I recently had an opportunity to speak with Shanna Ruyle who graduated with a Master of Arts in Sustainable Design in 2015. Shanna teaches sustainability principles and design at Oregon State University and elaborates on how exciting it is when students have an “ah-ha” moment. Q: What are you currently doing or working on? Teaching, →
After four wonderful years, I’m stepping away from being Director of the MA in Sustainable Design program to pursue other projects. I am happy to (re) introduce Dawn Keene as the new Interim Director of the Program! I say (re) introduce because Dawn has been both a student – in the graduating class of 2013 – →
We’re so happy to welcome our newest MA in Sustainable Design students! As always, they bring passion and a diversity of experiences and backgrounds. We have five students staring this semester: Luv Bajaj Solomon Sanchez Kevin Schultz Virginia Smith Anna Stark You can read about each of them, as well as all of our returning →
Back in June we shared a post about Environmental Voices Rising – Women at the Mic, a new podcast and blog series by MASD alumni Michal Crawford-Zimring about the work that women environmentalists are doing in their community [see Amplifying their Voices]. Michal’s latest interview was with MASD alumni Ellie Cotlar. Ellie is a fashion →
Sarah Hummel, a current student in the MA in Sustainable Design program, took some time out of her schedule to answer some FAQs about being a student in this program. Where are you currently living? Robbinsdale, MN What attracted you to MCAD’s MA in Sustainable Design program? In order to offer knowledgeable sustainable design solutions, I knew →
A decade ago, I was a burned out, overworked designer who felt like I’d lost my connection to the reason I became a designer. I felt crushed by the rat race and the pressure to use the thing I was most passionate about — design — to sell sell sell! I was facing a crisis →
If you’re concerned about the state of the world, you may be recycling and bicycling, gardening and composting, consuming less and voting more. But if you’re a designer, you can have a bigger impact. It is estimated that 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Many designers are not aware →
Most people that discover biomimicry become hooked. As described by The Biomimicry Institute, “Biomimicry is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges — and find hope along the way.” And hope, as well as nature, is more compelling than ever these days. In the iconic →
This blog is based on a presentation called The Role of Designers to Drive Sustainability, delivered by Denise DeLuca, Director of MCAD’s MA in Sustainable Design program, for Sustainability Drive 2021. There are so many of us working to drive sustainability. We come from business and science, consulting and engineering, education and advocacy, urban planning →
You can help shape our future. We can show you how. Spring brings with it a new sense of hope, a new chance for regeneration, and a new opportunity to shape the future. It is a wonderful time to let go of the past, imagine what could be, and then take steps to realize a →