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- Creators: Brunner, Lori
globalized and highly complex world. Its influence on the physical and psychological
health of the humans was studied by numerous reputable scholars from across the globe,
however this study focuses on the impact of light on the college students living in the
dormitories. The study seeks to find whether there is a correlation between light and health
of the student, his/her performance, productivity, mood and feelings. The paper uses a
relatively new housing near Arizona State University Tempe-campus as a case study as an
attempt to substantiate the problem dimensions and suggest feasible solutions.
Basing on the available literature on the topic and the case study evaluation, the
author determined the range of possible recommendations for the lighting professionals in
the industry to maximally satisfy the needs of the students and make their stay and life in
the dormitory comfortable and healthy experience. The relevant conclusions are made
basing on the obtained results.
"No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth." These were the words of former Facebook Vice President Chamath Palihapitiya who publicly expressed his regret in a 2017 interview over his role in co-creating Facebook. Palihapitiya shared that social media is ripping apart the social fabric of society and he also sounded the alarm regarding social media’s unavoidable global impact. He is only one of social media’s countless critics. The more disturbing issue resides in the empirical evidence supporting such notions. At least 95% of adolescents own a smartphone and spend an average time of two to four hours a day on social media. Moreover, 91% of 16-24-year-olds use social media, yet youth rate Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as the worst social media platforms. However, the social, clinical, and neurodevelopment ramifications of using social media regularly are only beginning to emerge in research. Early research findings show that social media platforms trigger anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other negative mental health effects. These negative mental health symptoms are commonly reported by individuals from of 18-25-years old, a unique period of human development known as emerging adulthood. Although emerging adulthood is characterized by identity exploration, unbounded optimism, and freedom from most responsibilities, it also serves as a high-risk period for the onset of most psychological disorders. Despite social media’s adverse impacts, it retains its utility as it facilitates identity exploration and virtual socialization for emerging adults. Investigating the “user-centered” design and neuroscience underlying social media platforms can help reveal, and potentially mitigate, the onset of negative mental health consequences among emerging adults. Effectively deconstructing the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (i.e., hereafter referred to as “The Big Three”) will require an extensive analysis into common features across platforms. A few examples of these design features include: like and reaction counters, perpetual news feeds, and omnipresent banners and notifications surrounding the user’s viewport. Such social media features are inherently designed to stimulate specific neurotransmitters and hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol. Identifying such predacious social media features that unknowingly manipulate and highjack emerging adults’ brain chemistry will serve as a first step in mitigating the negative mental health effects of today’s social media platforms. A second concrete step will involve altering or eliminating said features by creating a social media platform that supports and even enhances mental well-being.
Nowadays, the development of undergraduate design education and practice varies significantly among countries as a result of the varying curriculum and pedagogical evolution. For instance, Chinese education in interior design has only thirty years of development while the United States has over one hundred years of experience in the field. Even though both educational goals expect students to be able to manage developing design concepts and design projects, the differences between the two are numerous. This thesis studies a comparative analysis between the two systems and aims to identify students’ real needs and their perception of studio-based learning at Nankai University in China and Arizona State University in the United States as a means to recognize possibilities to improve students’ learning experience. The study includes students, their studio spaces, and their interior design undergraduate programs in both universities. The study utilizes qualitative methods including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations. The study also includes an analysis of both undergraduate interior design programs in these two universities as case studies. The findings are analyzed and translated into physical and pedagogical recommendations. The findings should be of value for students and faculty in interior design programs in both countries.