In 2024, Monique Mead of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and her team received the College Well-Being Award in the amount of $3,500 to support the Scottie Sound Bath to improve the overall wellness of the community by providing sustainable access to stress-reducing vibroacoustic therapy, or sound baths, at the new CMU Highmark Wellness Center. ACHF funding provided for a set of quartz singing bowls and other meditative instruments to be used in sound baths held primarily for ongoing training of new and certified sound bath facilitators and for regular use at the new CMU Highmark Wellness Center and at nearby locations on campus.
A research paper on the health benefits of sound baths, “From Stress to Serenity: Exploring the Impact of Sound Baths on Mental and Physical Well-being on a University Campus in the United States” and is in the process of being submitted for publication to the Health Promotion Practice Journal.
A sold-out mega sound bath (the largest in Pittsburgh) is offered at Heinz Chapel, featuring 60 crystal bowls as well as violin and harp performances for an immersive sound experience. Over 200 people attended, and the Sound Bath was featured on the CMU website.
About this Award
The Foundation’s College Well-Being Award embraces the focus on well-being, a more encompassing reference to the individuals, population, and environmental state of being. The Foundation believes it is time to apply fresh thinking on how we dedicate and apply our resources to positively impact the quality of our students lives. This award is intended to stimulate creative, new approaches to well-being focused programming with evaluation driven measurable outcomes. Learn more about this award here.
Want to support our efforts to promote well-being on campus? Your donations to the ACHF General Fund enable us to offer this award and fund other projects that impact campuses’ ability to promote student well-being.
