JiayuanLiu

I am a master’s student in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, working with Dr. Xu Wang to study AI’s role in education. Before Michigan, I studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at Olin College and worked as a computer science teacher, gaining firsthand insight into the needs and realities of the classroom. My interdisciplinary background spans engineering, HCI, design, and education, and I am particularly interested in designing and building technologies that support engaging and accessible learning.

AI Foundation: Hands-On AI Learning for Middle School

🏆 2026 Presidential AI Challenge State Champion

September 2025 - December 2025

How can middle school students learn about AI through a hands-on, designer-oriented approach? I designed and taught AI Foundation: Creativity, Code, and Consequences, a pilot elective for 7th–8th-grade students at Menaul School. In the final project, students guided a Sphero robot through an obstacle course using both block-based programming and a machine-learning hand-gesture controller. Comparing the two approaches helped students examine key AI tradeoffs, including flexibility versus precision, transparency versus black-box behavior, and the effects of biased training data.

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Prism Pines: A Gender-Inclusive Learning Game

October 2022 - December 2023

Prism Pines is a 2D role-playing game designed with OUT Maine to help children ages 9–13 explore diverse gender identities through stories, characters, and play. As the research and art sub-team lead, I helped translate feedback from LGBTQ+ youth into the game’s learning goals, narrative, character interactions, and visual design.

Inclusive Classroom: Co-Designing an ASL Learning Program

February 2023 - May 2023

We explored how an immersive learning program could make ASL education more engaging and responsive to community needs. Through interviews with five professional ASL interpreters and research with educators, parents, and learners, our team developed the program through community research, ideation, co-design, and prototyping.

AP CSA Array Algorithm Visualizer

September 2025 - May 2026

While teaching AP CS A, I designed a website for my students to visualize and practice array-related algorithms. Students can step through the algorithms line by line to see how it manipulates the array. They can also practice writing these algorithms in a sandbox environment and get help from a built-in AI tutor.

Visualizing Group Theory Through the Rubik’s Cube

December 2023

I developed an interactive visualization that represents Rubik’s Cube moves using a Cayley graph, offering a visual way to explore group theory through a familiar physical puzzle.

Designing Progress Feedback for the Musical Cane Game

September 2024 - December 2024

I contributed to the Musical Cane Game, an iOS application that supports cane-training practice through music and play. I conducted interviews and co-design sessions with orientation and mobility instructors and prototyped features for communicating learners’ practice progress.

Dancing Degas: A Music-Driven Drawing Machine

December 2022

Our team built a computer-controlled gantry that analyzes user-selected music and translates its patterns into physical spirograph drawings.

Accessible Hearing Screening: Physical Interface Prototyping

Janurary 2023 - Present

As part of an ongoing effort to develop an affordable hearing-screening device, I designed and evaluated physical interface concepts for communicating test progress. I developed an Arduino-based prototype and gathered feedback from audiologists, midwives, and other intended users to assess the clarity and usefulness of an LED progress display.

Four-Channel EMG Sensing Board

December 2022

My team designed, simulated, and assembled a four-channel PCB for sensing and processing surface electromyography signals using LTspice and KiCad.

Braille Translator: A Rapid Prototype

🏆 2022 MakeMIT Winner Project

February 2022

During a 24-hour hackathon, our team developed a low-cost Braille learning tool designed to support learners, educators, and families. The project received a 2022 MakeMIT award.