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This year, our graduates have once again developed brilliant projects that solve social problems and prepare them for careers as creative leaders.

Please join us for the show, featuring design programs that make life better for cancer survivors, intervene in the flow of ocean-bound plastics, transform clinic design to improve health inside American jails, connect people on the autism spectrum through making, bring visibility and equity to unmarried women in China, facilitate conversations about sexual health between mothers and daughters, engage young people in curtailing food waste, support artists and craftspeople from other cultures, support Black women through cultural sensitivity and empowerment, protect canners and the future of local recycling, reclaim a South Bronx park from an opioid crisis, build confidence in stutterers, connect and support seniors in nursing homes, overcome racial bias due to ignorance and provide access to vital services for non-native English speakers.

For you, it will be fun and inspiring. Please join us.

The annual DSI Thesis Show presentations will be held on Tuesday May 1st, from 1pm to 5pm at the SVA Theatre.

 

Watch Here

Thesis Projects

A green circle around a syringe littered in the grass. Below this in green text over a background of rocks reads:

[ _______________ ] Estuvo Aquí / Was Here

A program that applies the social design process to the effort to solve the overwhelming issues of the opioid epidemic in public parks. Estuvo Aquí/Was Here shifts from working on the symptoms of public injection and discarded syringes to the urgent need for supporting health in the most vulnerable populations.

A collage of four black women of different ages posing in various ways for the camera.

32 Flavors of Black Women

Exploring how the intersectionality of being black and a woman affects self-discovery and perception of future selves, 32 Flavors creates a safe space to be accepted and validated while experiencing their multi-faceted identity.

A black and white image of garbage bins and bags. On the left, in teal text reads:

Canversation

More than 7,000 “local recyclers” divert recyclables from the landfills, but their contribution is not known. Canversation provides an interactive stage and behind-the-scenes understanding that changes the way New Yorkers see their lives and contributions.

A black and white image of two Asian women smiling in conversation with people. On the right side of the image is a pink circle with an icon of a person with wings. The wings are teal. Below this in white cursive text reads:

Flying Solo Salon

In China, the term “leftover women” is a slur identifying women who have passed the usual age of marriage. Flying Solo Salon is an identity and community building program that helps women challenge the stigma.

A white and pale blue background. The blue part takes up the lower half of the image and has a graphic of a white spoon on top of it. Above this in orange text reads:

Guardians of the Ocean Club

An in-school program that inspires children to rescue beloved ocean species by reducing plastic trash, and through them, to influence adults to do the same.

A background image of woven garments. In white text in the bottom left corner reads:

h.woven

A program that uses rich, indigenous stories to address the unintended chasm between African-born immigrant vendors and the communities in which they live.

White text on a purple background that reads:

Headway: A Survivors’ Guide To Survivorship

A real-time survivor’s guide to support for cancer survivors, Headway connects survivors to each other, and to caring experts who can give them what they need to thrive.

A black and white background image showing a corner of the head of the Statue of Liberty. In the center of the image is a graphic of a woman's head with a small question mark next to it. Written next to this in black text reads:

Hey Polly

An open-source online platform which helps communities and cities with limited English proficient populations (LEP) create more equitable access to vital services.

Just Ask.

How can the design of health clinics inside jails and prisons improve people’s ability to give and receive healthcare? Can it change the fact that people behind bars lose two years of life expectancy for every one they spend there? Just Ask is a novel and simple approach that surfaces solutions from the patients and providers themselves.

A blue rectangle over an off-white background encloses blue text reading

Moms Make Books

A bookmaking workshop for mothers with children between ages 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.

A brown circle with a graphic of a bitten banana and a lowercase 'r'. Below this in brown text reads:

Rebite

Helping reduce the half a billion pounds of fruit waste generated annually by restaurants in New York City by training young chefs to become zero-waste chefs who repurpose excess fruit into innovative dishes and beverages.

A purple background with three dark teal rectangles on in. In the center rectangle in light teal text reads:

The MakeGuffin Project

A relating-by-making environment for and by individuals on the Autism spectrum that enables individuals to bond and develop informal support systems as they share a common goal around a passion project.

A white man in a maroon shirt wearing a virtual reality headset.

VRbal

A step-by-step approach to building confidence and reducing anxiety in people who stutter, particularly in stressful situations, such as job interviews.

A red background with white cursive text that reads:

Yummy Secret

A program that creates closer relationships between local communities and seniors in nursing homes through recipe and memory sharing.

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