AgeLab IAP Workshops Discuss COVID Attitudes, 85+, Science of Learning

by Adam Felts

As part of MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January 2021, AgeLab hosted three workshops. The virtual events were open to the MIT community as well as to members of the MIT AgeLab’s 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel. Workshop content focused on sharing findings from recent MIT AgeLab research, including the newly published book, Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn, by AgeLab Research Associate Luke Yoquinto.

Research Scientist Dr. Julie Miller and a group of AgeLab researchers led an IAP session sharing findings from the AgeLab’s ongoing Life Tomorrow study, revealing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domains such as longevity planning, technology adoption, being at home and working from home, consumer values and experiences, and COVID-19-related worry.

AgeLab Technical Associate Taylor Patskanick led a second webinar dedicated to highlighting findings from an in-depth study with the AgeLab’s 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel. In her presentation, Patskanick summarized findings from the AgeLab’s Day in the Life study, which followed the experiences of members of the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel throughout 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a series of phone interviews and online questionnaires, the study sought to understand both how members of the panel were impacted by the spreading virus as well as the coping strategies, behavior changes, and forms of resilience that emerged from this group in response to the pandemic.

A third online forum held by the MIT AgeLab during MIT’s 2021 IAP was a presentation for the MIT community and the Lifestyle Leaders themselves on the science of learning, derived from AgeLab Research Associate Luke Yoquinto’s recently published book Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn. The presentation was followed by workshop-style discussions among the Lifestyle Leaders and MIT community members about their experiences with learning across the lifespan.

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About the Author

Photo of Adam Felts
Adam Felts

Adam Felts is a researcher and writer at the MIT AgeLab. Currently he is involved in research on the experiences of family caregivers and the future of financial advice. He also manages the AgeLab blog and newsletter. He received his Master's in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Boston University in 2014 and his Master's of Theological Studies from Boston University in 2019.

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