research + writing
The Space In Between
transitional space in play arenas
Abstract
As first described by Donald Winnicott, play takes place in a “transitional space between the inner and outer reality which enables creative action… a transitional reality in which one can experiment with different ways of relating to the external world” (Van Leeuwen and Westwood 2008). This paper aims to make this abstract space literal by examining play arenas that exist on the cusp of land and water, with specific focus on games conducive to immersive teenage and adult play like ‘capture the flag’. A varied play location demands players oscillate between land & water, grass & mud, high elevation & low, each environmental transition facilitating a shift in movement or change in how people interact. This project maps binary oppositions apparent in the play environment, objects, interactions, and movements of players, and then locates play as the ever changing, self-chosen points within these spectrums. The result is a proposed framework for examining play spaces that emphasizes materiality, scale, bounds, and variance as key to adult play.
To be presented at Fashion and Play Symposium April 2024
email for draft
Leveraging Play and Rube Goldberg Machines to Teach 21st Century + Design Skills
Abstract
In an AI-dominated landscape, creative, collaborative, and open-ended problem solving are increasingly critical skills. Traditional science and design toys pair stepwise instructions with single-configuration forms, while pixel-based building sys-tems become an extension of the user’s existing capacity. By requiring creative re-imagination of everyday objects, chain reaction (rube goldberg) machines are a promising concept for practicing and expanding creative design skills through play. We calibrated formal and instructional constraints across two major design iterations, utilizing ethnographic interviewing, behavioral observation, and documentation of creative output to understand, quantify, and react to the impact of design changes. Paired with appropriate creative restraints, a chain reaction-based play experience led children to intuitively, independently, and successfully engage with the design process from problem identification to functional solution, expanding and enhancing their design abilities. This product and the play experience it creates are significant in proving play as a vehicle to develop 21st century skills. Keywords: play-based learning; 21st century skills; design education; rube goldberg machine
To be presented at the 2024 Design Research Society Conference Boston June 2024
email for draft
a guidebook for electrifying battery electric buses
A comprehensive guidebook for policymakers and transit agencies on the implementation of Battery Electric Buses
Project: National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program, 2018
Published 2021
other
2020