As part of their thesis project, DSI recently sponsored 2021 graduates Alyson Fraser Diaz and Nishita Chheda to attend a social design master class in Trauma-Informed Design Research taught by Sticky Design Studio in Australia. They wrote back to us with reflections on their experience and learnings: “While this was not our first workshop on…
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Our honors Fast Track program is kicking off the spring semester with new students and impactful projects! The selected students began developing these designs outside of DSI coursework, and have brought them into our space to be workshopped and developed at an accelerated rate. Damian Ashton (‘20) is prototyping ways to incentivize New Yorkers to…
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This year in Technologies for Designing Change II, our first-year students’ final assignment was to create videos articulating their learnings about facilitation and hosting conversations, or ideas for terms to describe new or emergent behaviors or phenomena. In response to the first prompt, Alyson Fraser Diaz broke the necessary parts of facilitation down into an…
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Though the virtual space has its limitations, being able to attend two design events from across the country in one weekend is a definite positive! This past week, second-year Alyson Fraser Diaz was able to attend both the Hue Design Summit and annual Allied Media Conference, and was kind enough to share her reflections on…
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This semester, our Fast Track honors program will feature three incredible teams working on impactful, timely projects across the globe. The selected students began developing these designs outside of DSI coursework, and have brought them into our space to be workshopped and developed at an accelerated rate. Second Years Bridget Qian and Shuyu Fang (‘21)…
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Our spring Fast Track students have completed the year with a group of evolved, socially relevant projects. Over the last few months, the three projects run by Bridget Qian, Shuyu Fang, Nishita Chheda, Alyson Fraser Diaz, Daphne Luo and Kehan Zhang have seen substantial growth. Second years Bridget Qian and Shuyu Fang’s (‘21) long-term project,…
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Next week, we will be returning in-person to SVA for our live Thesis Show! We’re so proud of the work our students have developed over the course of this uniquely challenging year, and know that their presentations will be extraordinary. The graduating cohort will be presenting their work at the SVA’s Theatre’s Beatrice Auditorium on…
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Side by Side Nishita Chheda & Alyson Fraser Diaz “Side By Side” is a system of tools and resources that supports the healing process for survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones. The goal of the project is to reimagine long-term support for people who have experienced sexual violence by strengthening interpersonal support.
Alyson Fraser Diaz comes to DSI from New Jersey. Alyson received a Bachelors degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and a Graphic Design certificate from Pratt. After graduating, she served a year in AmeriCorps then focused her work in the nonprofit sector. Alyson is passionate about women’s issues and is currently part…
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