Jennifer Breese, associate professor of information technology at Penn State Greater Allegheny, received the Best Paper Award at the 2025 Knowledge Management Conference in Siena, Italy.
McKEESPORT, Pa. — Jennifer Breese, associate professor of information technology at Penn State Greater Allegheny, and Young Han Bae, professor of marketing at Penn State Greater Allegheny, were awarded the Best Paper Award at the 2025 Knowledge Management (KM) Conference, held June 25-28 in Siena, Italy.
The KM Conference is hosted annually by the International Institute for Applied Knowledge Management (IIAKM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing education and research in knowledge management, information systems, and cybersecurity. Each year, IIAKM recognizes significant contributions to the field through its Fellow & Distinguished Scholar, Award of Excellence in Leadership, Lifetime Academic Achievement Award and Best Paper Awards.
Breese, who also serves as program coordinator for both information technology and cybersecurity analytics and operations at the campus, and Bae, who also serves as the program coordinator for both business and project and supply chain management, co-authored the winning paper, titled "Student Knowledge and Perceptions of AI Usefulness," alongside Carol S. Sargent of Mercer University.
Their research explores how students understand and engage with artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as large language models like ChatGPT within academic settings. The researchers found that students who better understand AI’s potential benefits and risks are more likely to consider it a useful educational tool. The study also expands on previous research by including a global student sample and examining both advantages and disadvantages of AI use in education.
Breese, who is continuing her work in AI and cybersecurity, has two upcoming accepted submissions for presentation at the International Association for Computer Information Systems, which will be held this October in Florida: one co-authored with Mary Kotch of Penn State Lehigh Valley on using AI in cyber security and another with Brian Gardner of Penn State Schuylkill on guiding university staff on AI.
