin, assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award to support lifelong learning and foster information literacy. This prestigious award is given in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Chin's project, "Search as a Mechanism for Learning," will be supported by a five-year, $629,451 grant from the NSF.

Her project will examine how information retrieval (IR) systems are used for lifelong learning. While users commonly turn to the internet to learn about unfamiliar topics, the internet's algorithm-mediated IR systems, including search engines and conversational agents, have limitations when it comes to adequately supporting users with complex information needs. This is especially true when it comes to learning-oriented searches, with IR models unable to fully explain and predict how and what people search to learn. For example, motivations and metacognition are often neglected in representing the search intents during learning. Hence, relying on metrics like semantic relevance or past user behavior in IR systems may inadvertently result in suboptimal information experience of learners.

"Finding information [on a search] does not necessarily lead to effective learning or deep comprehension," said Chin. "Developing IR systems for learning requires understanding how individuals monitor, assess, and regulate their learning progress, and what factors shape their judgments to persist in or disengage from learning."

This research will guide the development of personalized technologies that promote lifelong learning in various educational settings, including online adult vocational education and individualized tutoring systems for all learners. The overarching goal of the project is to empower adults across the lifespan to adapt to evolving information environments for lifelong learning.

"To facilitate the translation of research into instructional and outreach practices, the project will collaborate with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to co-design educational games and webinars that foster information literacy and its practical applications in everyday search and learning contexts," said Chin.

Chin is a translational cognitive scientist with multidisciplinary research training in cognitive science, human factors, human-computer interaction, and health informatics. She leads the Adaptive Cognition and Interaction Design (ACTION) Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Chin holds an MS in human factors and PhD in educational psychology with a focus on cognitive science in teaching and learning from the University of Illinois.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New method probes cancer cell messengers that weaken immune system

2025-08-25
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Certain types of biochemical processes can impair the immune system’s ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. Purdue University’s W. Andy Tao and his associates have developed a new way to study these processes. They demonstrated the validity of their method in experiments involving leukemia and rare liver cancer cell lines. Tao and 10 co-authors published the details of their new method Aug. 1 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Their work provides a system for tracking and identifying the various types of proteins and an unheralded but widely secreted class of bioparticles ...

VCs backed Black founders after BLM – but it didn’t last

2025-08-25
Five years ago, in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, Black-founded startups had “a moment” when venture capitalists (VCs) were eager to invest. In the two years after Floyd’s death, the share of VC dollars that went to Black businesses jumped by 43%. Unfortunately for those fledgling companies, and the ones that have followed, that interest and those dollars were short-lived, according to new Cornell research. “The main increase in funding was among those investors who, before May 25, 2020, had never ...

A new tool to track infant development, starting at just 16 days old

2025-08-25
Tool spots developmental delays early, when intervention can make the biggest difference  iPad app uses videos and eye-tracking to measure babies’ learning and responses Tool validated by 2,500 infants and toddlers, making it reliable across diverse families EVANSTON, Ill. --- Developmental scientists and medical social science experts at Northwestern University have spearheaded the creation of the most recent NIH Toolbox, providing the newest nationally standardized assessment of cognitive, language, motor and social-emotional skill development in infants aged 16 days to 42 months. The original NIH Toolbox, although ...

Generative AI uncovers undetected bird flu exposure risks in Maryland emergency departments

2025-08-25
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine developed a new and highly effective application of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to quickly scan notes in electronic medical records and identify high-risk patients who may have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza or “bird flu”, according to new findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Using a generative AI large language model (LLM), the research team analyzed 13,494 visits across University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) hospital emergency departments from adult patients in urban, suburban, and rural areas in 2024. These patients ...

High concentration THC associated with schizophrenia, psychosis, and other unfavorable mental health outcomes

2025-08-25
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 25 August 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin              Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are ...

Mediterranean diet with fewer calories and exercise lowers diabetes risk by 31%

2025-08-25
PREDIMED-Plus, a Spanish multicenter clinical trial in which the University of Navarra participates, demonstrates that modest, sustained changes in diet and lifestyle can prevent thousands of cases of diabetes worldwide Pamplona (Spain), August 25. Eating Mediterranean-style, but with fewer calories, more moderate exercise, and professional support for weight loss, reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%. This is the main finding of PREDIMED-Plus, a large Spanish multicenter clinical trial in which the University of Navarra is participating in collaboration with more than 200 researchers from 22 other Spanish universities, hospitals, ...

