Brain Waves

By Jourdan Cole

Immersion in nature ignites all of the senses—inspiring feelings of awe, wonder, and appreciation. But how can we truly measure the impact nature has on us? That is the question a budding partnership with Drexel University seeks to answer.

Opposite: Drexel University Ph.D. student Kevin Ramirez Chavez navigating a digitized approximation of Longwood using a virtual reality headset on a treadmill equipped with wearable brain imaging and physiological sensors at the Neuroergonomics and Neuroengineering for Brain Health and Performance Research Lab, at the Cognitive Neuroengineering and Experimental Research Collaborative of Drexel University. This page: Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Adrian Curtin and Ph.D. student Saqer Alshehri, members of the research team, setting up the experimental configuration for virtual scenarios.

Our relationship with Drexel began when Longwood President and CEO Paul B. Redman joined the Drexel Solutions Institute Advisory Board, as part of our ongoing commitment to connect with communities beyond our Gardens. That connection sparked an initial collaboration in 2020 to bring the beauty of Longwood to those who couldn’t easily visit during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Drexel set out to use virtual reality (VR) to create an immersive, virtual experience of our conservatories, fountains, and more. Since then, that work has blossomed into a far-reaching partnership that has encompassed more than 100 students in seven schools and colleges. Our immersive settings have become a living lab, classroom, and project base for students to study real-world problems and embark on cutting-edge research.

One emerging field that industry and academic researchers have focused on through this work is neuroergonomics, which seeks to study the brain’s performance in a variety of environments— including how the brain responds to nature. Led by Hasan Ayaz, Ph.D., associate professor at Drexel’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems and at the College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel began an innovative study to measure the degree to which our brains respond to natural settings. Using mobile neuroimaging technology in the form of high-tech headwear, Ayaz and his team moved their work out of the lab and into our Gardens. They collected and recorded brain activity and physiological data, such as heart rate and electrical properties of the skin, not only as participants walked around Longwood in person, but also as they experienced the Gardens through VR.

“We want to understand human brain function in everyday life,” shares Ayaz. “With wearable neuroimaging, we have this remarkable capability to capture and gather useful information on brain function and cognitive tasks in a variety of realistic and real task environments to learn about neural correlates of complex behavior, and to use that information to improve procedures and tools.”

Also in partnership with Drexel, we’re leveraging new technology and digital assets to provide unexplored insights into the history of the Peirce-du Pont House. With some sections nearly 300 years old, we imagine the walls of the house have many stories to tell. Built by Joshua Peirce in 1730, the house is the oldest structure at Longwood. Given the fact that in 1798, Samuel and Joshua Peirce began planting an arboretum—now known as Peirce’s Woods—in such close proximity to the house, it’s clear the home’s residents throughout time shared a common appreciation of the beauty found in nature. Between expansions and upgrades throughout the years, the house has more than doubled in size.

Building on an initial historic evaluation that was completed by John Milner Architects, Inc., we can now paint a more accurate portrait of how the house evolved over time. In partnership with Drexel, a new animation-based video is being created for the Peirce-du Pont House’s Heritage Exhibit, which explores the house’s architectural history and its modifications and additions over the years. The base structure for the animated 3D model was created using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scans of the house. The completed video is expected to be on view in the house in 2024.

“We are telling a broader narrative than was originally on display, and it is fun to explore the work of forensic preservationist architects to not only show what we know, but identify what is still in question,” shares Longwood’s Associate Director of Interpretation & Exhibitions Dottie Miles.

The neuroergonomics study and animation-based video for the Peirce-du Pont House serve as just two examples of our multi-faceted and far-reaching relationship with Drexel.

“The collaboration between Drexel and Longwood highlights how multidimensional work provides students with a variety of opportunities to bridge classroom theory with rich, hands-on learning experiences that address real-world problems and can lead to discovery and innovation,” says Rajneesh Suri, Drexel’s Senior Vice Provost for Academic Industry Partnerships.

For one, using data collected during the neuroergonomics study, Ayaz and the Drexel team recently published a paper in the 2023 Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Proceedings, and also presented their findings at the 2023 Northeast Bioengineering Conference, confirming the positive benefits of nature on one’s well-being and sharing plans for future research. The initial VR experience Drexel created of the Conservatory and Gardens was used by Drexel students to develop a learning module for our K-12 programming. Additionally, Drexel students from the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design created two horticulturally inspired gowns for our 2022 A Longwood Christmas display; students in the culinary arts program were tasked with creating dishes using produce grown at Longwood; and students in Drexel’s Metaverse in the Real World course explored using augmented and VR tools to engage and elevate the visitor experience in the Peirce-du Pont House.

“Our partnership with Drexel has been an exploration of inspiring ideas and opportunities,” says Longwood’s Associate Director of Land Stewardship and Ecology Lea Johnson, Ph.D., who chairs the crossdepartmental committee that oversees the collaboration. “We are excited to be expanding the partnership to include fresh approaches to interpretation, display, hospitality, visitor experience, and more.”

And we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Clockwise from top left: Ph.D. student

Yigit Topoglu and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Adrian Curtin conducting a setup test in Longwood’s Conservatory; Immersed in nature, a participant enjoying a view of Longwood’s Meadow Garden; Associate Professor Dr. Hasan Ayaz overseeing the experimental setup for a Ph.D. student participant; Researchers at Drexel’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems working on virtual task scenarios and integrating wearable neuroimaging. From left to right are Master student Felix Maldonado Osorio, Postdoc Dr. Adrian Curtin and Ph.D. student Kevin

Ramirez Chavez; Participant prepared and set up for the study, getting ready to navigate the Conservatory; Dr. Hasan Ayaz describing the experimental procedure to students; Participant undertaking a wayfinding task with wearable sensors, accompanied by researchers; After a successful day of field tests, part of the Drexel-Longwood team gather together. From left to right are Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Adrian Curtin, Drexel undergraduate student Lynelle Martin, Ph.D. student Saqer Alshehri, Longwood’s Dottie Miles, undergrad student Michael Woodburn, Ph.D. student Yigit Topoglu and Associate Professor Dr. Hasan Ayaz.

Photos courtesy Drexel University