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MerryQuery

Team

The people behind MerryQuery

MerryQuery is led by researchers at NC State and Kennesaw State and built, term by term, with student developers, K–12 teachers, and faculty collaborators.

Leadership

Benyamin Tabarsi

Research Lead

Benyamin Tabarsi

Benyamin Tabarsi is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at NC State, advised by Tiffany Barnes and DK Xu. His research focuses on human–AI co-intelligence. He aims to build AI that people can steer, so it helps them do more while they keep learning and growing their own skills. He designed and researched MerryQuery, and leads ExLAIM, an NSF-funded program where K–12 teachers and undergraduate developers design classroom AI tools together. In his work, he builds systems, studies them in real classrooms, and designs alongside the people who use them.

Websiteof Benyamin Tabarsi
Dr. Tiffany Barnes

Principal Investigator

Dr. Tiffany Barnes

Tiffany Barnes is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at NC State, where she leads the Game2Learn Lab. Her NSF CAREER Award recognized her work using data and educational data mining to add intelligence to STEM learning environments. Her current projects include data-driven tutoring in STEM, teaching AI to middle schoolers, and helping K–12 teachers bring AI and computational thinking into their courses. She is a founding co-director of the STARS Computing Corps and an ACM Distinguished Member.

Websiteof Dr. Tiffany Barnes
Dr. Dongkuan (DK) Xu

Principal Investigator

Dr. Dongkuan (DK) Xu

Dongkuan (DK) Xu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at NC State, where he leads the Generative Intelligent Computing (GIC) Lab. His research studies learning in open-ended environments: how AI systems decide what is worth exploring and how they should change as experience accumulates, with a focus on efficient learning, reliable AI, and continual model evolution. His honors include the AAAI 2025 Best Demonstration Award and AAAI New Faculty Highlights.

Websiteof Dr. Dongkuan (DK) Xu
Dr. Joey Huang

Co-PI, ExLAIM

Dr. Joey Huang

Joey Huang is an Assistant Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology in NC State's Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences and a Co-PI and faculty mentor of ExLAIM. Trained in educational psychology and computing, she studies computational thinking, AI-enabled educational technologies, and how learners co-design with AI in STEAM. She also brought MerryQuery into her graduate course, ECI 519.

Websiteof Dr. Joey Huang
Dr. Xiaoyi Tian

Co-PI, ExLAIM

Dr. Xiaoyi Tian

Xiaoyi Tian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Technology at Kennesaw State University and a Co-PI and faculty mentor of ExLAIM. Her research brings together human-computer interaction, AI, and the learning sciences to build human-centered AI that supports equitable teaching and learning, from learning companions and teacher-facing tools to AI literacy in K–12 education. She was previously a Research Scientist at NC State.

Websiteof Dr. Xiaoyi Tian

Who built it, and when

Everyone who worked on MerryQuery, grouped by term. People who came back appear in each term they contributed.

  1. Summer 2026

    ExLAIM cohort

    • Photo of Aditya Basarkar

      Aditya Basarkar

      Development lead, ExLAIM

      NC State University

      Also Summer 2024

    • Photo of Daniel Briceno

      Daniel Briceno

      Development lead, ExLAIM

      NC State University

      Also Spring 2026

    • Photo of Susanna Quayle

      Susanna Quayle

      Undergraduate developer, ExLAIM

      NC State University (transferred from Fayetteville Tech CC)

      Also Summer 2025

    • Photo of Faaz Mohamed

      Faaz Mohamed

      Undergraduate developer, ExLAIM

      University of Pittsburgh

    • Photo of Matheus Marques

      Matheus Marques

      Undergraduate developer, ExLAIM

      The College of New Jersey

    • Photo of Lokesh Sharma

      Lokesh Sharma

      Undergraduate developer, ExLAIM

      University of California, Irvine

    • Photo of Nicole Ackerman-Lowery

      Nicole Ackerman-Lowery

      Undergraduate developer, ExLAIM

      Fayetteville Technical Community College

    K–12 teacher research interns

    • ABAlgie BrodnaxGTCC Middle College
    • LCLatoya ClayHillside High School
    • LSLohanna SanchezRagsdale High School
    • MCMadeline CutchinNash Central Middle School
    • MWMarcia WinborneJF Webb High School
    • MAMarie Antonette JimenezDiscovery Charter School
    • MMMason McDanielBroughton High School
    • TMTiffany McMillanJack Britt High School
    • TFTina FoxApex Friendship High School
  2. Spring 2026

    1 contributor

    • Photo of Daniel Briceno

      Daniel Briceno

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

      Also Summer 2026

  3. Fall 2025

    1 contributor

    • Photo of Shreyas Visweshwaran

      Shreyas Visweshwaran

      Graduate developer

      NC State University

  4. Summer 2025

    2 contributors

    • Photo of Susanna Quayle

      Susanna Quayle

      Undergraduate researcher

      Fayetteville Technical Community College

      Also Summer 2026

    • Photo of Jayani Sivakumar

      Jayani Sivakumar

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

      HelpLens · MerryQuery improvements

  5. Fall 2024

    3 contributors

    • Photo of Teddy Chen

      Teddy Chen

      Graduate developer

      NC State University

    • Photo of Homak Patel

      Homak Patel

      Graduate developer

      NC State University

    • Photo of Aishwarya Radhakrishnan

      Aishwarya Radhakrishnan

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

      Also Summer 2024

  6. Summer 2024

    6 contributors

    • Photo of Aditya Basarkar

      Aditya Basarkar

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

      Also Summer 2026AAAI-25 demo co-author

    • Photo of Aishwarya Radhakrishnan

      Aishwarya Radhakrishnan

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

      Also Fall 2024

    • Photo of Praneel Magapu

      Praneel Magapu

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

    • Photo of Lavan Aditya

      Lavan Aditya

      Undergraduate researcher

      NC State University

    • Photo of Xukun Liu

      Xukun Liu

      Developer

      Northwestern University

      AAAI-25 demo co-author

    • Photo of Berwin Chen

      Berwin Chen

      Developer