MDes Student Projects Selected as Finalists in Berkeley’s Big Ideas Contest

Date

03/14/2021 12:00 am

Two MDes student projects have been selected as finalists in the Big Ideas competition at UC Berkeley.

These award-winning projects are among 26 finalists out of 300 applications for this competition that provides training, networks, recognition and funding to interdisciplinary teams of students who have transformative solutions to real-world problems.

Mobile Parklets for Flexible Outdoor Learning (Nimble Spaces), a project founded by MDes students Roland Saekow and Titus Ebbecke and collaborators in the M. Arch. and MBA programs at UC Berkeley.Description: More students are attending school virtually than ever before. Many of these students have distracting environments, lacking both means and resources at home to facilitate an effective educational experience. Nimble Spaces aims to improve the learning experience for many students without adequate access to technology by implementing a mobile study space. Students who are disadvantaged by virtual instruction would be able to work in a converted parking space that serves as a decentralized learning center.
Limb-O2: Multi-patient Attachment for Medical Ventilators, a project that Abhi Ghavalkar founded with a friend in England and invited MDes students Mercedes Saldana and Peipei Lin to join to take the product further.Description: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for ventilators around the world. In Africa, fewer than 2,000 ventilators serve millions across 41 countries. Limb-O2 is a medical device that plugs into an existing ventilator and increases ventilator capacity of any medical facility. It is cost-effective and accessible for low-resource areas, allowing up to four patients to share a single device. The novel technology serves as a lifeline to patients in need of a ventilator.

Big Ideas finalist teams receive ongoing support from Big Ideas and are assigned an expert mentor to guide their work to transform their ideas into action. Award winners will be announced in May and win prizes from $5,000 to $20,000.