Our research in the field of humanitarian engineering focuses on measuring and building empathy between the designers and end-users in design for global development scenarios. We aim to address the implicit cognitive biases that can lead designers to fail to consider the needs of users, especially when those needs are different from their own. Currently, we are developing virtual reality (VR) interventions to assist designers in perspective-taking.
An undergraduate research assistant is needed to assist with collecting, processing, and analyzing data that may include surveys, sketches, interviews, open-ended responses, and more. Students will gain experience with a variety of mixed-methods experimental formats, and will be mentored by a graduate student researcher.
Requirements:
- Mechanical engineering undergraduate student
- Successfully completed (or currently enrolled in) ME 302 - Introduction to Engineering Design & Graphics
Preferred:
- Prior coursework in statistics
- Experience in data analysis and visualization using R
No prior research experience is required.
This is an ongoing project. Students who join at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester will receive 1 credit hour of undergraduate research credit (ME 177K) for a time commitment of approximately 5 hours/week.
Tasks for this project may include:
- Transcription, data labelling, and interrater agreement calculations for qualitative data
- Piloting experimental protocols
- Data entry and cleanup
- Data analysis or visualization in R or Excel
