publications | Caryn Thiên Ngân Tran

2026

CHI Paper

🏆 Best Paper 🏆 Starting From Scratch Again and Again: Tracing the Origins of High Schoolers’ Negative Perceptions of Block-Based Programming

Caryn Tran, Kristin Fasiang^*, Max Kanwal^*, and Eleanor O’Rourke

In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Apr 2026

Bib

Best Paper Award

@inproceedings{tran2026starting,
  project = {authentic_learning},
  publication_sort = {2026-04},
  title = {Starting From Scratch Again and Again: Tracing the Origins of High Schoolers' Negative Perceptions of Block-Based Programming},
  author = {Tran, Caryn and Fasiang, Kristin and Kanwal, Max and O'Rourke, Eleanor},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
  pages = {1--17},
  doi = {10.1145/3772318.3791825},
  year = {2026},
  month = apr,
}

AAAI Workshop Constructive Alignment

Constructive Alignment

Max Kanwal^* and Caryn Tran^*

In AAAI-26 Workshop on Machine Ethics: from formal methods to emergent machine ethics, Singapore, Jan 2026

Bib

@inproceedings{kanwal2026constructive,
  project = {constructive_alignment},
  publication_sort = {2026-02},
  title = {Constructive Alignment},
  author = {Kanwal, Max and Tran, Caryn},
  booktitle = {AAAI-26 Workshop on Machine Ethics: from formal methods to emergent machine ethics},
  location = {Singapore},
  month = jan,
  url = {https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-4189/paper1.pdf},
  year = {2026},
}

AAAI Workshop Bounded Morality

Bounded Morality

Max Kanwal^*, Caryn Tran^*, and Patrick Mineault

In AAAI-26 Workshop on Machine Ethics: from formal methods to emergent machine ethics, Singapore, Jan 2026

Bib

@inproceedings{kanwal2026bounded,
  project = {constructive_alignment},
  publication_sort = {2026-01},
  title = {Bounded Morality},
  author = {Kanwal, Max and Tran, Caryn and Mineault, Patrick},
  booktitle = {AAAI-26 Workshop on Machine Ethics: from formal methods to emergent machine ethics},
  location = {Singapore},
  month = jan,
  url = {https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-4189/paper2.pdf},
  year = {2026},
}

2025

ICER Paper Exploring Student-Perceived Dimensions of Authenticity in High School Computer Science

Exploring Student-Perceived Dimensions of Authenticity in High School Computer Science

Caryn Tran, Max Kanwal, Kristin Fasiang, and Eleanor O’Rourke

In Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research V. 1, Aug 2025

Bib

@inproceedings{tran2025exploring,
  project = {authentic_learning},
  publication_sort = {2025-02},
  title = {Exploring Student-Perceived Dimensions of Authenticity in High School Computer Science},
  author = {Tran, Caryn and Kanwal, Max and Fasiang, Kristin and O'Rourke, Eleanor},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research V. 1},
  pages = {93--108},
  doi = {10.1145/3702652.3744229},
  year = {2025},
  month = aug,
}

ICML Workshop Measuring Memorization and Generalization in Forecasting Models via Structured Perturbations of Chaotic Systems

Measuring Memorization and Generalization in Forecasting Models via Structured Perturbations of Chaotic Systems

Max Kanwal and Caryn Tran

In ICML 2025 Workshop on Methods and Opportunities at Small Scale, Jan 2025

Bib

@inproceedings{kanwal2025measuring,
  project = {dynadojo},
  publication_sort = {2025-01},
  title = {Measuring Memorization and Generalization in Forecasting Models via Structured Perturbations of Chaotic Systems},
  author = {Kanwal, Max and Tran, Caryn},
  booktitle = {ICML 2025 Workshop on Methods and Opportunities at Small Scale},
  url = {https://openreview.net/pdf?id=DHo0eqNkvm},
  year = {2025},
  month = jan,
}

2023

ICER Poster Understanding Novices’ Perceptions of “Authentic” Programming

Understanding Novices’ Perceptions of “Authentic” Programming

Caryn Tran and Eleanor O’Rourke

In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research-Volume 2, Aug 2023

Bib

@inproceedings{tran2023understanding,
  project = {authentic_learning},
  publication_sort = {2023-01},
  title = {Understanding Novices’ Perceptions of “Authentic” Programming},
  author = {Tran, Caryn and O'Rourke, Eleanor},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2023 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research-Volume 2},
  pages = {37--38},
  doi = {10.1145/3568812.3603492},
  year = {2023},
  month = aug,
  preview_thumbnail = {icer2023_thumb.png}
}

NeurIPS Paper Dynadojo: An Extensible Platform for Benchmarking Scaling in Dynamical System Identification

