Too Hot, Too Cold

Three WPI researchers have been awarded a $299,991 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop technologies that detect and boost student engagement in lessons by controlling indoor physical environmental factors such as temperature, ventilation, and lighting.

Shichao Liu, assistant professor of architectural engineering, is principal investigator of the three-year project. Co-principal investigators at WPI are Steven Van Dessel, associate professor of architectural engineering, and Jacob Whitehill, assistant professor of computer science.

The project tackles a fundamental issue with indoor classrooms: Different students feel distinct levels of comfort or discomfort under the same conditions.

“When we look at how student learning can be improved, a lot of researchers start from the perspective of pedagogy and teaching materials,” Liu said. “As an engineer in building sciences, I know indoor environmental quality is a big factor that affects people’s comfort and cognitive performance.”

The researchers will study undergraduate volunteers in different simulated classrooms while varying temperature, light, and ventilation. They also will develop technology that might someday go into smart buildings to detect student engagement, and they will test how students engage in recorded lectures after a change in the environment, such as a mild thermal stimulus from a wristband device designed to make the wearer feel warmer or cooler.

The research builds on a $10,000 seed grant awarded in 2018 by WPI’s Office of the Dean of Engineering.