Day 03. Activating Global Futures
Notes from the Sea:
Post-human scenarios & participatory design
Wednesday June 23, 1:15pm EDT
🎧 Talk, 30 minute session
How can we push ourselves to think beyond our beliefs about the future? In 2018, a group of student-designers developed a speculative design exercise called "Notes from the Sea" that became a jumping-off point for larger conversations about ecology, ethics, and post-humanism.
Join us to learn more about how to create spaces for critical conversations about the future, and get a peek into the project itself!
Renee Albrecht-Mallinger
Design Researcher & Strategist, IA Collaborative
Renee Albrecht-Mallinger is a researcher and strategist with a passion for speculative and participatory design. Before entering the design field, she worked as an educator in Chicago, IL. She taught secondary mathematics at middle and high schools before becoming an instructional coach to pre- and in-service mathematics teachers. Her work in schools inspired her to look for new ways to address societal problems at both the individual and system level. In 2016, she left her job as a coach to study design methods full time. Since entering the design field, her work has spanned sectors including healthcare, finance, education, and government; and she has presented internationally on how design can help build partnerships, challenge assumptions, and address wicked problems. Renee holds a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John's College (NM), an MS in Secondary Education from Northwestern University, and a Master's of Design from IIT Institute of Design. She currently works at IA Collaborative, a global design and innovation company based in Chicago. Outside of work, Renee is a cyclist, an award-winning storyteller, an activist, and a music-lover. She's a self-identified nerd, and her library card is her proudest possession. Renee is grateful to her friends, her family, and her partner for their support throughout her journey.
Siyuan Ma
Interaction Designer, Ford Motor Company
Siyuan (Sam) Ma is a curious, passionate designer, a strategic thinker, and a storyteller. His passion lies in creating cross-media interaction experience with human-centered design, engineering, and computer science approaches. In his work, he brings together user research, experience design, and engineering expertise to engage with complex challenges and bring compelling user experiences to life. Sam received his bachelor's degree in design and engineering from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He worked as a product designer and project manager in Hong Kong for three years before moving to the US to pursue a career in user-centered design. He completed his Master of Design at IIT Institute of Design in Chicago, IL. During his time at Institute of Design, he worked with a startup to develop an online platform for university students to confidently access mental health research, and he served as a Digital Fabrication Advisor for graduate students working on digital and physical prototyping. He currently works at Ford Motor Company as an Interaction Designer. When he's not developing the future of the automotive industry, Sam's curiosity has led him to explore topics that range far and wide. He's an avid hiker, an animal-lover, a video gamer, and a crystal-formation enthusiast. In all his pursuits, he seeks a deep understanding of how the world works.