Michael Vaccaro is a PhD Candidate in Structural Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2021. As a graduate student, Michael has been involved in research across several fields including structural engineering and engineering education. His research interests include structural dynamics, bolted connections in steel structures, and the application of large language models to education. In 2023, he was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) to pursue interdisciplinary research.

Mikayla Friday is a PhD Student in Engineering Education at the University of Connecticut. She received her bachelor's degree in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering from the University of South Florida in 2023. Before pursuing her PhD, she first came to the University of Connecticut through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program where she analyzed UConn's outage prediction model. In 2024, she was awarded an NSF Research Traineeship.

Arash Zaghi is a Professor at the University of Connecticut. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he worked on the seismic behavior of novel bridge columns and connection details. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award. His research topics mainly include Multihazard resilient design, Resilience of structural and non-structural systems under natural and man-made disasters, Application of advanced materials and innovative details in Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), Repair and retrofit of existing bridges, Computational structural modeling and Nurturing creativity in engineering education.