EDRAite of the Month - Runa Das

Runa Das February 2016

Hello EDRA! I’m a PhD candidate at Ryerson University in Environmental Applied Science and Management where I’m looking at the determinants of household energy consumption. These include building characteristics, demographics, and individual level characteristics such as environmental attitudes. These household variables interest me, as I am motivated to find opportunities for increasing energy conservation and efficiency at the household level. My previous undergraduate and graduate degrees were completed in Psychology and have been invaluable in navigating the intersection between people, the built environment, and the natural environment.

I was welcomed into the Environmental Design Research Association community at EDRA 46-Los Angeles, my first time at EDRA. During the conference I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Graduate Student Workshop, which was certainly a conference highlight. This well organized workshop was a great place to present work in progress and provided me with feedback from mentors and peers—feedback that still assists me as I complete my dissertation. Further, the overall conference was a great way to meet friendly people with similar interests.

Since my time at EDRA 46, I have continued to feel involved in the EDRA community and I believe it is a wonderful feat for an organization to be able to impart this feeling with its members. Through their outreach I have continued to stay connected and draw on the various resources EDRA provides, which has been helpful for me as an interdisciplinary researcher and as a course instructor for Environmental Psychology. I look forward to future EDRA events!