Ahead of the University Research Symposium on April 14, junior sustainability and renewable energy major Isaac Galewsky reflects on his experience as a presenter a year ago and the lasting impact it had on him.
Thanks to the FIREBIRD Summer 2022 Research Grant, Galewsky, then a sophomore, was able to pursue a research project with faculty mentor Dr. Sally Xie, a professor in the Department of Technology. The FIREbird (Fund for Independent Research Experience) grant program, formerly known as the Undergraduate Research Grant Program, provides up to $3,000 for faculty-mentored, independent student research projects.
Galewsky’s project “Identification of Influencing Factors of Aging in Place Lifestyles” investigated how augmented reality systems help create an aging-in-place (AIP) environment for elderly people.
“It was a ton of fun, and the grant gave me the funding to get access to headsets and software,” Galewksy said. “The Firebird Grant really opened this up for me.”
Rather than drawing a floorplan in AutoCAD, Galewsky used augmented reality (AR) headsets to create digital 3D models that allow for changing the design of a room in a real-world way.
The AR headsets were used not only to design the space but also for visualizing to scale. There was another benefit as well.
“Our hope was to design a system where people could use the headsets to weigh in on the design of a space and have confidence in the design of their choosing,” Galewsky said. “For example, what if we wanted to put the couch over there and actually do it by pinching it with your fingers and moving it? AR allows us to design the interior space by actually designing it.”
Xie said Galewsky used holograms and data mining technologies to test the quality and accessibility requirements for AIP. He created a 3D virtual building model, realistic interior design, quantity estimate, and an examination of the Missing Middle housing crisis in the United States.
“Isaac did an amazing job with impressive outcomes from the research project,” Xie said.
The identified factors that influence AIP lifestyles were presented to the advisory board meeting of Illinois State’s construction management program in November 2022. Xie later presented the findings in a poster presentation at the 2023 Conference of the Associate Schools of Construction in Liverpool, England.
A Bloomington native, Galewsky’s future plans include going to graduate school and eventually working in sustainable and renewable energy as it relates to housing construction. His parents, both of whom pursued academic careers, are Sandra Lindberg ’77, M.A. ’79, and Dr. Samuel Galewsky.
Galewsky called Xie an incredible instructor and said presenting and tending his poster at the symposium introduced him to a lot of other presenters and faculty who share his interest in student research. The experience helped make his research a bit more real, he said, adding that receiving the grant was exciting.
“When I found out that I got a monetary grant for undergraduate research, it just completely blew me away,” Galewsky said. “To know that someone thought my research was worth actually funding just sent me over the moon. It was incredible.”
The annual University Research Symposium is Friday, April 14, in the Brown Ballroom and the Circus Room at the Bone Student Center. The symposium is a university-wide showcase of scholarship, research, and creative achievement. Sponsored by the Graduate School, the event is free and open to the public.
