Some Ongoing Projects in the Lab:
1. Individual Differences and Sustainable Design
As global resources continue to be depleted, engineers, in general, and designers, in particular, must emphasize sustainability in the design process. However, there might exist a cause-effect disparity in issues related to sustainability; i.e., those who might be in a position to make an impact, might not always see the direct benefits of acting sustainably. Designers’ individual differences could play a role in influencing their perception of and reaction to issues related to sustainability. In this project, we aim to explore these relationships in the context of engineering design education.
Collaborators: Dr. Mohammad Alsager Alzayed @Kuwait University and Dr. Elizabeth Starkey @Penn State
Past Team Members: Julia Greeley, Emily Mastroly, Rebekah Fodale, and Jenna Herzog
2. Measuring and Managing Design Cognition
Variations in eye movement can reveal a wealth of information about designers’ cognitive states, ranging from cognitive load to attention. We are exploring the use of eye-tracking to understand and support designers’ cognitive processes.
Project Team: Rachel Kimball and Maya Zilberstein
Past Members: Madison Cass, Chikomborero Dhire, Jenny Chen, and Sam Milhaven
3. Social Identity and Engineering Design
Who we are as individuals has important – and often ignored – effects on how we design. In this project, we are exploring how different aspects of designers’ social identities influence their design process. Keep an eye out for the outcomes of this project!
Project Team: Evan Brown
Collaborators: Dr. Abbey Mann, Dr. Jenn Rossman, and Dr. Carlos Tavares @Lafayette
Past Members: Alexandra Powell and Milka Ininahazwe
4. Design for Additive Manufacturing in Engineering Design
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes present designers with capabilities and limitations that starkly contrast traditional manufacturing processes. Designers must utilize the knowledge of the various AM capabilities and limitations at appropriate stages of the engineering design process by effectively designing for AM (DfAM). In this project, we aim to explore how designers utilize their knowledge of the various DfAM techniques at different stages of the design process.
Project Team: Henry Campopiano
Past Members: Jacob McCauley, Charles Mann, Madison Cass, Jake Garsson, and Asher Ricci
5. Community-Based Design and Research
As part of a recent award under the Bergh Family Interdisciplinary Research Teams program at Lafayette, the lab is conducting a descriptive study on Food Justice in the Easton Community and the role of Lafayette College in this food system.
Project Team: Ariana Welch, Samuel Carter, and Kusum Subedi
Collaborators: Dr. Ernest Nkansah-Dwamena and Dr. Rui Jie Peng @Lafayette
Past Members: Camille Voo and Melanie Acosta