Dynadojo: An Extensible Platform for Benchmarking Scaling in Dynamical System Identification

Logan M Bhamidipaty^*, Tommy Bruzzese^*, Caryn Tran^*, Rami Ratl Mrad, and Maxinder S Kanwal

Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, Dec 2023

Bib

@article{bhamidipaty2023dynadojo,
  project = {dynadojo},
  publication_sort = {2023-02},
  title = {Dynadojo: An Extensible Platform for Benchmarking Scaling in Dynamical System Identification},
  author = {Bhamidipaty, Logan M and Bruzzese, Tommy and Tran, Caryn and Ratl Mrad, Rami and Kanwal, Maxinder S},
  journal = {Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems},
  volume = {36},
  pages = {15519--15530},
  url = {https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2023/file/32093649cbbcff773d9a991d8c30a7fe-Paper-Datasets_and_Benchmarks.pdf},
  year = {2023},
  month = dec,
}

2022

Lambert Poster Investigating the Negative Perceptions of Blocks-Based Programming

Investigating the Negative Perceptions of Blocks-Based Programming

Caryn Tran, Kristin Fasiang, and Eleanor O’Rourke

In Lambert Conference on the Future of Human-Computer Interaction + Design, Northwestern University, Oct 2022

Bib

@inproceedings{tran2022blocksbased,
  project = {authentic_learning},
  publication_sort = {2022-01},
  title = {Investigating the Negative Perceptions of Blocks-Based Programming},
  author = {Tran, Caryn and Fasiang, Kristin and O'Rourke, Eleanor},
  booktitle = {Lambert Conference on the Future of Human-Computer Interaction + Design},
  location = {Northwestern University},
  month = oct,
  year = {2022},
  preview_thumbnail = {lambert2022_bottom_thumb.png}
}

2020

IEEE Access Paper Blind Interactive Learning of Modulation Schemes: Multi-Agent Cooperation Without Co-Design

Blind Interactive Learning of Modulation Schemes: Multi-Agent Cooperation Without Co-Design

Anant Sahai^*, Joshua Sanz^*, Vignesh Subramanian^*, Caryn Tran^*, and Kailas Vodrahalli^*

IEEE Access, 2020

Bib

@article{sahai2020blind,
  project = {echo},
  publication_sort = {2020-01},
  title = {Blind Interactive Learning of Modulation Schemes: Multi-Agent Cooperation Without Co-Design},
  author = {Sahai, Anant and Sanz, Joshua and Subramanian, Vignesh and Tran, Caryn and Vodrahalli, Kailas},
  journal = {IEEE Access},
  volume = {8},
  pages = {63790--63820},
  year = {2020},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  doi = {10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2984218},
}

2019

Master’s Thesis Effect of Model Dissimilarity on Learning to Communicate in a Wireless Setting with Limited Information

Effect of Model Dissimilarity on Learning to Communicate in a Wireless Setting with Limited Information

Caryn Tran

University of California, Berkeley, 2019

M.S. thesis, EECS Department

Bib

@mastersthesis{tran2019effect,
  project = {echo},
  publication_sort = {2019-01},
  title = {Effect of Model Dissimilarity on Learning to Communicate in a Wireless Setting with Limited Information},
  author = {Tran, Caryn},
  school = {University of California, Berkeley},
  year = {2019},
  note = {M.S. thesis, EECS Department},
}

Allerton Paper Learning to Communicate with Limited Co-Design

Learning to Communicate with Limited Co-Design

Anant Sahai^*, Joshua Sanz^*, Vignesh Subramanian^*, Caryn Tran^*, and Kailas Vodrahalli^*

In 2019 57th Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, 2019

Bib

@inproceedings{sahai2019learning,
  project = {echo},
  publication_sort = {2019-02},
  title = {Learning to Communicate with Limited Co-Design},
  author = {Sahai, Anant and Sanz, Joshua and Subramanian, Vignesh and Tran, Caryn and Vodrahalli, Kailas},
  booktitle = {2019 57th Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing},
  doi = {10.1109/ALLERTON.2019.8919749},
  year = {2019},
  organization = {IEEE}
}

arXiv Preprint Learning to Communicate in a Noisy Environment

Learning to Communicate in a Noisy Environment

Anant Sahai^*, Joshua Sanz^*, Vignesh Subramanian^*, Caryn Tran^*, and Kailas Vodrahalli^*

arXiv preprint arXiv:1910.09630, 2019

Bib

@article{sahai2019learningnoise,
  project = {echo},
  publication_sort = {2019-01},
  title = {Learning to Communicate in a Noisy Environment},
  author = {Sahai, Anant and Sanz, Joshua and Subramanian, Vignesh and Tran, Caryn and Vodrahalli, Kailas},
  journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:1910.09630},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.09630},
  year = {2019}
}