My Streetscape Summer School is an interdisciplinary program on urban technology and trust organized by the Trust Collaboratory and the Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) at Columbia Engineering. This internship is designed for high-school students who wish to hone their interests in engineering and the social sciences, regardless of their level of experience or knowledge. The summer school enables students to learn and conduct research alongside Columbia University scholars. Participating students gain deep insights into the methods, strategies, and data used by engineers and social scientists who share the belief that technology when it is introduced in consultation with local communities, can improve the livability, safety, and inclusivity of New York City.
My Streetscape students have the opportunity to investigate how urban technology could shape life in Harlem and how it can be implemented in ways that elicit trust, safeguard privacy, and serve the needs of the local community. Throughout the summer program, students learn the fundamentals of social science research in combination with visual-narrative strategies from the humanities and arts that are grounded in the photovoice method to reflect critically but also productively on the impact of technology on New York City’s built environment. The program concludes with a community-facing event that presents students’ research findings and project contributions to the public.
Location: Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3)
Duration: 6 weeks (July 8 - August 16, 2024)
Intership: $2250 (25 hours/week)
Eligibility: High school students in Harlem & nearby areas
Applications for the summer 2024 cohort will open in December 2023. Scroll down to learn more about our application process and upcoming information sessions.
Quick Facts
My Streetscape Instructors 2023
Cristian Capotescu (The Trust Collaboratory)
Lead Instructor
Madisson Whitman (Center for Science and Society)
Workshop: Doing Ethnographic Analysis
Ari Galper (Department of Sociology)
Workshop: Knowledge, Science, and Technology
Jack LaViolette (Department of Sociology)
Workshop: Conducting and Designing Surveys
Amy Weissenbach (Department of Sociology)
Workshop: Interviewing
Hannah Pullen-Blasnik (Department of Sociology)
Workshop: Accessing Public Databases
Taylor Alarcon (Department of Sociology)
Workshop: Photography
Gil Eyal (The Trust Collaboratory)
Workshop: Trust and Urban Technology
Student Voices
“This program helped me expand on certain aspects of engineering that I didn’t know much about, especially research. Now I know that speaking directly to the community and finding out their perspectives are methods I’d need to use as an engineer.”
Read article on Columbia Neighbors ⇥
Highlights from the My Streetscape Program 2023
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Learning the nuts and bolts of social science research: Jack LaViolette introduces students to survey methodology for their field trips in Harlem.
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Marrying the social sciences with engineering: Our program trains students for "field work" in the neighborhood where they conduct interviews with residents and gather data.
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Applying theory in practice: Students are getting ready to conduct ethnographic observations with Madi Whitman during a field trip in Manhattanville.
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Visualizing social issues in the neighborhood: Students explore how technology shapes social life in Harlem through the photovoice method with Taylor Alarcon.
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Wrapping up the journey: Student teams present their research findings on privacy, safety, and trust in front of an enthusiastic crowd at CS3.
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Success: Together with students in the Columbia ENG program, the first My Streetscape cohort celebrates the conclusion of six weeks of learning at Columbia.
Doing Research with the Community in Mind
My Streetscape trains students who live, study, and work in Harlem and neighboring areas as community youth researchers. Students are trained in basic social science methods such as interviewing, survey design, and ethnographic observation through this participatory research format. Equipped with these methods, students return to the neighborhood to analyze how residents interact with the built environment and existing technology and gather information about what technological changes, improvements, and safeguards the community requires. This consultative process surfaces local knowledge and creates a mechanism to involve residents in Harlem in the co-production of urban technology at CS3.
Watch our feature to learn more about our vision of community-based research on trust and urban
Assembling Residents: My Streetscape Photovoice Exhibit
In September 2023, the My Streetscape Photovoice Exhibit launched at The Forum, featuring the artistic work of our students. The Opening Night on September 27 assembled students and their families, school representatives, community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, journalists, local leaders, residents, and scholars for a dialogue about safety, privacy, surveillance, and trust. Click below to view the gallery.
Program Details
The 2024 My Streetscape Summer Research Institute will be from July 8 - August 16, 2024.
Time committment: 25 hours per week
In-person sessions hosted at CS3 in Manhattanville
Students are paid a $2250 stipend to support them over the summer.
Applications
Candidates are asked to submit their applications through the Columbia University Engineering for the Next Generation (ENG) program:
Applications for Summer 2024 will open in December 2023. If you are a high-school junior for the 2023-2024 school year, please sign up for our newsletter to be notified once the application is open!
Eligibility
We are accepting rising high school seniors (current 11th graders) to the program, in addition to the following requirements:
U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Interest in engineering and social science research
Must attend a high school in NYC; strong preference for students at Harlem schools or Harlem residents
Information Sessions
Learn more about the My Streetscape Summer Research Institute by joining one of our upcoming information sessions via Zoom. Program administrators will provide more details about the program and answer questions. Click on the links below to register.