Creative Design for Affordability Finally Launches!

Last time I wrote about the Creative Design for Affordability class, I left off at the point where we'd obtained approval from the curriculum committee. My colleague and co-conspirator, Charles Lo, and I had a lot of work to do in order to bring the course from vision to actuality.

Well, I'm happy to report that we've just completed Week 1 of the course, and it's so far exceeded my expectations on just about every level. Take turnout, for example. We took a big risk not advertising the course broadly to the entire Johnson School student body, instead relying on word of mouth and a few student clubs to deliver our message to only the most excited, dedicated students.

Some members of our administration thought it best to keep the number of students in the class small -- around 32 -- due to its experimental nature. So imagine our delight when over 50 students from across campus showed up this Monday. We had students from engineering, urban planning, public affairs, architecture, sociology, business, and more. When we asked everyone to introduce themselves to the class, I reckoned that we might have brought together one of the most diverse sets of students ever assembled on this campus.

Okay, so we have students. What are we going to do with them? Since I last reported, the class has gained a more coherent direction, and we have succeeded in partnering with local organizations, with whom we developed design challenges that cross-disciplinary teams of students will work to address with working models and prototypes.

Half of the student teams will work on a project that includes developing a bicycle-powered corn grinder for Compos Mentis, an area non-profit farm that teaches life skills to adults with mental illnesses. The other half of the student teams will work with Comet Skateboards, a local start-up that builds skateboards and apparel with eco-friendly materials. In both instances, the challenges entail developing products that are gentle on the environment, and affordable to the consumer or end user.

Representatives from both organizations attended the first class session, where they presented some background on their organizations and delivered their respective challenges to the teams.

In Session 2 on Wednesday, we held a three-hour design workshop with Boston-based design firm Design Continuum. They're most famous for developing the Swiffer floor cleaning system, the Reebok pump shoe, and other social innovations like the One Laptop Per Child project, in conjunction with Nicholas Negroponte at MIT.

Arranging the Design Continuum workshop, then meeting and talking with our two guests from that group, was amazing for me. I continue to learn how important and practical design thinking can be, not just for design firms but for all organizations seeking the best and most creative solutions to problems.

After Spring Break, we get into the meat of the class, where the teams actually start brainstorming and building. I will continue to update everyone on the progress of the class, as well as our continuing success in making connections with different departments across campus. My colleague, Charles, has a vision of using our course as a launchpad to founding a Cornell Design Institute, and every day, with every contact and connection made, it comes one step closer to becoming a reality.

Some more background on our partners:

About Comet Skateboards: Comet Skateboards is the leading manufacturer of high performance green composite skateboards. Comet uses a unique blend of regionally sourced materials that result in strong, light skateboards. By purchasing raw materials regionally, Comet contributes to a vibrant local living economy and does not create excess pollution by shipping materials all over the world. Comet Skateboards has exclusive use of e2e biocomposites for skateboards and are made with paints and adhesives that do not off-gas harmful chemicals. Comet skateboards last longer than any skateboard on the market and when they have been shredded to the end they will safely turn back into fertile dirt if composted. With its ecologically safe materials, Comet scraps can be used to fertilize gardens, heat homes, make bonfires, serve as media for works of art, etc. More info at www.cometskateboards.com.

About Compos Mentis: Compos Mentis: Working Toward Wellness, Inc. is a day program for adults learning to live with a mental illness. Through the quiet, orderly discipline of communal farm work, we help adults burdened by illness develop the patience, self-confidence, and hope they need to reclaim the power to lead productive lives. We also aim to alleviate the stress experienced by family members and close friends, and to create an environment where people with significant mental health challenges can demonstrate their capabilities to others. Participants in our program spend their days at the farm where their recovery and wellness and supported through meaningful work and supportive group activity. More information about the program can be obtained by visiting the Compos Mentis website at composmentisithaca.org.

Spring Classes

I just realized I've been so concerned with launching the Creative Design for Affordability class (which starts next week and is going really well) that I never gave a rundown of the classes I'm already taking this semester.

By far, the star of my spring semester classes so far has been Becoming a Leader with Professor Jim Detert. This is the first time Prof. Detert has taught this class to the full-time MBA students, previously delivering it to the Cornell-Queens Executive programs. Though it was a double session on Monday nights, Prof. Detert organized the class such that it didn't miss a beat. Further, when the Cornell-Queens students were on campus, he twice arranged for panels of the students to come to our class to discuss cases in a live format. After class on both occasions, Prof. Detert arranged social hours afterwards so that we could network with the EMBA students. This is the kind of effort and the kind of connections that we need more of, and I applaud the professor for a great class. The readings were current, and the assignments urged us all to think more deeply about our own leadership experiences and goals in a surprisingly concrete and applicable way.

Other than Becoming a Leader, I'm also taking a class in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations called Organizational Consulting. It's geared toward helping HR professionals both within organizations and working as outside consultants to help companies solve their human-related issues. I'm enjoying it and will be doing a live consulting project with American Express to help the company become more innovative.

Managing Technology and Innovation is also an interesting class, taught by Wes Sine, who's an expert on technology commercialization, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship. The final class I'm taking is called The Political, Legal, and Social Environment of Business, taught by Professor Ben Ho. Prior to becoming a Johnson School professor, Ben Ho worked in the Bush White House as an energy economist. Hearing about his experiences there, and about the underappreciated elements of business strategy that deal with the public sector, the media, and other interests is fascinating.

Overall, I'm incredibly happy again with my classes. I'll write again soon with an update on Creative Design for Affordability.