
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Help middle school students understand how their everyday food decisions impacts climate change.
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ROLE
Research assistant & designer
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PROJECT OUTCOME
Two iterations of a multitouch table application called Food for Thought were designed to help students explore how their food effects the environment through data-based, collaborative conversations among groups.
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SELECTED PAPERS ​
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Lawrence, L. (2018). Food for Thought: How interface design fosters collaborative data discussions. [Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]. IDEALS. [link] [pdf]
Kelly, S. B., Lawrence, L., & Mercier, E. (2017). Engaging everyday science data to help make sense of data. In Making a Difference—Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL: The 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. Philadelphia, USA: The International Society of the Learning Sciences. [pdf]
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Kelly, S., Lawrence, L., & Mercier, E. (2017). Food for Thought: User and resource guide. CoLearnLab Resources. www.colearnlab.org/resources

ABOUT THE FIRST ITERATION
The software allows students to create meals as a group by dragging foods on and off the plate in the center. Graphs on the table were used to visualize the cost and calories of each food per serving, along with the carbon and water footprint it takes to produce them. Students engaged in dialogue about how they can make choices about what they would choose considering the tradeoffs between the four variables.
ABOUT THE SECOND ITERATION
Findings from the first iteration of the software indicated that students did not engage in as much data related discussion as anticipated and that when they did discuss the data, students often only discussed the graph in front of them rather than drawing inferences from all four. Therefore, as part of my master's thesis, I redesigned the software to account for these findings. In the second design, I repositioned the graphs so that all students had access to all data and added representations of the two key variables to engage the students in more discussion.


IMPLEMENTATION
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Both iterations of the software were used with middle school students who were working on science topics around the environment. Results from my thesis, show that students engaged in more data related discussions when using the second iteration compared to the first.
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After successful implementations of the software and interest from the community, we designed an iPad application called Food for Thought: Your food, your footprint.


More information at
IN THE NEWS
Wired In: Emma Mercier
The News-Gazette | May 1, 2017
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C&I professor’s app helps kids understand the environmental impact of food choices
College of Education | May 2, 2017
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New computer app encourages kids to choose eco-friendly meals
Business Standard | May 23, 2016
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Healthy Eating App Teaches Students Climate Change
Big Think | May 20, 2016
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App Shows Kids How Their Dinner Affects the Planet
Take Apart | June 5, 2016
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App calculates meals carbon footprint
Queminova | June 6, 2016
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Illini app gives kids something to chew over
The Big Ten Network | May 22, 2016
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Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals
Psyh Org | May 19, 2016
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New app shows kids how their meal will affect the environment
Consumer Affairs | May 27, 2016
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This App Tells Kids Exactly How Their Meals Affect the Planet
Lady Freethinker | December 12, 2016
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App Encourages Kids to Pick Eco-Friendly Meals
Pune Mirro | May 24, 2016
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Soon, an app that whets kids’ appetites for eco-friendly meals
The Free Press Journal | May 23, 2016
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Soon, an app that whets kids’ appetites for eco-friendly meals
The Siasat | May 24, 2016
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Nutrition: App That Lets Kids See Environmental Impact Of Their Food Choices Being Developed
Parent Herald | May 24, 2016
