MIX Lab Year in Review - 2020
2020 has been quite a year -- from the challenges of COVID-19 to the powerful call for justice that the Black Live Matter movement has catalyzed, and the ever-greater realization that the human-caused climate emergency must be confronted quickly and so much else that happened seems to blur -- and this is not over. We have all been challenged to pivot and reinvent both what we do and how we do it. The School of Business prides itself in its power to innovate and here at the MIX Lab (where innovation is in our name: Making and Innovating for X -- and our DNA,) we have had a very busy year innovating. As we do every year, we would like to highlight some of what we did this year:
Covid-19 Response:
Shield our Heroes
In March when the first wave of COVID-19 swept through this region overwhelming hospitals and other healthcare facilities, we jumped into action. With the support of our community via donations and in collaboration with Design Shed and over 200 volunteers we designed, made, and delivered over 34,000 units of PPE. Our students -- both former and current, were at the heart of this effort -- they designed a highly effective face shield that is cheap and fast to make. Before settling on a deliverable design we went through dozens of prototypes and revisions. Additionally, they designed and produced numerous other types of PPE and medical equipment. It was a real moment to see what we teach about innovation, entrepreneurship, and ethics in action! Design Shed, our partner organization on this effort has some great videos.
Grants and Research
NSF Grant Proposal, in collaboration with and submitted by Dr. Nina Goodey, in conjunction with Amy Tuninga and the PSEG Sustainability program, entitled "RUI: Development of a rapid aptamer-based lateral flow assay for Ranavirus, an emerging amphibian pathogen." The MIX Lab designed the prototype for the grant. If the grant is accepted the prototype will be 3D Printed in mass. Further, the prototype’s 3D print file will be distributed to scientists for in-zone printing to minimize the carbon footprint of distribution and speed use.
Social Innovation Programming in Response to Covid
In addition to looking more closely at innovation strategies for resilience in our classes, we folded in much of what we had learned about responding to COVID-19 into teaching three summer programs for high school students. These programs involved innovation, social entrepreneurship, urban design, and community engagement (with members of the city council, school board, and the mayor participating in one of our programs).
Weston Scholars - Innovating Urban Design in the Age of Covid
Kent Place - Ethical Entrepreneurship 2020
BELA 2020 - 2 cohorts: Reimagining the South End of Montclair in the Age of Covid
Intra-University Collaborations
This year has been a busy year for collaborations across MSU. We have continued to deepen our engagement with our core areas of research: Innovation, Creativity, Social and Ecological Entrepreneurship, tools for change, and technological innovation.
Green Teams 2020 PSEG Green Teams. Based on Venture Well Grant. We taught modules on Design Thinking, Innovation Design, Social Entrepreneurship and Systems Thinking
Panel discussion on Urban Ecology: Presented on Race, Ecology and Urban Design
We have been active in developing: The Indigenous Peoples Challenge, and the Land Recognition Statement
Creativity & Mathematical Topology Research:
Partnered with Professor Steven Greenstein
Designed and carried out a research experiment
Applying for NSF grant
Independent study program in Embodied Cognition and Innovation
Art Programs: We have been collaborating with the Art Department on 3d printer research and sharing of skills/knowledge to develop more robust ideas of design, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Peak Performances: We have been in discussion with Peak Performances to support/collaborate with the Indigenous artist Emily Johnson in 2021
Writing Program: Course collaboration with Professor Jennifer Holly-Wells - students worked together in teams to develop and create products that they pitched to the class.
Other Departments: As part of our mission to break down silos on campus we have been working with faculty in many departments on research as diverse as protein folding, data visualization, placemaking, design education, ecosystem monitoring, innovative models of teaching literature, topology, embodied cognition, process philosophy, eco-cybernetics, and management, etc.
Prints for Faculty research: We printed various projects in collaboration with faculty across campus.
Working with Local Community
This year we have done quite a bit with our community in Montclair and the region especially around COVID-19. One very valuable partnership has been with Montclair Design Week, where our students and former students have had a chance to showcase their work, lead programs, give back, and network with our amazing local talent. We had over a dozen students and former students this year develop and participate in programming from Afro-Futurism, to Urban Ecology to Design + Entrepreneurship. The faculty participated as well in a number of internationally attended virtual workshops and discussions.
International Engagements
While many conferences and workshops were canceled or postponed, we still managed to get out in the world (mainly virtually):
The TEA 2020 happened prior to and during the beginnings of COVID-19. We hosted students from Austria and visited Austria during spring break 2020 with everyone staying safe. We visited many centers of innovation and entrepreneurship regionally and in Austria. Students learned key skills for international business and entrepreneurship while developing as a team a green innovation.
Moderator: Going Global: Entrepreneurship Abroad Panel
University of New South Wales, Australia visiting professorship (virtual): workshop, lecture, discussions, and crits around topics of innovation, placemaking, ecology, and design
Presented at Ars Electronica 2020: Workshop and panel discussion on Urban Ecosystems and Social Entrepreneurship.
Running the MIX Lab
This was an especially challenging year for the lab itself, we had to reconfigure the space and put in place rigorous hygiene protocols, but despite the challenges, the lab kept running:
Number of prints:
2,500+ estimated prints
New Hardware Installed:
2 Ultimakers - Model S3 and S5 loaned by Ultimaker to the lab to test
23 MakerBots Replicator+ printers which replaced 23 original MakerBot 5th gen printers
Network improvements increasing online reliability
New Videos + Podcasts
Improved Social media outreach, online support, and website development
Entrepreneurial Programs
With fewer classes in the lab, our Student Entrepreneurs in Residence program took off: we had ten student entrepreneurs working on amazing projects from the spring till now. This program has had a great track record of fostering successful entrepreneurial businesses and having students hired for innovation roles in businesses. Some examples of what was done:
Alex Macdonald - Developed new designs for face masks and other COVID related products. Mastered and taught the community new printing and design techniques. Worked on high-end design collaborations, and partnered with international artist Victoria Vesna to design and develop and exhibit in Vienna.
Altarik Banks - launched Homa: a custom home goods and ceramics business. This summer he got his first international sales and now things are taking off.
Justin Morris-Morano: developing new ecological tools and processes
Ashley Allyen - entrepreneurial collaborations on accessory design and Shoe soles for Coach.
Jezreel Deseo - Designed and launched a collection of fashion + accessories at our downtown Innovation Center.
We also supported and mentored the winning competition teams.
Upcoming in 2021
We have big plans for the next year and we see many opportunities to bring what we do online, and collaborate in the school of business, across campus, and with our community. If you have any thoughts or wish to collaborate on any of this please reach out to us:
Launching a virtual speaker series this spring on Innovation and Entrepreneurship -- we hope to cover everything from social entrepreneurship, to the critical history of innovation, to technology and entrepreneurship, and much else.
Working with the Management department faculty to support their curriculum by developing discreet educational modules: Design Thinking, Innovation Design, Systems Thinking, 3d tools for data visualization, Resilient Innovation, 3d printing for product innovation, Rapid Prototyping, The goal is to offer these more broadly to SBUS in the future.