This summer, the senior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania got to study the subject using artificial intelligence in hopes of making the industry and the gaming experience more equitable.
Crawford and two other IUP students from Allegheny County did so through the university's Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research program. For 10 weeks, they worked on AI-based quantitative and qualitative projects that studied gaming, personal fashion and improving the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis.
In late August, they presented their findings at a research symposium, the culmination of their summer work. The students said they are grateful for the launchpad this program has provided toward their careers.
"I would've never thought I was going to do undergraduate research. I thought that was such an elite thing, but it really gives you an opportunity," said Katherine Powell, 19, an IUP junior.
Her "AI Stylist" project, advised by computer science assistant professor Samuel Grieggs, examined how multimodal large language models can be used to build a "Personal Virtual Stylist."
When she was in high school, she attended the IUP Cook Honors College summer camp to learn more about the campus and programs. She fell in love with the school.
She always had a love for fashion, too, but didn't think she had the knack for it.
"Before AI was even a thing, I thought it would be really cool to take a picture of every clothing item in your closet, and have something suggest what you should wear," said Powell, a mathematics major with a specialization in data science who serves as treasurer for IUP's Women in STEAM and on the IUP Programming Team.
"The computer vision model recognizes your clothing within the images you provide, then transforms that into something the computer can understand and be able to identify," she said.
The Personal Visual Stylist will be able to provide outfit suggestions based on location, weather and formality of the occasion. It will also be able to offer other options in a similar manner as ChatGPT if its first suggestion is not a fit.
"'Hey I don't like this. Can you suggest something else?'" she said.
Megan Seaman originally wasn't sure if she could participate in the program due to her working a full-time job as a camp counselor in her hometown of Bethel Park. Grieggs, who is also her mathematics and computer science professor, was adamant that she join in.
Seaman's project became "Painting AI Pink: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Breast Cancer Diagnoses," wherein she aimed to develop an AI model to help identify cases of breast cancer.
Working with Greiggs, the 20-year-old Cook Honors college junior and computer science major analyzed a data set from the Radiological Society of North America, working to identify cancer through specific patterns and features that appear on mammogram results. There were weekly meetings to track progress.
"I was really guided throughout the process, so I didn't feel on my own," said Seaman, also a member of IUP Women in STEAM and the IUP Programming Team.
The research was also very personal for Seaman. Her grandmother is a breast cancer survivor who lived because she received an early diagnosis.
"This summer allowed for the hands-on learning that I had been looking for," she said. "Doing this research has made me consider that this is a career I can pursue in the future."
Crawford, who majors in psychology and minors in sociology, jumped at the opportunity to be in the research program.
His project is titled "Application of Critical Race Theory in Video Game Settings," an effort advised by Hilario Molina of IUP's Department of School Psychology, Special Education and Sociology.
Crawford wanted to examine other communities impacted by critical race theory and chose a topic that many people could understand — video game character creation and gaming communities.
He interviewed 10 people, both people of color and white players. He asked questions about character creation and racial discrimination, and how those impacted their experience.
"My research found that a lot of Caucasian people that actively play games and have a lot of Black and brown friends were blinded to the discrimination," said Crawford, president of the IUP Esports Club and member of Ubora Men of IUP, which supports Black and brown students at the university.
That discrimination, he said, can include verbal abuse in the community and situations where players that are Black and brown must pay to use certain hairstyles or skin tones that reflect their identity.
Crawford's goal is to become a clinical therapist to help people feel comfortable in their own skin.
"I want to specialize in helping people with special needs," he said. "As I approach every single client with the same amount of kindness and care, I can help people feel more comfortable, which will hopefully lead to more positive results in people considering therapy."
Crawford, Seaman and Powell said working with other researchers in the program was very helpful.
"It's really inspiring. Sometimes you question your own research and think: 'Does this stand up to what everybody else is doing?' and you realize everyone is adding value," Seaman said.
Powell agreed.
"The passion the other students also have when talking about their own research — some have made 3D-printed objects — it is some cutting-edge research and we are all adding to this giant pool of knowledge," she said.
Working through the research boosted Seaman's confidence.
"I am excited to see how this propels me," she said.
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