Breakthroughs in technological capabilities relating to gene editing, robotics, and AI are anticipated to greatly change the way we live. How might we challenge new technologies to respond to real human needs, the undervalued power of playfulness, and the tricky, tangled problems affecting people globally? Students will imagine new realities that might allow for engagement with the life forms all around us. How does a microscopic being feel? If an infectious agent could see, how would it see? Instruction will include presentations and guided discussions covering the works of artists and designers who have used art to conceptually respond to "wicked problems," including infectious disease, decreasing clean water resources, and endangered species. 

Led by a public health practitioner with extensive experience as a graphic designer, this course takes a multi-pronged investigation into the interdisciplinary futures of biology, health, and technology. Students are encouraged to explore speculative design creations, existing interdisciplinary collaborations, and artistic, conceptual pieces. We will also cover existing, more traditional ways that artists and designers have contributed to the science and industry sector. Visiting lecturers from community labs and design agencies will share their perspectives. 

This course challenges students to broadly learn about inventive ways to engage with science and to ideate on a final project: a design solution that is either speculative or functional.