When people think about buildings, they often think about the science that goes into designing and the materials that they’re made of. But there are many other factors to consider, especially how humans interact with the buildings they live in. Studying and understanding that will help engineers and scientists improve the relationships between humans and their built environments.
As an urban planner and social scientist, Elizabeth Hewitt researches just that. Hewitt is an assistant professor in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS). She is also LEED-accredited by the United States Green Building Council.
A profile on Hewitt written by Sydney Corwin on the CEAS website highlights Hewitt’s work, which explores human processes that impact energy and resilience in buildings and cities. Hewitt focuses on urban multifamily or commercial buildings and conducts research on the many scales, influences and factors within and outside of buildings that impact energy and resilience. Hewitt’s research looks at occupant behavior in buildings, decision-making for resilience, occupant interactions with smart building technologies and organizational culture for energy and resilience.
Read the complete profile on the CEAS website.