January 26, 2007
Degree prepares students to create innovative solutions to 21st century design challenges
Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently added a bachelor of science degree in Design, Innovation, and Society (DIS) to its list of innovative undergraduate degree offerings. Through a rigorous series of design studios, the major will prepare students to design new products, services, and media while considering the social needs and environmental concerns of the 21st century.
The DIS major is the newest addition to a cluster of degree offerings that make up Rensselaer’s interdisciplinary Product Design and Innovation (PDI) program. It will require students to complete a total of seven design studios with a range of focuses, including the product development process, industrial design and aesthetics, user-centered design, and the impact of new and emerging technologies on design.
“The Design, Innovation, and Society degree augments Rensselaer’s highly successful Product Design and Innovation program, positioning graduates to work as leaders of design and innovation in a range of environments — from multinational corporations seeking ways to address diverse markets, to specialized organizations creating innovative solutions to local community problems,” said John Harrington, dean of Rensselaer’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which administers the DIS program.
Developed in 1999, the PDI program combines a technical education with a solid understanding of the economic, ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of product development and the invention process, preparing students to synthesize a variety of approaches to solve design challenges. Design studios push students to consider cultural and environmental factors outside of the paradigm of market demand as they create new products, designs, and technologies.
PDI students have gained national recognition for their inventions. In 2003, Adam Wishneusky, currently a senior in the program, founded a company called Celery LLC to market a mail service device he developed that allows users to send and receive e-mail without the use of a computer. The technology, which was created in an effort to address a growing need among seniors who were unfamiliar with computer technology, was recently selected as a winner of the 2006 “Best of What’s New” award by Popular Science.
PDI graduates Mark Cafaro ’06 and Ben Smith ’06 devised a small-scale, chemical-free gold mining device while working together in a PDI class. To pursue their idea — which eliminates the use of harmful mercury in mining — the pair founded Weardian Inc. The company recently received a $17,500 grant from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance to help further develop the product.
The creation of the new DIS major gives students enrolled in the PDI program the option to obtain a studio-based degree alone, or in combination with mechanical engineering, management, or communication. Additional degree combinations will be considered upon student request. “Students working toward the degree will have the opportunity to explore and develop their creativity while building a portfolio of completed projects that emphasize technical, social, and design skill,” Harrington said.
Contact: Amber Cleveland
Phone: (518) 276-2146
E-mail: clevea@rpi.edu