Enhancing Reuse Assessment at the Amager Ressource Center

With the ever-growing popularity of circular economies in Denmark, direct reuse is being integrated more into daily life, lengthening the lifespan of items that would otherwise be thrown away. Organizations such as Amager Ressource Center (ARC) facilitate direct reuse but struggle to accurately report the amount of reuse occurring as user engagement grows. We worked with ARC through their administrative office and eight of their recycling centers to determine the efficacy of their current means of reuse assessment and ascertain areas of improvement through participant-observation, employee interviews, and customer surveys. Our recommendations include an artificial intelligence object detection and weight estimation model, customer self-checkout kiosks, and standardized employee reporting.

Propelling Change: Implementing a Zero-Emission Zone in the Canals of Copenhagen

We partnered with Miljøpunkt Indre By & Christianshavn to collect data and create materials to support a zero-emission zone for tour boats and seaplanes in Copenhagen’s harbor. We measured air pollution and noise levels from canal tour boats and seaplanes at high-traffic locations. Our data demonstrates that air pollution and noise levels exceed safety thresholds set by the NIH and Danish EPA. We featured this information in multiple resources, including a website, informational flyers, email list, and articles. We presented our recommendations to Miljøpunkt and the local committees for Indre By and for Christianshavn, and the issue was featured by local media. Our recommendations outline steps for stakeholders to create the zero-emission zone through a citizen’s initiative.

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Creating an Accessible Website for People with Disabilities

Web architecture often neglects users with disabilities, widening the modern world’s digital divide. In collaboration with the Videnscenter Om Handicap and its Inclusive Tech Lab, this project aimed to narrow that gap by creating an accessible, educational website for users with a diverse range of disabilities. Research interviews assisted in identifying accessibility tools used and common barriers faced by users with disabilities. Review of popular websites also provided insight into best practices for developing accessible online platforms. With this data, our group created a functional website prototype focused on accessibility and usability, which was tested by research participants for the purpose of making iterative improvements and supporting the needs of its user base.

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Enhancing Environmental Regeneration via Community Corals in Refshaleøen

Community Corals is a regenerative project run by Oleg Koefoed and the Center for Livskraft Og Regeneration, with whom we collaborated to connect community and biodiversity. This project enhanced community engagement, interaction and interest in the corals located in Refshaleøen, a former shipyard, Copenhagen. The team engaged in walkshops, spiritual events that connect people with nature, and developed recommendations to improve the Community Corals experience. We introduced staining corals using moss-friendly dyes, proposed concepts for greenhouse domes to improve moss growth, and recommended adding light or sound designs to the corals. Our final deliverable was demonstrating a staining walkshop as a model for engagement with the corals, transforming them into a full sensory experience.

Supporting Cycling Without Age’s Software Transition

Social isolation and loneliness are global issues among elderly populations that can lead to physical and mental health problems. Cycling Without Age (CWA), a nonprofit organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark, aims to lessen these issues by offering free volunteer-driven trishaw rides. As the organization continues to expand globally, CWA faces issues with data reporting, centralized management, and communication. Our project looks to mitigate the issue of change management while assisting in the implementation of a new software solution. Through data analysis, user testing, and the creation of an onboarding toolkit, our team provided resources to assist CWA in simplifying the onboarding of chapters in their new software.

Improving High5Girls’ Current Mentor/Mentee Program

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are fields in which women are underrepresented. Gender norms in Denmark portray STEM to be more suited for men, limiting women’s participation in pursuing education and jobs in these fields. The absence of women in STEM causes a shortage of female role models for young girls to aspire to. Our project focused on improving High5Girls current mentor/mentee program by providing participant feedback and creating resources to connect young women interested in STEM with female professionals. We accomplished this by assessing the need of mentors and mentees, recommending improvements to their current online platform, creating visual aids to enhance program understanding, and developing support tools for program success.

Mission Blue Ocean Copenhagen

This project developed recommendations for effective strategies and discussion topics about water pollution for Miljøpunkt Amager’s (MPA) community outreach and educational efforts in Amager, Denmark. The team identified sources of water quality issues through interviews with relevant stakeholders and surveyed the community to assess their knowledge of water pollution. Relevant contaminants include combined sewer overflows, agricultural runoff, and chemical pollution. Our research also focused on the negative effects pollution has on marine life and seafood. We compiled and developed materials, including educational and action-based infographics and content for MPA’s newsletter, supporting their efforts in raising awareness of water pollution and how to improve water quality in Amager.

Bee-ing Adaptable: Copenhagen vs. Shifting Seasonality

Climate Change related shifts in seasonality have affected various aspects of beekeeping. This project explored how Copenhagen beekeepers perceive shifting seasonality and adapted their beekeeping practices in response to environmental changes. We explored seasonality, beekeeping practices, pests and diseases, and their impact on honeybees. Our team used methods such as surveys, interviews, site assessments, document analysis, and participant observation to understand Danish beekeepers' challenges and changes throughout the beekeeping year. We identified themes in their approaches to sustainable beekeeping in a changing environment. Our team developed a model to predict how bee colonies are impacted by pest populations.

Health effects of noise from HVAC in Copenhagen

This project evaluates whether current Danish noise regulations adequately account for low-frequency noise (LFN) produced by cooling and ventilation systems in Copenhagen. LFN exposure poses adverse health risks, including sleep disturbance, stress, depression, anxiety, and reduced well-being. Through surveys, interviews, and field measurements, discrepancies between measured noise and perceived annoyance were identified, revealing that current practices do not fully account for LFN. The results highlight the need for improved regulations to better address LFN to enhance the quality of life in the community.

Investigating Transportation: Access for Newcomers in Denmark

Transportation access is a critical factor in integrating newcomers into Danish society, as it provides opportunities for jobs and social activities. In Copenhagen, we determined and analyzed transportation access available to newcomer communities. Through the review of government resources, in-person surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and software analysis, we found that communities higher in non-Western populations had limited transit access whereas more funding was being placed into the rest of Copenhagen. Established policies prioritized integration by splitting up newcomer communities rather than providing transit access and connection. To share our findings, we created an infographic for the WPI Mobility Justice Lab, sharing these gaps and barriers.