Today we had two talks from Stephen: the first one was about how to properly design an experiment and the issues that can easily arise that can end up swaying data before, during, and after conducting research. During his lunch lecture, he talked about some of the other projects he has worked on, such as developing a simulation to see whether visual or audible signage worked better for evacuating a school when there is a school shooter. I was surprised that the audible signage was better, but it was cool to learn more about how people’s brains work so that audible noises are easier to process.

He also talked about the importance of taking advantage of opportunities and networking, as well as asking for strong letters of recommendation to ensure that no one writes you a bad letter. He spent some time talking about his time in Namibia as well, which was fascinating. It was interesting to learn about the history of Namibia as well as the rains and wildlife.

For the rest of the day I’m planning on doing some deeper dive work as well as start on the research paper for STEM XR.

Until next time 🙂