Future thinking, today.
Apply to MFA DSI to learn the design mindsets and capabilities to support people and the planet.
- How can design shift us towards more healthy, caring systems?
- What conditions and collaborations enable communities, systems, and ecosystems to thrive?
- How can eco-social design increase innovation and our capacities for change?
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SVA Alumni Scholarship Award Winners 2026
Ae Duk Lee & Iris Pan (MFA DSI ’26) received this award for their “Moving STEM Library,” which examines how New York City can expand high-quality, age-appropriate, and affordable hands-on STEM opportunities for New York City families.
Xiaolan Fu, Hao Jie Sim, and Kelsey Zhang (MFA DSI ’26) thesis project, Aging in Play, continues to receive recognition for exploring how play can become a shared community practice that supports health, connection, and agency for older adults. In partnership with Open Door Older Adult Center, the project develops an accessible play kit and shared experiences that help play take root in community life.
Embodied Design Course - Virtual Info Session: March 24
Join this virtual information session to learn more about the Embodied Design Lab, our summer MFA DSI Continuing Education course. Architect, designer, and eco-social practitioner Kimberly Tate will introduce the core ideas behind embodied design.
Read Corwin Green's Summer 2025 IPAxSVA Ecology Fellowship reflections
MFA DSI Communication Design faculty, Corwin Green, reflects on his Summer 2025 experience as MFA DSI as the Institute for Public Architecture’s inaugural IPAxSVA Ecology Fellow on Governor’s Island NYC.
Three New Social Design Blogs by MFA DSI Alum
Social design is an ever-evolving practice. Writing, speaking, and sharing are also essential aspects of our work, contributing to the growing and changing field of social innovation. Read more from Grace Kwon, Brielle Mariucci, and Edwin Mauricio Olivera, DSI alum who keep asking the necessary questions.
Moms Make Books
Pilar Finuccio (MFA DSI ’18)
Moms Make Books is a bookmaking workshop for mothers with children between the ages of 4 and 12 who want sexual health development to begin at home – and include the messages and values they want to impart to their children.