The Northwestern Project
Founder & Project Director: May 2013 – June 2014
Summary: The Northwestern Project was a multidisciplinary field research experiment studying the effect of wall art authorization on feelings of community connection & perceived social disorder. NWP aimed to deploy actual wall art on Northwestern’s campus as stimuli, then collect survey & interview data from university community members across 3 timeframes: first before deploying wall art stimuli; second during wall art deployment while community believed it was unauthorized graffiti; third after revealing that wall art had prior authorization by administration & facilities.
Analyzed task components, created job descriptions, and designed NWP organizational structure.
Developed and implemented a recruitment plan for research & management team, art design team, and data collection & analysis team.
Recruited and led the collaboration of 22 student researchers & filmmakers.
Planned and executed pilot study to demonstrate methods & project feasibility.
Designed wall art stimuli and created formal project proposal.
Consulted and enlisted support from six university professors.
Presented NWP project proposal to four groups within university administration but never received official approval. Since authorization was the critical experimental variable, NWP was unable to proceed.
Despite non-completion, NWP was an intensely educational experience that taught versatile skills, including research, cooperation, complex
BANKSY Effect vs. Broken Windows Hypothesis
Senior Honors Thesis Research Project
A Cognitive Science Approach to the Study of Graffiti, Street Art, and Vandalism
My thesis contrasted phenomena in street art culture with the “Broken Window” hypothesis that the presence of unauthorized graffiti is a categorical ‘sign of social disorder.’ I argued that graffiti, street art, and vandalism are not perceived as distinct cognitive categories defined by authorization, and their interpretation as ‘signs of social disorder’ is influenced more strongly by aesthetics & message content than by the legitimacy of their causal origins.
Connected literature from disparate academic disciplines, including art history, psychology, cognitive science, sociology, anthropology, neuroscience, criminology, law, and drew evidence from documentaries, newspapers, and graffiti anthologies.
Created, tested, and validated experimental materials including stimuli, prompts, and measures.
Designed and executed laboratory survey study with 50 participants.
Conducted data analysis using linear mixed effect model for perceived social disorder, with aesthetic & message content as repeated fixed factors and causal legitimacy as a covariate; constructed a full-factorial model of main effects, 2-way, and 3-way interactions.
Created research poster and presented findings at the Northwestern student research conference.