Since its founding in 2022, the MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) has supported MIT graduates with a CommunityThis allows recipients to pursue design research and projects while making a community. From various areas of design, they explore solutions in areas similar to sustainability, health, architecture, urban planning, engineering and social justice.
On May 1st, MAD announced this Cohort of Design Fellows 2024 on the MIT Museum.
Meet the MIT MAD 2024 Design Fellows
Video: MIT Morningside Academy for Design
Sofia ChiapperoMCP student within the Institute for Urban Research and Urban Planning And MITdesignX Affiliate: Chiappero works on the intersection of community development and technology, aiming to deal with the challenges faced by underserved communities in Latin America liable to displacement. Through a mix of social science and digital inclusion, she goals to develop a brand new approach to studying human interactions and recreating them in virtual environments, with the final word goal of preserving the identity of those communities and giving them visibility for resilient growth.
Clemence CouteauMBA candidate in MIT Sloan School of Management: Couteau is combating the rise in postpartum depression amongst U.S. moms with the goal of developing a digital solution that empowers at-risk pregnant women to enhance their mental health. This is a self-controlled therapy chatbot in a mobile app, based on the “ROSE” protocol.
Mateo FernandezMarch student within the Department of Architecture: Fernandez explores the best way to break away from the present construction industry by designing alternatives similar to growing buildings with biomaterials and using advanced 3D printing technologies for construction.
Charlotte FolinusDoctoral student in Mechanical engineering department: Folinus develops recent methods for designing soft robots and uses these tools to design soft robots for gentle interactions, uncertain environments, and long mechanical lifetimes. “I'm really pleased to be surrounded by individuals who can do things that I can't do. Then I’m the very best version of myself. I believe that’s the community I’ll find here,” she says.
Alexander Htet KyawMaster's student in Department of Architecture and that Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science And MITdesignX Affiliate: Htet Kyaw's current research uses robotic assembly, multimodal interaction, and generative AI to challenge conventional manufacturing and fabrication practices. He is working on an AI-driven workflow that translates design intent into tangible objects through robotic assembly.
Denise Lopez PhD student in Department of Urbanism and Planning: As a Design Fellow, López uses design research to judge and expand the scope of Bicheeche Diidxa, a long-standing participatory disaster resilience motion research initiative focused on five Zapotec communities along the Los Perros River in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Caitlin MorrisPhD student in Media arts and sciences: Morris' research explores the role of multisensory influences on cognition and learning and seeks to seek out and construct bridges between digital and computer interfaces and practical, community-centered learning and teaching practices.
Maxine Perroni-ScharfPhD student in Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: Perroni-Scharf is currently working on developing techniques that enable the invention and design of utmost metamaterials – 3D printed materials that exhibit extreme properties based not on their chemical composition but on their structure. These could be applied to a wide range of tasks, from battery design to accessibility.
Lyle rainy weatherPhD student in Mechanical engineering department: Regenwetter develops methods to integrate design requirements similar to security constraints and performance goals into the training means of generative AI models.
Zane SchemmerPhD student in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Schemmer's research goals to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment by designing efficient structures that consider the provision of local materials.
