Her research is in an area of engineering education called participatory action research. Student participants are active members of the research team alongside staff and faculty. This style of research seeks to create institutional policies and activities that help students of varying backgrounds succeed in engineering. Dr. Johnson-Glauch is part of a group developing the EPIC + SURP program, which synergizes the existing EPIC and SURP programs at Cal Poly. Students in this program give back to the community by guiding middle and high school students through engineering activities. Additionally, these students gain critical research skills through studying the effectiveness of the EPIC program.