As a student of psychology, I’ve come to realize one very important fact: the schemas of our mind, products of past experience and our brain’s biological makeup, determine the way we perceive our world. From the interpretation of human interactions to how we perceive the built environments we inhabit, we all carry around with us a set of lenses that colors the way we see things in a completely singular fashion. A few years ago I discovered a passion for photography which helped me stop and reflect on the types of visual subjects that impact me; one of these was architecture. I began to explore my interpretation of the message communicated by architecture through deliberate photographic compositions. At the time, I was an undergraduate studying psychology and had no idea that these simple meditations would slowly nudge me towards an excitingly innovative field of study.
Towards the end of my second year of graduate school at the University of Arizona I had to decide on a minor area to accompany my doctorate in school psychology. At the time I was starting to tire of my field and didn’t feel excited about any related minor topics; nothing jumped out at me until I remembered a conversation that I’d had with some friends a few months earlier. They were students in the College of Architecture and had discussed an interesting course they had taken that fused the study of neuroscience and design. Upon recalling this I was taken up in whirlwind of inspiration! I envisioned using my knowledge of psychology, education, and research analysis to promote evidence-based design principles for schools and classrooms, thus creating optimal learning environments. I contacted the faculty who taught my friends’ course (Eve Edelstein, a Neuro-Architecture pioneer) and she happily agreed to mentor me from afar as she transitioned to a new position in California. I set up my interdisciplinary minor and here I am.
As I write this, I am trudging through my comprehensive exams and will soon be starting my dissertation, in which I hope to address the impact of facilities design on perceptions of school safety. Concurrently, I am attempting to extend my knowledge base and school design background as much as possible, which is why I am thrilled to have been granted the “Emerging Professionals” Travel Scholarship to attend the AIA’s Committee on Architecture for Education conference in Detroit this April! I am confident it will be an eye-opening experience and will be of great use to network and establish relationships with key figures in the school design field. I look forward to hearing the thoughts and design philosophies of the CAE conference presenters and plan on using what I learn about current trends to orient my future career and facilitate my integration into the architecture field.