Mediterranean diet combined with calorie reduction and exercise may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly one-third

2025-08-25
Embargoed for release: Monday, August 25, 2025, 5:00 PM ET Key points: Those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet, reduced their caloric intakes, engaged in moderate exercise, and received professional weight loss support had a 31% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet alone. The findings come from PREDIMED-Plus, the largest nutrition and lifestyle clinical trial ever conducted in Europe. Boston, MA—A Mediterranean-style diet, in combination with reduced caloric intake, moderate physical activity, and professional support for weight loss, may cut the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by 31%, according to a new study ...

Researchers to gather next week for 10th Peer Review Congress

2025-08-25
The 10th International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication will take place Sept. 3–5 in Chicago.     Co-hosted by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the British Medical Journal (The BMJ), and the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), this once-every-four-years event serves as “peer review on peer review.” It turns the focus on the scientific publishing process itself, with the goal of improving the conduct, reporting, and dissemination of scientific research.     Since 1989, the Congress has tackled the issues of the day, from record digitization to internet-based review. This year, ...

Rising deep-ocean oxygen levels opened up new marine habitats, spurred speciation

2025-08-25
Some 390 million years ago in the ancient ocean, marine animals began colonizing depths previously uninhabited. New research indicates this underwater migration occurred in response to a permanent increase in deep-ocean oxygen, driven by the aboveground spread of woody plants — precursors to Earth’s first forests.  That rise in oxygen coincided with a period of remarkable diversification among fish with jaws — the ancestors of most vertebrates alive today. The finding suggests that oxygenation might have shaped evolutionary patterns among prehistoric species. “It’s known that oxygen is a necessary condition for animal evolution, but the extent to which ...

Melanie Cocco named as next Editor-in-Chief of Biophysical Reports

2025-08-25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 25, 2025 Contact: Leann Fox, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs lfox@biophysics.org | (240) 290-5606 Melanie Cocco Named as Next Editor-in-Chief of Biophysical Reports BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Melanie Cocco of the University of California, Irvine has been named as the new Editor-in-Chief of Biophysical Reports, the Society’s high-quality, forward-looking gold open access journal. The journal published its first articles in 2021, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Rapid blood pressure fluctuations linked to early signs of brain degeneration in older adults

How microbes control mammalian cell growth

Emergency department pilot program serves rural families

Amid renewable-energy boom, study explores options for electricity market

Study finds improvement in knee pain with exercise and physical therapy

Researchers uncover key mechanism behind chemotherapy-induced nerve damage

Mayo Clinic researchers find enhancing the body’s ‘first responder’ cells may boost immune therapy for cancer

Secret to a long life? In bowhead whales, a protein repairs damaged DNA

MIT study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B, C

Plant biomass substance helps combat weeds

Veterans with epilepsy after traumatic brain injury may have higher mortality rates

Who is more likely to lose vision due to high brain pressure?

Scripps Research professor awarded $3.2 million to advance type 1 diabetes research

Anna Wuttig wins Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award

Electric vehicles outperform gasoline cars in lifetime environmental impact

Kilimanjaro has lost 75 percent of its natural plant species over the last century

Spider web “decorations” may help pinpoint location of captured prey

Ancient tombs reveal the story of Chinese history

1 in 3 university students surveyed from a Parisian suburb report being unable to access desired food, with this food insecurity associated with academic dropout

Researchers uncover oldest 3D burrow systems in Hubei's Shibantan Biota

Discovery of a new principle: chiral molecules adhere to magnets

New algorithm lets autonomous drones work together to transport heavy, changing payloads

Lehigh University team develops computational model to guide neurostimulation therapy for atrial fibrillation

Survival of the blandest: Unusual sharks face highest extinction risk

Research alert: Bioinformatics uncovers regenerative therapy for spinal cord injury

Sustainable chemistry with the help of Artificial Intelligence

Quantum jam sessions teach quantum and jamming

Health care professionals sponsored for H-1B visas in the US

Study shows increase of H1-B visa fees will most impact rural and high-poverty counties

How age affects vaccine responses and how to make them better

[Press-News.org] New project to improve information retrieval for lifelong learning