2023 Kusske Lecture & Dialogue Program

Kusske Design Initiative A generous commitment from Manitou Fund to the University of Minnesota’s College of Design honors the memory of distinguished alumnus Christopher Arthur Kusske (BLA ’78).

The Kusske Design Initiative (KDI) reflects his legacy through widely inclusive events and collaborations among a growing community of broadminded designers. Chris’s emphases on interdisciplinary dialogue, co-creativity, and celebration of the natural world inspire solutions for planetary-scale challenges. By combining values of ecological stewardship with the disciplinary spectrum that forms the college’s DNA, KDI programs and inquiries have transformative potential for the products we use and the environments we inhabit.

Learn more about KDI at z.umn.edu/kusske.

Kusske Lecture & Dialogue Series A program of the Kusske Design Initiative, the Kusske Lecture & Dialogue Series brings renowned design practitioners and thought leaders to the College of Design to consider humanity’s most pressing issues and generate solutions for a radically changing world.

This event is being recorded and photographed. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition or reproduction.

Program Welcome Carol Strohecker Dean’s Associate, College of Design, University of Minnesota

Introduction Prasad Boradkar Dean, College of Design, University of Minnesota

Keynote Janine Benyus Co-Founder, Biomimicry 3.8 and The Biomimicry Institute

Panel Prasad Boradkar, Moderator Dean, College of Design, University of Minnesota Janine Benyus Co-Founder, Biomimicry 3.8 and The Biomimicry Institute Shashank Priya Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota Emilie Snell-Rood Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota

Audience Q&A Closing Remarks Prasad Boradkar Dean, College of Design, University of Minnesota

Speakers Janine Benyus Co-Founder, Biomimicry 3.8 and The Biomimicry Institute A biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, Janine Benyus has personally introduced millions to the concepts and practice of biomimicry. Her many accolades include the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Mind Award, for visionary work with a “paradigm-shifting effect on the world of design.” An educator at heart, Janine believes that the more people learn from nature’s mentors, the more they’ll want to protect them.

Prasad Boradkar Dean, College of Design, University of Minnesota A designer, anthropologist, educator, and researcher who has led design and research teams in both academia and industry, Prasad Boradkar recently served as UX research and sustainability lead for Google’s Advanced Technology & Projects Division. Previously he directed Arizona State University’s InnovationSpace and both cofounded and co-directed the Biomimicry Center.

Shashank Priya Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota Overseeing the University’s $1+ billion research enterprise, Shashank Priya encourages innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is a former program director of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, whose own research has led to innovations in multifunctional materials, energy harvesting, and robots inspired by jellyfish and millipedes.

Emilie Snell-Rood Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota Working with model organisms such as pollinator butterflies and bees, Emilie Snell-Rood studies why and how organisms vary in their responses to novel and changing environments. Her work informs conservation efforts such as restoration of roadsides and urban greenspaces. Emilie’s educational strategies bridge biology, design, and engineering, aiming to bring more biology into bio-inspired design.