Since its launch in 2022, the MIT Morningside Academy of Design (MAD) has supported fellowships for MIT graduate students, allowing recipients to pursue design research and projects while creating community. They explore solutions in fields such as sustainability, health, architecture, urban planning, engineering, and social justice across various aspects of design.
On May 1, MAD announced its 2024 cohort of Design Fellows at the MIT Museum.
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Meet the MIT MAD 2024 Design Fellows
Video: MIT Morningside Design Academy
Sophia Chiappero, an MCP student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and an MITdesignX affiliate: Chiappero works around the intersection of community development and technology with the goal of addressing challenges faced by underserved communities at risk of displacement in Latin America. Through a combination of social science and digital inclusion, she designs new approaches to study human interactions and replicate them in virtual environments, seeking to preserve the identity of these communities and provide visibility into their resilient growth.
Clemence Coouteau, an MBA candidate at the MIT Sloan School of Management: Couteau is addressing the rise in postpartum depression among U.S. mothers, with the goal of developing digital solutions to help at-risk pregnant women improve their mental health outcomes. This includes a self-directed therapy chatbot in a mobile app based on the “ROSE” protocol.
Mateo FernandezMaster of Architecture student: Fernandez explores ways to design alternatives outside of the current construction industry, such as using biomaterials to grow buildings and deploying advanced 3D printing technologies in buildings.
charlotte pollinus, PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Folinus uses these tools to create new ways to design soft robots by designing soft robots for smooth interactions, uncertain environments, and long machine lifetimes. “I’m so glad I’m surrounded by people who can do what I can’t. At that time, I am my best self. I think that’s the community I find here,” she says.
Alexander Htet Kyaw, master's student in the Department of Architecture, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and MITdesignX affiliate: Htet Kyaw's current research leverages robotic assembly, multimodal interaction, and generative AI to challenge existing manufacturing and fabrication practices. He is researching AI-based workflows that translate design intent into tangible objects through robotic assembly.
Denny Lopez López, a PhD candidate in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning: Design Fellow, will use design research to evaluate and expand the scope of Bicheeche Diidxa', a long-standing participatory action research initiative for disaster resilience focused on five Zapotec communities in the Los Region . The Faroes River in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Caitlin MorrisPhD Candidate in Media Arts and Sciences: Morris's research explores the role of multisensory influences on cognition and learning and seeks to find and build bridges between digital and computer interfaces and hands-on, community-centered learning and teaching practices.
Maxine Perroni Sharp, PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: Perroni-Scharf is currently developing technologies that enable the discovery and design of extreme metamaterials (3D-printed materials that exhibit extreme properties that arise from their chemical composition, rather than their composition) . structure. This can be applied to a variety of tasks, from battery design to accessibility.
Lyle rainy weatherPhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering: Regenwetter develops methods to integrate design requirements, such as safety constraints and performance goals, into the training process of generative AI models.
Jane ShemmerPhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering: Schemmer's research goal is to minimize the carbon footprint of the built environment by designing efficient structures that take into account the availability of local materials.