Senior Thesis: “Rock House Nature Center”
Partnered with Ohio Department of Natural Resources, this 16 week individual project sought to create an intervention in a state park that would discourage park visitors from littering.
Video project overview
How can we encourage park visitors to litter less - and enjoy nature more?
Scale model
Methodology
Secondary Research
This process was the bulk of the first half of the project. I researched as many abstract concepts as I could in order to learn from different communities on how they encourage or discourage behavior. Some of the more pertinent topics I used included sustainable lobster fishing in Maine, Columbus Children’s Theatre, and the artist Thomas Dambo’s troll creations. After researching, I created a website and wrote an Op-Ed covering what I learned.
Primary Research
Working directly with ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) staff was an extremely valuable resource. I interviewed park managers, the sustainability coordinator, the education and outreach coordinator, the legal team, director of special projects, and many more. I surveyed PTA members at Clinton Elementary in Columbus to learn more about how local families interact with education and state parks. I conducted site visits to do observational research at many of the state parks. I created two formative assessments to learn how to create signage and how seating impacts community building.
Prototyping
Creating a scale model allowed me to directly interact and design a prototype for a larger conceptual design. It allowed me to better visualize and conceptualize ideas that I had for the playscape. I was able to firsthand consider things like height, railings, locations of activities, and ramps. Although the goal was not to be architectural grade, I aimed to visualize a cognitive map of the nature center that could serve as a reference point for the activities and concepts that I have been developing and a way to easily explain my ideas to others.
Survey Results
I surveyed 18 Clinton Elementary PTA members on three aspects; park, school, and home.
From the “park” questions, I learned that the majority of respondents visit parks at least once a week. Their favorite activities to do with their kids was overwhelmingly playgrounds, but also hiking and creeking.
From the “school” questions, I learned that the majority of respondents find social and emotional being the most important learning standard, those including social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
From the “home” questions, I found the majority of respondents have children help them in the garden like planting, everyone recycles and 8 people compost.
Key Takeaways
Interactive Activities
Families prefer interactive activities to do in nature like playgrounds or creeking.
Social & Emotional Education
One of the most important aspects of education is the social and emotional aspects including social skills and decision making.
Preliminary Recycling Knowledge
All survey respondents have recycling in their home, so educating on knowledge of recycling is out of scope.
Sketching
Sketches from references to explore existent playground designs.
Initial sketch based on combination of location inspiration and existent structures.
Prototype Images
Wordy descriptions of the different features:
Presenting
I love presenting my work! This next section shows the times I showcased the above work outside the classroom.
Denman Research Forum
Research Poster design
Award winners! Pictured, Erin and Peter
I was awarded 1st place in my research section “Earth and Beyond.”
I was up against lots of other intelligent undergraduate researchers and am proud to be a representative of research’s application in industrial design.
About the Denman…
“The Denman Undergraduate Research Forum provides an opportunity for graduating student researchers to share their research endeavors with the university community. The Denman Forum is UR&CI’s only competitive poster forum in which winners are recognized in each category as determined by faculty, staff, and Denman alumni reviewers. Students will be reviewed on their ability to communicate effectively their research process and results through written poster content and accompanying oral presentation.” Denman Research website
Urban Arts Space Gallery
The senior year designers were able to showcase their capstone projects at the Urban Arts Space, and held a professionals night where designers from all across Ohio came to visit and see what OSU designers are capable of! Our capstone projects were on display for about 2 weeks.
About Urban Arts Space…
The Urban Arts Space is a gallery in downtown Columbus Ohio that showcases a variety of artists work from diverse backgrounds, free for visitors.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
December 3rd, 2024 final presentations at ODNR
4 designers from my class received ODNR as their project mentor. We showcased our work at their headquarters in Columbus Ohio. Two of us continued to present at the April 9th, 2025 Sustainability Summit, where we presented an abridged version of our projects.
Both presentations went well, with lots of wonderful feedback and encouragement to continue following through with our projects. “You actually get it!” and “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that!” were some of my favorite comments.
Our ODNR Partners!