The My Streetscape Summer Research Institute is an interdisciplinary research program on urban technology and trust organized by the Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3). This program is designed for 11th-grade high-school students (rising seniors) from New York City and Palm Beach County, FL to hone their interests in engineering and the social sciences, regardless of their level of experience or knowledge.
This program wouldn’t be possible without the guidance of engineering and social science mentors, who usher students through the program and help them with their summer projects. We spoke to former program mentors and asked about their experiences working with the students over the summer.
For some mentors, the most rewarding part of the program was seeing the students evolve and grow during the duration of the program. One mentor, Suvosree Chatterjee – PhD Student at Florida Atlantic University, shared:
“What I found most rewarding about being a mentor in the My Streetscape Summer Research Institute was watching students transform from curious learners into confident researchers. Guiding them through real world smart city and AI problems, especially seeing them connect theory to practical impact in areas like computer vision and urban analytics was incredibly fulfilling. It was especially meaningful to support their critical thinking, research independence, and confidence, while also learning from their fresh perspectives and creativity.”
Suvosree worked with Faculty Advisors Jason Hallstrom and Serena Hoermann, and their cohort of students, on the project ‘Public Space Vandalism.’ This project integrated computer engineering, social science, and urban design research to develop urban technology that addresses public space vandalism in the West Palm Beach, Florida testbed. In addition to lab-based research, the program included hands-on training on rapid prototyping, mobile application development, and community engagement with “Walking Wednesdays,” during which students engaged with residents and the built environment.
Student growth showed up in many unexpected ways during the program. Some students grew by developing more research skills, some grew personally by becoming more outgoing or working better with their team. Some students gained confidence from trying something new, and working hard over the summer.
Mentor Qi Gao – PhD Student at Columbia University, when asked about what they found most rewarding about their mentoring experience, stated that they felt rewarded to, “See students confidently presenting their project.” Another mentor, Jenny Fondren – Community Outreach Program Coordinator for the Trust Collaboratory/CS3, also felt rewarded by the growth students showcased, stating she felt rewarded to, “See the students understand what they’re learning and apply it in their projects.”
Qi Gao, alongside Faculty Advisor Sharon Di, Social Science Mentor Seon Britton, and their cohort of students, spent the summer working on a ‘Scaled-Down Test Bed.’ While simulations can address researching certain scenarios, relying solely on simulations isn’t always practical or safe for unproven technologies. To overcome these challenges, they developed a scaled-down, real-world intersection network testbed with their 2025 cohort of students. This testbed enabled efficient and effective evaluation of technologies such as autonomous driving systems, adaptive traffic signals, and pedestrian warning systems.
Another key theme echoed across interviews is the emphasis on collaboration, particularly in engineering contexts where students needed to work together to solve problems. Mentor Yongjie Fu – PhD Student at Columbia University, described how impactful this collaborative effort was on the program, “In the engineering session, we discussed together, set up the plan and solved the problems. That’s my favorite experience.”
The program also fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, having students combine research from different disciplines to create their final projects. Students learned different social science research methods to create surveys and ask community members about their experiences in the streetscape. Students would then take the results of their surveys and create a solution to address the problems faced by the community members they interviewed, using elements of engineering, coding, research, and design. Mentor Seon Britton — PhD Student at CUNY, expanded on this in his interview:
“It was exciting to go in depth with my students on making connections between engineering concepts and social theories… this also pushed me to teach content from the social sciences that would be timely and relevant for their specific needs and interests.”
Engineering Mentor Yongje Fu, Social Science Mentor Seon Britton, and Faculty Advisor Sharon Di, worked together with their cohort of students for the project, ‘Virtual Reality for Older Pedestrians.’ This project aimed to enhance the mobility and safety of older pedestrians at urban intersections through the application of virtual reality (VR) technology. Older adults often face challenges in navigating complex traffic environments, and this project sought to address those challenges by simulating real-world intersections in a controlled virtual setting. The main objective was to design and implement VR-based assistance features that support decision-making and improve spatial awareness during street crossing.
Many mentors mentioned that they found the field work to be meaningful and memorable during the Summer Research Institute. About the field work, mentor Jenny Fondren mentioned that her favorite experience during the program was, “Field trip 2, when they [were] more confident in the streetscape, with their projects, and the skills and tools.” The field work was also mentor Seon Britton’s favorite experience, who had this to say:
“I really enjoyed working with the students in conducting interviews in Harlem. Not only was it meaningful to be engaging with Harlem citizens around CS3’s research, but it was great watching students learn in the moment… and generate new ideas for their engineering projects.”
Jenny Fondren mentored students through the project, ‘NYC ClearPath.’ On this project, Jenny was the Social Science Mentor, and she worked with Faculty Advisors Zoran Kostic and Andrew Smyth, and Engineering Mentors Pranav Milind Bidve, Raksha Chandrashekar, Boshra Khalili, and Emma Sombers. This project aimed to develop a pilot system in partnership with the 125th St. BID that automatically detects and logs sidewalk trash piles in real time, classifies them by type (general, recyclable, compostable), and geospatially maps their locations from overhead (second-floor) cameras.
Jenny Fondren also worked as the Social Science Mentor on the project, ‘Privacy In A Data Driven World.’ The team was also composed of Faculty Advisors Rachel Cummings and Roxana Geambasu, and Engineering Mentors Giorgio Cavicchioli, Mark Chen, Tamalika Mukherjee, and Apolline Weinstein. Their cohort of students explored how their personal information is collected, used, and potentially misused across different technological contexts, developing both awareness and practical skills to navigate digital privacy challenges.
At the heart of the program is the desire to help introduce students to engineering, and give them an opportunity to engage in real-world research that is difficult to find elsewhere. Every mentor made it possible for these students to explore their career passions, which is a life-changing experience at a young age. The experiences that these mentors helped facilitate will leave an indelible mark on student’s lives, and they make the My Streetscape Summer Research Institute an unforgettable program. This was summed up by mentor Sarpita Ghosh – Masters Student at Florida Atlantic University. Her response when asked about her favorite experience in the program was, “Spending time with high school kids and learning something together.”
When asked about whether they would participate in the program as mentors again, every mentor interviewed said yes. This program is just as rewarding for the students as it is for the mentors.
If you are interested in learning more about the My Streetscape Summer Research Program or mentoring this year, please visit our webpage or email Fernanda Martinez, Associate Director of Education and Community Programs at [email protected].
If you would like to read more about the projects worked on by each mentor, please visit our My Streetscape 2025 Projects page.