AgeLab Researchers Celebrate Academic Achievements

School’s out! Four AgeLab researchers—Sophia Ashebir, Nour Al Maalouf, Taylor Brennan, and Danielle Samuels—reached significant academic milestones recently.

Ashebir completed her Master in City Planning at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning in May. Her thesis, titled “Planning for an Aging Population: Assessing Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ Approaches, Gaps, and Innovations,” explores the extent to which Metropolitan Planning Organizations across the United States are prepared to support an aging population. During her defense, Ashebir called on professionals to make aging a priority in the planning process, and emphasized the importance of cross-sector stakeholder engagement in the design of transportation systems.

Al Maalouf also completed her Master of Science at MIT this term with the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her thesis, titled “Older Adults’ Adoption of Smart Home Technologies: Barriers Along the User Journey,” examines how older adults experience setting up smart home systems, from unboxing to installation. She found that small design choices in smart home devices’ packaging and instructions can strongly shape older adults’ willingness to continue the setup process, and proposes design guidelines to help older adults feel more independent and less frustrated when setting up a smart home. Al Maalouf plans to stay at the AgeLab while pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering at MIT.

Brennan, who is pursuing a PhD at the Boston College School of Social Work, successfully passed her qualifying exam and defended her area statement titled “Longevity, Labor, and (Digital) Literacy: Examining the Intersection of Work-Related Digital Skills Development and Work-Related Outcomes among Older Workers.” The scoping review examines the literature to date on the contributions of the work environment to older workers’ digital skilling and the association between this skilling and labor outcomes. Brennan will progress to PhD candidacy this fall.

Samuels graduated from Wellesley College in December with a Bachelor of Arts in neuroscience. She joined the AgeLab last summer as a UROP student and has continued her work as a research assistant this year. Upon her departure from the AgeLab this summer, Samuels plans to earn her master’s in biological sciences before attending medical school.

Congratulations, all!