Have you ever been told to recycle or else plastic will end up in the ocean? Or have you seen ads that said you’re wasting too much energy just because you forgot to turn off the light switch? If so, you’ve heard prime examples of individual action. Individual action, in […]
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Noise pollution goes beyond just what we hear everyday when we are walking down the street. It can help maintain systems of oppression like gentrification and cause low-income people of color to face the risks of losing their home, businesses, and culture. Gentrification is a process in which there is […]
The dominant perspective in society is white (and generally of a higher socioeconomic class), meaning that almost every aspect of society is made with them in mind. This means that many solutions to society’s problems are based on the lifestyles and resources of the dominant culture. Noise pollution solutions, especially […]
Where you live is often determined by your socioeconomic status and/or race. In the United States, people of color have been subjected to years of racial segregation. Policies such as “redlining” ensured that black people would only have access to dense, low-income areas (red zones) while white people (who were […]
The concept of noise pollution is central to the NOISE project. A primary goal of our work is to counter the adverse effects of noise pollution, particularly in communities most vulnerable to this pollution. As such, it is important to define noise pollution, as we cannot adequately address issues of […]
The purpose of the NOISE project is written in the first pages of our 2019 NSF report, which states: “The goal of our community-led project…is to co-create a national community science project focused on noise pollution with the goal of increasing inclusion and equity in STEM, while building capacity in […]
Noise pollution can have a major impact on the environment. One ecosystem that exemplifies the harsh effects of noise pollution is marine life. Life underwater can naturally be pretty loud. Water particles are more densely packed than air particles so sound travels faster. Over time, marine creatures have adapted to use […]
The Noise Project brings together the goals of furthering science and furthering equity. Our team carries out Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR), which is a method of research conducted at the community level by engaging with individuals and organizations in the community to further science. Traditionally, the focus of CBPR has […]
The NOISE project is also interested in the ways sound can improve our communities’ health and quality of life. As this blog post explains, people living in areas with more birds, trees, and shrubs are less likely to experience stress, anxiety, and depression, and listening to sounds such as birdsongs can actually […]
All of this information about noise pollution can be really overwhelming—which is why it’s also so important to educate ourselves about how we can combat noise pollution. Some researchers have suggested an individual approach to combating noise pollution. In this Ted Talk, Dr. Mathias Basner, a professor in the Department […]