Brown/RISD Master of Arts in Design Engineering Bridges Disciplines

A smart cutting board that integrates AI and teaches beginners to cook. An easy-to-use menstrual blood collection device that allows women to home-test for endometriosis. Compostable food packaging and edible, flavored utensils. These are just a few of the creative product designs dreamed up by grad students enrolled in the Brown/RISD Master of Arts in Design Engineering (MADE) program. Launched in 2021, the highly selective, 11-month master’s program focuses on collaboration and problem solving, allowing students to develop iterative making skills and produce small­ and large-scale work that addresses real-world issues and improves people’s lives.

“About half of the students come in with a design background—anything from user experience to animation to architecture—and the other half with mechanical engineering or computer science backgrounds,” says Program Director Beth Altringer Eagle. “What differentiates ours from other programs is the collaborative effort to work across the design-engineering divide.”

Each cohort begins their studies in July, participating in a bootcamp-style summer session that kicks off the core studio sequence. During the fall and spring semesters, the students may take two elective courses at Brown or RISD in addition to the core studios. Although there is no official thesis project, the spring semester culminates in an in-depth project that students present to the public via RISD’s annual Graduate Thesis Exhibition during Commencement weekend. Upon completion of the program, they receive a single joint degree from Brown and RISD.

Over the course of the year, they make use of RISD’s many resources, including the RISD Museum, the Nature Lab and the Fleet Library, and collaborate with local institutions such as the Providence Children’s Museum and the Museum of Science in Boston. Graduates of the program, Altringer Eagle notes, typically go on to work in design research, human/computer interaction or roles that combine tech with design, finance, climate or health. Some pursue PhD programs that combine design and engineering.

On a snowy January day, the class is back from the winter holiday break and eager to get back to work. Altringer Eagle leads a data visualization exercise to help the group consider the different disciplinary lenses each student brings to the work and identify gaps in skills and competencies. The students discuss the projects they completed in the fall semester and reflect on how they have grown since July.

Zhiyu Zhang MADE 25 worked independently on a film pre-production project that allows filmmakers to collaboratively create storyboards using VR and AI technology. “The AI component creates refined versions of the sketches you make using a magnetic pen, animates them and even approximates camera movements and angles,” she explains. “The system allows people to collaborate remotely, similar to the way Figma works.”

Summer (Huiyu) Chen MADE 25 created a nature-inspired MIDI controller and is also working on developing new “biomusical instruments” and smart wearable devices. “My goal is to use sound technology to improve performance with future orchestras and create human-centered designs for better expression,” she says.

Elmer Handojo MADE 25 and Natalia Escobar MADE 25 are collaborating on ChopSmart, a birchwood cutting board integrating AI they envision for young people just learning how to cook. It was inspired, Escobar notes, by the ghost chef in the animated film Ratatouille, who whispers recipes and advice into the protagonist’s ear. “The digital component is voice-activated so it stays clean in the kitchen and feels a lot like cooking with a friend,” she adds. “We’re still playing around with various accents, but for now ChopSmart is British.”

On the medical technology front, Ruchi Ukhade MADE 25, Noopur Kabra MADE 25 and Sarah Fletcher MADE 25 are working with biochemist Christine Metz, who specializes in biomarkers, on a home device for testing menstrual blood for endometriosis, a condition that 10-15% of women have. Using a 3D printer and medical-grade silicone, they created a small collection cup that works with a menstrual pad and conforms to the shape of a woman’s body to make the process comfortable for users. “We’re hoping to take the project further,” Fletcher notes, “by allowing users to test the blood themselves at home rather than mailing it to a lab.”

Altringer Eagle says that the student projects amaze her year after year. “You have to understand both disciplines—design and engineering—and ask a lot of questions to figure out the best way to do things,” she explains. “Those are valuable skills we teach in this program, along with the power of iterative prototyping and testing and frequent critiques centered around learning goals and decision making.”

Simone Solondz / top photo by Cherie Daniel
January 13, 2025