| Affiliations: | Health and Nature Research Leadership |
| Project Leader: | Lindsay Sansom, Ph.D.
lindsay.sansom@tamu.edu Environmental and Occupational Health |
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Meeting Times:
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TBD |
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Team Size:
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6
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| Open Spots: | 6 |
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Special Opportunities:
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The special opportunities that come with participating with this project are potential co-authorship on a paper, learning how to both collect surveys in the field and analyze survey data, gaining knowledge on qualitative data collection methods- such as focus groups, learning how to write a peer-reviewed publication, and potentially presenting a poster on the research. Students will also be required to become CITI trained.
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Team Needs:
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Writing skills, data collection and data analysis skills, teamwork and cooperation, willingness to learn, and clear communication. Willingness to become CITI trained and collect surveys in the field. If you have some, but not all of these skills, please still apply! It takes a multitude of skills to build a strong team. |
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Description:
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This study will look at the role that parks play in fostering community cohesion, with a specific focus on MacGregor Park in Houston, Texas as our study location. Time spent in green spaces can lead to improved social cohesion. However, we don’t yet understand how this effect differs among varying types of park users and there is a lack of data particularly for socio-economically vulnerable populations. We believe that increased time spent in parks, especially participating in community events, will lead to strengthened community cohesion and we seek to understand how this effect varies across diverse stakeholders. This proposed project seeks to answer the following question: can greenspaces like MacGregor Park in Houston, Texas, act as catalysts for social interaction and community bonding amongst diverse populations, thereby fostering more resilient and interconnected community structures? Team members will assist with developing and administering in-person surveys and hosting focus groups for marginalized populations. Students will learn both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Priority will be given to students interested in participating for two semesters and gaining research credit. |