Since 2023 · Karla Medrano
Artificial Intelligence Centre
Machine learning applied to problems in education and management, with an emphasis on interpretable models.
14
undergraduates
4
lines of research
6
publications since 2023
Research and innovation
Knowledge that leaves the classroom.
Four centres, six live projects and thirty-one undergraduates attached to them. All of it illustrative.
4
research centres
31
undergraduates attached
6
live projects
18
publications since 2019
Illustrative content
01Centres
Where the research happens.
Since 2024 · Daniel Espinoza
Energy and Sustainability Laboratory
Energy efficiency in buildings, and low-cost measurement systems for institutions and small businesses.
18 %
measured reduction on campus
28
sensors deployed
2
research places
Since 2019 · Patricia Zelaya
Business Observatory
Diagnosis and support for the urban small and medium business, with teams of third- and fourth-year students.
38
businesses supported
2
annual reports published
7
years running
Since 2021 · Marcela Fuentes
Centre for Educational Innovation
Research on teaching practice, formative assessment, and the move from upper secondary into higher education.
3
community programmes
100
families certified
5
research staff
02Work
What is being worked on now.
Energy instrumentation of the laboratory building
In progressContinuous measurement of consumption and occupancy, with a model that recommends operational changes. Second phase in the teaching building.
Early signs of dropout in upper secondary
In progressAn interpretable model over attendance, submitted work and interim grades, built to alert the form tutor, not to classify the student.
Succession and governance in family businesses in the capital
In progressA multiple case study of twelve second-generation companies, with a report returned to every participant.
A Honduran Spanish corpus for language processing
In progressCollecting and annotating an open corpus, freely licensed and published in the institutional repository.
The move from twelfth grade to the first university term
CompletedThree cohorts tracked. Its conclusions changed the design of induction week and of the peer tutoring scheme.
Feasibility of distributed solar generation on campus
PlannedA technical and financial pre-feasibility study for covering 30 % of the campus's daytime demand.
03Publications
What has been published.
Invented references
| Title | Authors | Published in | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early signs of dropout in upper secondary | Medrano, K.; Fuentes, M. | Journal of Educational Research (invented) | 2026 |
| Measuring energy consumption in instrumented buildings | Espinoza, D.; Núñez, A.; Ramos, K. | Applied Engineering Congress (invented) | 2026 |
| An operational diagnosis of the Honduran urban SME | Zelaya, P.; Laínez, H. | AUREA Business Observatory | 2026 |
| Interpretable models for academic decisions | Medrano, K.; Brenes, S. | Data Science Papers (invented) | 2025 |
| Legibility of variable fonts in dense interfaces | Portillo, A. | Design Yearbook (invented) | 2025 |
| Referral protocols in educational institutions | Carrillo, I. | Journal of Educational Psychology (invented) | 2024 |