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Institution: New York University Location:New York, United States
Focus Area: NYU Tandon and the Design Lab @ NYU Tandon MakerSpace foster initiatives and projects around circular design and waste reduction.
Expertise: Engineering Design, Circular Design, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Design Thinking, Plastic Waste, Urban Food Systems
Teaching
The Design Lab @ NYU MakerSpace is where design, making and technology meet to innovate with purpose. The Design Lab is a place where people use design thinking to experiment, ideate, prototype and builds solutions to create a healthier planet, a world without poverty and fair, inclusive and peaceful society. It fosters a community of creative technologists, responsible makers, critical thinkers, and social innovators by providing workshops, training, funding opportunities, and mentorship. It embraces the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and support them through projects (e.g. Urban Food Lab, a hydroponic farm, a Plastic Shredder to recyclerecycleTransform a product or component into its basic materials or substances and reprocessing them into new materials. 3D printing, biomedical devices), training, workshops and mentoring of entrepreneurial ventures (such as RISE, We Are the New Farmers). Sustainability, Circular Design and systems-thinking are principles underlying all the programming and mentoring.
The Technology Management and Innovation Department launched a cross-school minor on Technology, Management and Design with Sustainability and Systems-thinking as two core underlying principles.
Design Thinking for Creative Problem solving: a graduate-level course which explores the design innovation process: from research insights and idea generation to idea development through prototyping, user testing and storytelling. At the end of the course, students will have learnt the importance of human-centred design in creating values for the different stakeholders, with a systems thinking lens. The projects focus on social and sustainability issues.
Introduction to Urban Agriculture (find out more).
Campus Management
There are a number of projects and practices happening at NYU's campuses when it comes to the circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.. From a ‘Cool Food Pledge’, encompassing all dining facilities at NYU’s campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi, to green purchasing strategies and sustainable gardening practices contributing to the reduction of air, noise, and water pollution in the Washington Square area. The University has implemented a comprehensive, University-wide effort to build a healthier and more sustainable future. Find out more.
NYU Green Grants: NYU Green Grants are awarded by the Office of Sustainability to student, faculty, and staff projects that boost the university’s environmental performance, demonstrate best practices and cleanest technologies and foster environmental literacy. Some of these projects include RISE, a sustainable food startup that upcycles organic waste material into useful products, the Urban Food Lab, a vertical farm system hosted in NYU Tandon MakerSpace, and the phasing-out of single-use plastic bottled drinking water at NYU Shanghai. A variety of Green Grants projects can be found via their website here.
Combatting 3D printing waste, the Design Lab @ NYU MakerSpace was awarded an NYU Green Grant to develop a plastic shredder and recycling system for use with the facility’s 3D printers.
The Multispecies Worldbuilding Lab (MWL) is led by Elaine Gan at New York University, Center for Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement at the Graduate School of Arts & Science. The podcast lab launched in February 2020 with funding from the Green Grants Program and brings together humanities scholars, artists, natural and social scientists to describe their research about various species that are being affected by climate change and engages them in conversation about re-imagining everyday methods of collaborative survival.
Urban Food Lab: NYU Urban Food Lab is an aquaponic vertical farming class in which students learn about sustainability and farming by running their own projects connecting their fields to the farm. One venture stemming from the Urban Food Lab is New Farmers, specializing in spirulina and examples of mini-projects include making cosmetics out of fresh farm-grown flowers.
Urban Farm Lab: the outdoor counterpart of the Urban Food Lab. It is an outdoor classroom, research lab, and community farm. It is a collaboration of faculty, staff, and students from the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, NYU Steinhardt, NYU, Silver Towers Tenants, University Plaza Nursery School, and NYU Grounds.
Student-led initiatives
NYU is actively supporting student projects which have turned into start-ups and new ventures. The Prototyping Fund, a collaborative initiative between the Design Lab @ NYU MakerSpace and the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute, has supported multiple student projects that have a sustainability focus.
Design for America of NYU, a student club (open to undergrads and grads from all NYU schools) to use human-centred design to tackle social issues in their communities). One of the DFA NYU projects is the NYU FREEdge, a food-sharing initiative redirecting food waste from individuals, clubs, events to members of the community that may be struggling with food insecurity.
Student Entrepreneurship
RISE - a start-up upcycling organic byproducts into ingredients. The idea originated from a class project in the Design Thinking course.
Sunthetics - a Techstars portfolio company developing equipment for sustainable and electrically driven chemical processes. (These types of reaction replace traditional heat-powered ones, and can reduce energy usage and emissions by up to 40%).
We Are The New Farmers - A food start-up growing spirulina providing nutrient-dense food in a sustainable fashion.
LostBytes - a tech startup that uses proprietary bio-digester machinery to produce organic fertilizer for plants.
Connect with:
Victoria Bill, Director, Makerspace Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, email
Find out more:
NYU Tandon MakerSpace
Vertically integrated projects - the (VIP) Model for Experiential Learning creates long-term, large-scale projects that unite undergraduate education and faculty research, innovation, design, and entrepreneurship through multidisciplinary teams.
In February 2020, the Design Lab hosted its annual Design Week focusing on Sustainability, Design and the Circular Economy. Through a documentary screening, interesting workshops, and a panel with leading experts from fashion, design, and local urban farming, participants were able to explore ways to reduce waste, re-use materials and embrace a circular design mindset.
