Emigrant Food Futures (2020 - present) @ Parsons School of Design MFA Design & Technology
How would we use technology to imagine new ways of preserving potatoes? Or, if the spicy chili pepper goes extinct, how would technology remind us of the textures and tastes of a Sichuanese hotpot kitchen? Could you even imagine tacos in a world without corn?
Emigrant Food Futures, a unifying evolution of gastronomy, aims to bring together cultural perspectives of how we can prototype new ideas behind the way we produce, package, transport, plate, cook, consume and dispose of food.
In this course, students will understand the context and realities of immigrants and their food in the United States. Students will learn from topics like food extinction, climate change, agriculture, farmers knowledge and the current socio-political environment.
Students will put into practice expressive points of view about the past, present and future of society in relation to food. In this course, students will be given short readings, podcasts, articles, documentaries and recipes as weekly assignments. There will be discussions, guest lectures, online cooking workshops and constant critique to inspire student concepts while improving their technical skills and design practice. Students will be expected to work on prototyping, development and deployment of their concepts.
Internet of Things @ Parsons School of Design MFA Design & Technology
How is the internet of things transforming humanity? This technology is impacting our daily lives. We can now connect ourselves online, anytime, anywhere. Devices are an extension of our connected self.
Premonitions from the early 2000s have become true. By the end of 2020, society will surpass 55 billion internet-connected devices. The internet no longer lives solely on our screens. When it comes to products, if a device is powered, it will talk to another device; and as a result, we don’t interact with connected objects in the same way as when they are not connected. We can share our life experiences with whoever and whatever we want. The evolution of the Internet of Things has grown and impacted how our cities and governments operate, and how businesses deliver products and services.
In this studio-based course, students will discover the origins of IoT, what technological innovations are making it possible, and how it is impacting our daily lives. Students will put into practice expressive points of view to create their own Internet of Things enabled projects from concept through prototyping, development, and deployment.
Critical Computation (Creativity & Computation) Lab @ Parsons School of Design MFA Design & Technology
Critical Computation Lecture + Lab (CC Lecture + CC Lab) are core requisites that work hand-in-hand to introduce computation and code as an expressive medium for artists, designers, and technologists.
CC Lecture provides an introduction to computation through a series of critical inquiries and technical fundamentals, while CC Lab serves as a continuum of CC Lecture by applying theories to practice through a series of experimentations and play.
Together, the three learning pillars for CC Lecture + CC Lab are code, critique, and design. Students from CC Lecture break into smaller groups to meet in a lab class.
CC Lab expands the topics covered in CC Lecture through extended tutorials, peer-programming sessions, embodied group activities, and one-on-one mentoring. The lab structure allows students to process the course materials and projects assigned by CC Lecture, and further develop the assignments based on their own individual interests and background.