Special Interest
How is Nintendo's hit game series Animal Crossing helping people cope with anxiety? This article suggests that during a widespread year of fear, Animal Crossing helped her kids feel more secure, motivated, and less anxious about the state of their lives. What could this mean for more forms
Special Interest
Who here remembers Tamagotchis? The virtual pets from the 90's are low-tech examples of ritualized care and gamification of mindfulness practices. Two blog posts come together to highlight some of the ways Tamagotchis are still teaching people to slow down decades after their original release. " Now,
Science & Tech
What is Bilateral Stimulation? In short, it is the term for a type of stimulation that engages both hemispheres of the brain. Commonly used in EMDR therapy, how might bilateral stimulation be a helpful tool for grounding and relaxation in times of discomfort? " Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
Science & Tech
Could prolonged commutes be tied to declining academic thriving? An article from Ding and Feng (2022) seems to show a potential relationship between commuting for approximately 20 minutes and declining academic test scores. How might we design a backseat environment that could potentially mitigate these impacts? "Besides commuting time,
Arts & Lifestyle
What family road trip hasn't heard the age old cry, "Are we there yet?" The 2005 movie Are We There Yet takes the chaotic experience of a road trip to extremes. The review from blogger Cole Smithey leaves a scathing review of the satirical movie and
Arts & Lifestyle
The book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt discusses the impacts of the new tech-raised generations, in specific, mental health impacts. A fascinating discussion arises about the future of technology and mental well being of generations that are increasingly removed from nature through increasing technology usage. "As the
Opinion
Aliina Lange, Nicole L., Emily Tanchevski, and I attended a project kickoff with our partners at the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft: Heather Bokman, Sustainability Coordinator; Tracey Coe, Clean Marinas Coordinator; and Mark Allen, Statewide Trails Administrator. At the kickoff, we were introduced to the problem of high impacts
Arts & Lifestyle
Humans have an instinct to explore, often in a very tactile way, and seek out emotional connections to our environment (Komar, 2019). The question is, how do we fulfill that need without damaging that environment and impacting the wildlife that depend on it? This conjecture is inspired by Veronica Ryan&
Science & Tech
This conjecture consists of different signs that could be placed at state parks to discourage littering and encourage visitors to stay on official trails. While creating the signs, I tried to employ the techniques discussed in the paper by Rice et al. on graphic design in park signs (2023), including:
Business
This conjecture was inspired by the un-motivating and lacking in appeal Bigbelly trash bins (Rinde, 2023), and the fact that animals (shorebirds in particular) will mistake trash for food (National Geographic Education, 2016). The Hungry, Hungry Trash Bins are meant to encourage people to throw away their trash by
Special Interest
This conjecture is inspired by the York County Conservation District's guide to 'leave no trace' practices. A phone-booth style station would provide a spot to inspect your clothes and gear for any hitchhiking bugs, seeds, or plant parts. Three mirrors in the booth would allow
Special Interest
After personal experience on local trails and survey results from ODNR park managers indicating that dog waste is a big problem in parks, I started looking for articles that might explain why dog owners leave their dog's poop behind. Excerpts from Blenderman et al. (2017) The purpose of