In 2015, I participated in PopTech’s annual conference in Camden, Maine. My studio, which is located just 20 minutes away, facilitated a workshop related to education, technology and youth from our local community. As part of the conference, my team had a display that showcased a submersible ROV (remotely operated vehicle) we were developing as part of an educational platform. One of the most memorable presentations given by the Program Manager of N Square challenged the audience to engage around the 3D printed miniature “bombs”
topic of nuclear threat reduction. I was struck by this call to action as I never considered the topic of nuclear threats to be something that the general public could have a role in. Later that afternoon, as I 3d printed parts and spoke with participants of the conference, I had the opportunity to speak with the Program Manager from N Square and thus began my unexpected introduction to the world of nuclear threat reduction. On the final day of the conference, I arranged to meet the N Square Program Manager for coffee. It was late October and I was in the early planning stages for an upcoming graduate level course that I would be teaching in my role as an Assistant Professor in the Industrial Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design. I hadn’t discussed this with my department head or anyone else, but I pitched the idea of focusing a graduate studio on this call to action to N Square and we both agreed that this could be a fantastic opportunity for everyone. Three months later, I taught a five-week course to incoming graduate students on the processes and methods used in industrial design. We used the theme of nuclear threat reduction as the overarching topic through which we would practice these design methods. The results and enthusiasm exceeded my expectations by far. In fact, I was so energized by the work that came out of that class that I have continued to pursue the topic since. Design, Culture & Global Security was the title of the second course that I taught within the Industrial Design department at RISD. This Advanced Studio met for five hours twice a week for
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D E S I G N, C U LT U R E A N D G LO B A L S E C U R I T Y