Michael Vaccaro

Civil Engineering

Mike began his journey at the University of Connecticut as an undergraduate civil engineering student in 2017 and later continued as a graduate student in 2021. Now, Mike is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Structural Engineering. His pursuit of a graduate program was driven by his life-long passions for teaching and learning and, even though his engineering research is largely focused on structural dynamics, Mike’s passion and ultimate career goals lie within academia and teaching. His passion for education has led him to join his advisor, Dr. Arash E. Zaghi, in artificial intelligence (AI)-based research promoting new paradigms for learning with the ultimate goal of making STEM education more accessible to all types of learners.

A lifelong learner himself, Mike’s interests push beyond the conventional boundaries of civil engineering, AI, and the educational sciences and extend far into other fields, including meteorology. Throughout his life, he has nurtured a fascination for education, weather, and structures. Ultimately, his career aspires to uniquely integrate these three interests with the goal of making unparalleled contributions to academia as a multi-disciplinary researcher and a devoted educator.