Home

ASB 2012-2013 - Design for a Sustainable World: Using the design method to create human-centered solutions to address the challenges of global poverty and sustainability

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2012-2013
Trip Name: 
Design for a Sustainable World: Using the design method to create human-centered solutions to address the challenges of global poverty and sustainability
Trip Location: 
Bay Area, CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

In 2002, the United Nations agreed on a set of 8 Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease, which affect billions of people worldwide. About a decade later, progress has been made: extreme poverty and the number of people without access to improved sources of drinking water has been cut by half; the lives of 200 million slum dwellers has been improved; child mortality has decreased; and the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis and polio have been largely reversed. Nevertheless, 15.5% of the world population is still living in hunger and everyday 4,500 children die from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities.

While large-scale foreign aid has been essential in getting closer to meeting those targets, complex challenges call for innovative solutions. Design thinking provides a much needed radical change in approach to solving major world problems. Designers combine human values with technological feasibility to create innovative, human-centered solutions. By hearing the needs of the people and communities they are designing for, designers can deliver solutions that have specific cultural and economic contexts. This is where human-centered design is different from the traditional aid model. Empathy, not sympathy, is at the core of the design process and user feedback is implemented from beginning to end.

During the course, we will learn about the design process and its applications to real-world cases. We will hear from the d.school, Stanford students working on international projects, and local experts. Participants will have the opportunity to practice the design process and to visit local organizations who use design to positively change the world.  We hope that at the end of our ASB, participants will be empowered to address the challenges that impact our world today through human-centered design, whether at Stanford or beyond.

Trip Leaders
To view trip leader emails, please log in with your SUNetID using the link in the left sidebar.
Milena Gonzalez

Milena was born in Mexico City but has lived in Italy, the United States, and Canada. Even though she loves all four seasons, sunny California reminds her of her hometown, Cuernavaca, Mexico. She graduated on June 2012 from Chemical Engineering and is now co-terming in Atmosphere/Energy. She was a leader in Engineers for a Sustainable World-Stanford (ESW) during her undergrad and has worked on design projects through d.school classes and Stanford ChangeLabs. She hopes to combine her passion for sustainable development with that of renewable energy by addressing climate change and somehow contribute to the shift from fossil fuels to clean sources of energy.  

Tyler Haydell

Tyler is from Lafayette, Louisiana and has spent his whole life there prior to arriving at Stanford.  He is a Cajun at heart but is slowly adapting to the California lifestyle.  He is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering and never really knew about design until coming to Stanford.  He ultimately aims to design medical devices and now views the design process as a tool that empowers people to make powerful change in all fields.  He is a leader of Design for America, a student led group that uses design to tackle local, social issues.  He is also a member of Engineers for a Sustainable World.