Student Profile

Claire Burgess
Louisville, Ky.
Class: 2010
Major: Psychology

Not far from the eastern edge of campus - about a stone's throw from John P. Papp Stadium - a dilapidated old playground, known as Jaycee Park, sat empty. A rusty swing set, a splintered merry-go-round, and a dented sliding board made the playground unattractive to residents and unappealing to children in the neighborhood. But where others saw futility, Claire Burgess saw opportunity.

A sophomore psychology major at The College of Wooster and a resident of Louisville, Ky., Burgess had been observing how people used the park as part of a research project sponsored by the Environmental Analysis and Action Program and funded through the Luce Foundation. The three- year grant enables faculty members to direct student research projects related to the environment. The objective is to determine how research can inform and affect public policy.

Although only a small number of residents used the park, Burgess wanted to learn more about how this playground affected the neighborhood. "Coming to the park day after day and seeing so few children made me wonder what would happen if a new playground were constructed," says Burgess. "We wanted to do something, but we didn't have the money for such a project. Fortunately, the Wooster Kiwanis Club was making plans to install a $25,000 playground this summer."

Along with fellow students, Alex Rushley and Chantal Koechli, as well as Natalie Gertz, Katie Long, Sarah Gollwitzer, Steven Bouyack, and Dustin Klein, Burgess spent time observing how people used the park and surveying local residents in the neighborhood. The students managed to administer 50 surveys, which will provide information about how people perceived the park before the new playground was installed.

The improvements to the park were completed in just two days, and this will give Burgess an opportunity to survey residents again. She will compare these results with the results of her recent survey to determine how much the new playground affects the way residents feel about their neighborhood. She will also be able to observe whether more people are using the park with the new equipment.

Burgess wanted to help make the transformation of the park more complete, so with support from the EAA program, she convinced other summer research assistants to volunteer. They spent a sunny Sunday afternoon painting the park pavilion the day after the playground had been installed.

"Claire really took initiative with this project," said Susan Clayton, professor of psychology at Wooster and Burgess's advisor for the summer. "She wanted to be part of the improvement."

Clayton and Burgess are hopeful that their research will produce additional long-term benefits. "If our study shows that improvements to the park have a positive effect on the way people feel about their neighborhood, then the City of Wooster could use that information to make a case for more funding," said Clayton.

Regardless of the outcome, Clayton is confident that the process will result in a scholarly paper on the topic. "With the data, we can quantify the use of the park in terms of how many people visit and how much time they spend there," said Clayton. "We will also be able to determine how frequently they use the park and how the park improvements influence their satisfaction with their neighborhood."

For Burgess and her fellow researchers, it's an opportunity to see their effort make a difference in the neighborhood, and to conduct research that may have an even greater impact over time.