Mentors: Dr. Dirk Bernhardt-Walther & Dr. Claudia Damiano
Dr. Bernhardt-Walther is an Associate Professor & Dr. Claudia Damiano is a Postdoctoral Fellow
Project Description
This project will be supervised by Research Associate, Dr. Claudia Damiano.
This project will investigate the aesthetics of urban environments. With over 55% of the global population already residing in urban areas – a figure projected to rise to 68% by 2050 – the importance of investigating the factors underlying our reactions to built environments is becoming increasingly crucial in urban planning and design.
Stimuli in this study will be images of city streets from Google StreetView (to be collected by the student), which will be chosen based on several factors such as proximity to green spaces, average income, typicality, etc. Participants will then rate each scene based on specific criteria, such as aesthetic appeal, perceived safety, and familiarity. The visual features of the scenes can also be computationally extracted and analyzed.
This approach allows for a multifaceted analysis of urban aesthetics. For instance, locations near green spaces might be rated higher for aesthetic pleasure, offering insights into the importance of nature in urban design. Similarly, areas with higher average income might be perceived as safer, highlighting socioeconomic factors in urban planning.
The SROP student will have the opportunity to make this project their own by choosing which aspects of the research question to focus on. This flexibility allows the student to explore areas of personal interest or relevance, leading to a more tailored research experience.
Overall, the student will learn about designing and implementing experiments, collecting controlled stimuli, computationally analyzing visual features of images, analyzing data, and interpreting results.
Does this project require the SROP Student to be in-person or remote? Either one
Mentorship Statement
Hi, I’m Claudia, and I am a Research Associate (Postdoctoral Fellow) in the Bernhardt-Walther Lab. My mentorship aims to give students the tools and opportunities to develop their research skills – to translate their ideas into testable hypotheses, and to conduct experiments to test those hypotheses. My supervision style includes weekly one-on-one meetings to ensure that my students and I always maintain clear communication of our expectations. I am committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for my students so that they feel empowered and supported in their academic journeys.
As an SROP student in the lab, you would join a group of kind, thoughtful, and fun people from diverse backgrounds (both culturally and academically). We are a collaborative group of researchers that support, inspire, and learn from each other. We are looking forward to welcoming you!