Abstract
Sociotechnical Synthesis
Technical Project Abstract
My technical project and STS research both focus on the problem of indoor mold, but they approach it from different angles. The technical project proposes a low cost, portable mold detection device designed to help people identify mold risks in their living spaces before the problem becomes serious. The STS project looks at mold as a sociotechnical issue shaped by institutions, power, and inequality. Together, they show how engineering design and social analysis can work together to address a public health problem that affects students, renters, and disaster impacted communities.
The technical project grew out of my own experience dealing with mold in first year housing at UVA. Many students were getting sick, and rumors about black mold in AC vents spread quickly. Maintenance delays made it hard for students to get answers, and most of us didn’t have access to any reliable way to test our rooms. That experience motivated me to design a device that could give people an accessible way to detect mold related conditions. The device is a concept rather than a built prototype, but the design outlines how it would work. It uses a small microcontroller paired with sensors that measure humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds. These environmental indicators are strongly associated with mold growth, so the device would act as an early warning system. Instead of detecting spores directly, it would identify conditions that make mold likely to appear.
The goal of the design is to make detection more affordable and user friendly than professional inspections, which can cost hundreds of dollars. The device would give simple readings like low, moderate, or high risk, along with suggestions such as improving ventilation or contacting maintenance. Because many people who deal with mold do not have technical backgrounds, the design focuses on clarity and ease of use. The device is meant to be inexpensive enough for students or low income tenants to purchase, which would give them more control over their living environment. Even though the device is only a concept, the project shows how engineering design can respond to a real need by prioritizing accessibility and usability.
STS Project Abstract
While the technical project focuses on a practical solution, the STS project examines the larger systems that shape how mold is detected, recognized, and addressed. The research looks at mold not just as a biological issue but as something deeply influenced by institutions and social structures. The paper compares mold incidents at UVA with mold contamination after Hurricane Katrina. Even though the scale is different, both cases show how institutions control the tools and standards that determine what counts as “real” mold. After Katrina, families struggled to get insurance companies to recognize mold damage because there were no standardized detection thresholds. Many low income and Black neighborhoods could not afford certified inspections, which meant they had trouble proving their homes were unsafe. At UVA, students faced similar issues on a smaller scale. They reported symptoms and visible mold, but without access to authoritative testing, it was easy for maintenance teams to delay or downplay the problem.
The STS project uses several frameworks to analyze these patterns. Winner’s idea that artifacts have politics helps explain how mold detection technologies shape power. When only expensive certified inspections are treated as legitimate, people without resources are at a disadvantage. SCOT shows how different groups interpret the same technology differently. Students see detection as a way to protect their health, while universities may see it as a liability risk. Beck’s concept of manufactured risk highlights how mold problems often come from institutional decisions, like slow maintenance responses or poor building design. Environmental Justice scholarship shows how these issues disproportionately affect marginalized communities, both in disaster contexts and in everyday housing.
Together, these findings show that mold detection is not just about identifying a hazard. It is about who has access to credible tools, whose evidence is taken seriously, and how institutions decide when to act. Mold becomes a political issue when the ability to prove harm depends on cost and authority rather than the actual presence of mold.
Connection Between Technical and STS Projects
The technical and STS projects connect through this shared focus on access and inequality. The technical project proposes a device that could give people more control by making detection cheaper and easier. The STS project explains why that matters by showing how current detection systems often exclude the people most affected by mold. The technical design responds directly to the gaps identified in the STS research. At the same time, the STS analysis helps clarify the stakes of the technical project by showing how detection technologies influence housing outcomes, institutional responses, and public health. Together, the two projects show how engineering and social analysis can work together to address a problem that is both technical and deeply social.
