Mariel Rodriguez-McGill

Rocky Mountain PBS flagship history series exploring the people, places, and events that have shaped Colorado's rich heritage.

For centuries, humans have sought to express beauty in architecture and art, but it is only recently that neuroscience is helping to determine how and why beauty plays an important role in our wellbeing. Architects and neuroscientists are embarking on a new field of study in which subliminal responses to one’s built environment may influence the future of design. Experts argue that positive subliminal reactions lead to a pleasurable experience, one reminiscent of a powerful meditation session. The question remains: what makes a building beautiful - or more specifically, which elements of the built environment does the brain recognize as beautiful? Narrated by Martha Stewart.

Twice a week, fourteen-year-old William makes the trek to Rocking the Boat, a youth development program in the South Bronx where he learns to be a steward of the Bronx River by collecting water-quality data.