Stephanie Eordanidis Awarded Two Benjamin Gilman Scholarships
Kean Junior Stephanie Eordandis has been selected to spend the spring semester in Tokyo studying at prestigious Sophia University. Eordandis was awarded two Gilman scholarships, which will finance her studies abroad.
A Union, N.J. native, Stephanie is a computer science major with a strong interest in educational game development and robotics. Sophia University has a 20% acceptance rate, and fewer than one third of their students are international.
“I have always had an interest in Japan and its culture, and being a computer science student I knew this was a "win-win" move,” said Eordandis. “I believe studying in a different country than your own can provide a more enriching and fulfilling educational experience. You can learn from and see the difference in our cultures and educational systems, and embrace and grow from them.”
While at Kean, Stephanie spent two years as a Senior Research Assistant to professor Carolee Stewart-Gardiner on a project called StoryTeach. An NSF AISL funded program, StoryTeach is designed to investigate the impact of narrative on introducing and teaching computer science principles to female middle school students.
The StoryTeach research team designed 3 analog games incoporating different computer science concepts and play tested the games in focus groups and after-school programs. Team members across the country and consultants from both Canada and the U.S. collaborated on the project. Stephanie used her undergraduate research experience to co-facilitate a workshop at the Games for Learning Society Conference with members of the StoryTeach Arizona team.
The Gilman Scholarship Program is an undergraduate grant program designed to enable U.S. citizens to study abroad, expanding their outlook and better preparing them for success in today’s economy. The program is named for the late U.S. Representative Benjamin A. Gilman, who believed that study abroad transforms lives and serves as a gateway to active participation in our globalized world.