2010 Fellows + Blog

Sahar Ghaheri

Ashley Thorfinnson

Jonathan Tucker

About

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Fellowship combines engagement in the review process of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge through a seminar component that explores Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science (CADS), a “whole-systems” approach to solving complex problems, developed by Buckminster Fuller. The fellowship is designed to engage outstanding and motivated graduate students in critical thinking and decision-making using the BFI Challenge entries as context to provide practical, ‘hands-on’, pedagogical experience assessing CADS-based design. Participants will work in tandem with the review team, the distinguished jury, and participate in the award ceremony events.

2009-2010 marks the pilot year for the fellowship and therefore participants will have a strong role in shaping how the program develops. The program has a dual purpose: (1) to enhance the capacity of the Buckminster Fuller Institute to cultivate a strong discourse around the CADS approach to solving complex problems and (2) to impart to the next generation of designers an in-depth experience using and evaluating CADS as a means to solve the world’s most pressing problems. The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Fellowship is highly competitive and provides a unique opportunity to contextualize, un-pack and understand systems thinking, systemic problems and innovative solutions. It also represents an excellent opportunity to inform thesis work and/or other academic assignments.

»About the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Fellowship_pdf
»David Walczyk, Ed.D. -Buckminster Fuller Institute, Educational Developer & Advisor

**Special Thanks to Deb Johnson, Director of the Center for Sustainable Design Studies at Pratt Institute for her contributions to the inaugural year of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Fellowship.

2010 Fellows

Sahar Ghaheri

Sahar Ghaheri is a designer and artist who grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received a BFA in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis and continued her studies at the Design Skolen Kolding in Denmark with a concentration in Industrial Design. She worked within this field at El Boutique Creative group, a Kuwait-based design firm, and held an internship at Karim Rashid in New York. Her experiences thus far have cemented her beliefs in sustainability and socially conscious design. She is also currently involved in New York based organizations such as Project H and Engineers Without Borders. Sahar is presently pursuing a masters degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute and part of the Center for Sustainable Design Studies Interns for Change. 2010 Fellowship Blog

Ashley Thorfinnson

Ashley Thorfinnson is an industrial designer who grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and moved eastward to pursue her undergraduate education at Dartmouth College. She is currently a second year graduate student at Pratt Institute in Industrial Design. As an active member of New York's design community, Ashley is a member of Project H's New York Chapter and Pratt's IDSA Student Chapter, as well as an Intern for Change at Pratt's Center for Sustainable Design Studies. Approaching design from a background in environmental studies and art, she is passionate about the idea of creating products, systems, and solutions that affect change on numerous scales through careful consideration of aesthetics, materiality, context and intent. More about her work can be found at www.coroflot.com/athorfy. 2010 Fellowship Blog

Jonathan Tucker

Jonathan Tucker is a graduate architecture student at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As an undergraduate, he had the opportunity to design a small, environmentally conscious residence in Boulder, Colorado in collaboration with his professor and mentor. In conjunction with the construction of this residence, his mentor and he developed a research project to re-imagine the typical garden shed. This shed was designed as a material research laboratory and prototype for a new construction typology employing an agricultural waste fiber board and soy-based structural insulated panel system, currently being developed for patent by his professor. He hopes to further engage sustainable design practices throughout his education and career, and expects his involvement with the Challenge to be a great learning experience towards this goal. Tucker is excited to be participating on the the Challenge review panel. He anticipates an amazing variety of inspirational submissions, and is honored to contribute to the selection process. 2010 Fellowship Blog

David Walczyk, Ed.D. Buckminster Fuller Institute, Educational Developer & Advisor

David Walczyk, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor @ Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science where he introduced design-thinking and design methods into the curriculum. He completed his doctorate with an emphasis in media ecology and interaction design at Columbia University. Prior to Pratt, he was a visiting scholar at the United States Library of Congress, a brand strategist on Madison Avenue, a designer at General Electric Research and Development, and a Fellow at the United States National Academy of Sciences where he helped to create the field of information technology and creative practices. Currently David teaches both human-centered design research methods and information design, within a media ecological and depth psychology framework. David has been instrumental in developing the fellowship program and will continue to provide oversight and help to build a national program.