Michael McKenzie, Department of Educational Studies
Michael McKenzie is a Lecturer and Instructional Technology Specialist at Coastal Carolina University. He has experience teaching students and educators across K–12 and higher education. Michael’s current research explores innovative instructional technologies, including virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Ami Stearns, Department of Sociology
Min Ye, Department of Political Science
Min Ye is Professor of Political Science at Coastal Carolina University. His early use of AI involved using GitHub Copilot to write and refine R code for data analysis. His current research examines the impartiality of the United Nations Security Council in UN peacekeeping operations. Working with a student research assistant, he employs multiple AI models to analyze a repository of approximately 1,100 Security Council resolutions covering 61 peacekeeping operations from 1951 to 2025. Their goal is to develop a comprehensive dataset measuring UN Security Council impartiality across all UN peacekeeping operations.
Nicole Arcuri-Sanders, Counselor Education Program
Dr. Nicole Arcuri-Sanders is a Professor of Counselor Education and Program Coordinator for the M.Ed. in Counseling program at Coastal Carolina University. Her work with artificial intelligence focuses on integrating AI into counselor education through ethical, intentional, and experiential learning. She develops custom ChatGPT simulations that allow counselors-in-training to practice clinical skills, ethical decision-making, cultural responsiveness, case conceptualization, and professional judgment in low-stakes environments before entering field experiences. Her approach emphasizes faculty-designed guardrails, critical evaluation of AI-generated content, and keeping human judgment at the center of AI-supported learning.
Susan Bergeron, Department of Cultures, Communities, and Environments
Susan Bergeron is Professor of Geography. Her AI activities assist in the development of a virtual heritage project – the Virtual Shikoku Pilgrimage. This and similar visualization projects link the process of designing and developing immersive 3D platformds to explore the landscape of locations such as the Shikoku pilgrimages. These experiences tell the stories of the pilgrims’ experiences, the places they visit, and the impact of the pilgrimage as part of Japan’s cultural heritage.
Jesse Rouse, Department of Cultures, Communities, and Environments
Jesse Rouse is an Associate Professor of Geography. His current research focus brings together the exploration of cultural landscapes and geospatial technologies in various contexts including recent research on perception in sacred Japanese landscapes; the use of sUAS/drones in data collection and measuring landscape change; and representing cultural works through modern 3D and interactive technologies.
Seçil Topaloğlu, Department of Cultures, Communities, and Environments
Seçil Topaloğlu is a Teaching Associate in Sustainability and Coastal Resilience. Her research interests include sustainability, social inequalities, and the sociology of space and everyday life. She explores the use of Elicit, ResearchRabbit, and Scite to support literature discovery, research synthesis, and the evaluation of scholarly sources. She is particularly interested in the thoughtful and responsible use of AI-powered research tools while maintaining critical awareness of their capabilities and limitations in academic research.