Wednesday, March 13th, 2024
Event Description: Have you wondered how brain science can inform the way we design and think about our constructed physical spaces? Are you interested in interdisciplinary connections between the fields of neuroscience & architecture? Join Meredith Banasiak, MArch, Director of Research for BA/Science, and Margaret R Tarampi, PhD, principal investigator of the Spatial Cognition and Physical Environments (SCaPE) Laboratory at the University of Hartford, for a discussion about their pioneering research into the field of neuroarchitecture. This event will provide an introduction to brain-related studies in architecture, as well as a Q&A session to provide career guidance for students and professionals interested in becoming more involved in the field.
Panelists
Meredith Banasiak, M.Arch.
Meredith Banasiak, M.Arch. works at the interface of research and practice as Director of Research for BA/Science, the research and innovation group of the design firm Boulder Associates. In this role, she conducts real-world research with clients and design teams to support data-driven, science-informed design for improving health, experience, access, and performance in built environments.
Meredith trained in neuroscience at the Krasnow Institute at George Mason University during her time as a Research Associate with the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA), and now serves on the ANFA Board of Directors. As former University of Colorado faculty, she launched Humans and Buildings Laboratory, and integrated Neuroscience for Architecture concepts in her studio and human behavior courses. She is featured in the 2020 documentary, Built Beautiful: An Architecture and Neuroscience Love Story, and has published in psychology, clinical, and design research journals and books. Her current passion project is producing Science + Design, a YouTube microlearning series.
Margaret R. Tarampi, PhD
Margaret R. Tarampi, PhD is the Director of University Interdisciplinary Studies and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hartford. Her Spatial Cognition and Physical Environments (SCaPE) Laboratory investigates the cognitive mechanisms that underlie space perception and spatial cognition in select populations including visually impaired individuals and spatial experts such as dancers and architects. Other research interests include spatial thinking, perception and action, perspective taking, crowd dynamics, joint action, and kinesthetic imagery.
Margaret graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Architecture. Her interests in the effect of architecture on quality of life brought her to the American Institute of Architects in Washington DC, then to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla CA. Margaret received her Master of Science and Ph.D. in Cognition and Neural Science from University of Utah. Following her graduate training, she was a Junior Research Fellow in the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind and a Research Associate in the Center for Spatial Studies both at University of California Santa Barbara. Margaret is also an accomplished visual artist whose work explores assumptions and manipulations of the human perceptual system.
Margaret currently serves on the Board of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. She received the 2022-23 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award and a 2022 Laura Johnson Leadership Award.
Event Flyer
