This semester is the first semester in which we AAP students are able to take the Product Development Studio at Cornell Tech. It is an exciting opportunity for us to be working in multidisciplinary teams with students from different backgrounds and with vastly different experiences. Leading companies, start-ups and non-for-profit organizations pose challenges in the form of an “How might we…” question. In response, teams develop and present new products, services and strategies.
The most exciting part of the challenge is to be collaborating with students from the Cornell Tech Campus – engineers, lawyers, computer scientists, as well as students from the Parsons New School of Design – to maximize cross-disciplinary learning. The main tool that we are using to create an amazing product or service are the big ideas from multiple academic disciplines. The moment we put the different tools together and with the knowledge of how to wield them properly we can begin to think creatively about a problem and its solution.
My team and I were presented a challenge from NYC GISMO, “How might we better understand the condition and the environment surrounding underground infrastructure (water and gas pipes, fiber, electric lines, etc.) to help with construction, maintenance, and disaster preparedness?” For which, we are currently brainstorming on different technologies and services that can improve the data accuracy and inter-operability of underground infrastructure. We recently had the exciting opportunity to meet our company advisors at the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to brainstorm different ideas! We even saw an exhibit that showed the old wood pipes used to supply water across the city.
Some of the other projects that my fellow AAP students are working on the different ways in which we may empower citizens to affect urban change, optimizing spatial design and mobile technology to optimize workplace productivity as well as integrating transit facilities for urban air mobility vehicles into local communities among others. Throughout the semester will have several design marathons and critiques to realize our vision!
The class has opened many doors and is a great step outside of our comfort zone!