Nastaran Shishegar, a Ph.D. candiate in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will give the talk.

She will look at the principals of human-centric lighting design for older adults. With the American senior population expected to increase dramatically over the next decade, this talk is timely.

As she describes her talk:

Lighting in buildings is one main environmental attribute that plays a significant role in managing biological, behavioral, and psychological symptoms through impacting visual and circadian systems.

Considering the age-related changes in eyes and circadian system, specialized lighting design is essential to promote overall health and well-being in older people.

This seminar describes specific lighting needs of older adults, explores scientific methods to design healthy environmental lighting for this age group, and outlines a recently conducted study which evaluates the effects of tuning ambient illuminations on improving sleep quality and cognitive functions in older adults.

Light refreshments will be served.

About Nastaran Shishegar

Nastaran Shishegar is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an expected completion date of May 2020.

Her major focus is Technology and Performance/Health and Well-Being. Her minor focus is Lighting/Gerontology.

Her dissertation topic is Evaluating the Impacts of Tuning Ambient Illumination on Older Adults’ Sleep Quality, Mood, and Cognitive Performance.

Shishegar is also an architect and an adjunct instructor. She received her M.Arch from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her M.S. and B.S. from Iran University of Science and Technology.

About SimTigrate Design Lab
We are an interdisciplinary research lab dedicated to creating better healthcare experiences. From intensive care units (ICU) to surgical suites to patient rooms to infection prevention, we look at medical settings and suggest changes to make them better for all involved.