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Brown and RISD students converge to inspire international community for social change
09/23/2011
Providence,
RI to host annual, student-run “A Better World by Design” Conference:
September
30-October 2, 2011
PROVIDENCE, RI - A global community of innovative
thinkers, professionals and students will gather in Providence the weekend of
Sept. 30-Oct 2 to share and create new experiences in social and environmental
design. Organized entirely by students from Brown University and the Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD), “A Better World by Design”
(www.abetterworldbydesign.com) is a three-day, internationally acclaimed
conference—drawing more than 1,000 attendees in 2010.
Now in its fourth year, the conference evolves to foster new
discussions, connections and innovations between leaders in architecture,
design, engineering, economics, education, entrepreneurship, environmental
studies, business, politics and global development—all converging to explore
design’s role as an integrative application for world improvement.
“I went in feeling old; I left feeling young,” Brian Jepson, O’Reilly
editor, programmer, and co-author of Mac OS X for Unix Geeks and Learning Unix
for Mac OS X Panther commented. “Instead of the occasional surprise at learning
something from a young whippersnapper in a hallway conversation, I was ready to
be schooled by the next generation of designers, makers, artists, and thinkers,
and got both what I wanted and what I richly deserved.”
“A Better World by Design” features talented speakers, panelists and
workshop leaders who develop trailblazing solutions to pressing social and
environmental problems. Topics and speakers for this year include: planning and
designing living/learning spaces (Steven Bingler, President of architectural
design firm Concordia), revitalizing declining industrial cities (Mayor John
Fetterman of Braddock, PA), supporting communities in need with pro-bono
architecture and design services (Kate Stohr, Managing Director for Architecture
for Humanity) and diversifying educational/teaching strategies (Trung Le,
co-author of The Third Teacher). Full bios and information are available on our
website.
Additionally, the winners of the second annual Better World Challenge
(BWC), the conference’s student-design challenge, will be announced and
showcased at the conference. Engaging students to create tangible, real-world
solutions, this year’s Better World Challenge focuses on reimagining coastal
communities. The winners receive $1,000 and
an opportunity to see their design through with our partner, New-England
non-profit Save the Bay (savebay.org). Full details of the challenge are here:
abetterworldbydesign.com/wp-content/themes/bxd_splash/challenge.pdf.
The conference also features workshop and tour sessions that give
attendees an up-close, hands-on platform into local, social and sustainable
design projects aimed at improving the Greater Providence community. These
sessions utilize the city’s forward thinking attitude and rich history for
innovation as a case study to model worldwide. They’re usually pretty fun too. On the topic of fun, included in
the ticket price are the weekend’s nightly social events, which will feature a
dueling piano show, a bike-powered DJ and local food trucks (including the
popular Mama Kim serving Korean BBQ). All meals are included, and it’s no
ordinary conference fare—this year, we’re partnering with Real Time Farms so
you can check an interactive menu online and know exactly where your food comes
from. Local, sustainable cuisine is our focus.
For more details and registration updates, visit
http://www.abetterworldbydesign.com/.
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