I was just like you when I started- eager to ‘science the shit’ out of everything- and recreate the wheel!
I just had a read of that humidity article- it’s very interesting. One big difference between the study and your conditions is likely the amount of external humidity. If you could test and see that the humidity in the hive was always higher than air coming in- then perhaps fans might help to keep the hive drier. I have read that bees can handle cold much better then they handle damp. However- it could also be that the fans will work against the fine system the bees already have in place. I think you should also consider the possibility that fans can blow a lot of fine dust into the hive…
If you are going to ‘science the shit’ out of it- you’ll be needing two hives- for a start- and at a minimum! Then you’ll be needing the probes and the sensors. Then a bigger study with more hives. And so on. Maybe in a decade you’ll have some firm data!
When I was thinking about fans for ventilating and solar powered heating for hives in winter- I decided that heating in cold climates was more likely to be an easy win for the bees- whilst the question of forced ventilation was more tricky. for the time being i’ve given up on the idea of fans- but would still like to make a small solar powered heater for use in winter and on cold nights. Soemthing very Mc Guyver- 12 volt solar- with basic parts- that just collects warmth in the day (es electricity) and releases it into the night directly below the brood- basically a creature comfort for the bees.