Samantha Lang
Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design
K-State College of Architecture, Planning and Design
How did you arrive at being environmentally aware and interested in sustainability?
I always liked the environment, but the importance of sustainability to the architectural profession was really stressed in some of my introductory courses and this is when I really started to take notice of my everyday actions. Also, when I started learning about product design and manufacturing processes, this opened my eyes to the opportunities designers have to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and take responsibility for creating environmentally conscious things.
What is your personal sustainability research about?
For my Masters of Interior Architecture and Product Design I have been working on a year-long project to develop an interactive classroom tool that offers students in grades 4-6 a holistic view of sustainable issues. I designed a kit that related geography and renewable resources, and developed different components to present this information to students. By applying principles of graphic design to the support materials and improving and updating the user interaction, my intent was to increase student's interest in the subject matter. I made and revised a series of prototypes to improve the functionality of the product, and performed two classroom trials to test the success of the product.
What are some of the most innovative ideas you have seen relating to sustainability on campus or locally?
I really enjoy innovative examples of re-use. I think that creative reuse of buildings, skateboards, truck tarps, etc. is a great way to give new life to old things-and the results are often really unique!
Given the various experiences that students have, how would you design a class that would resonate with them to advance the concept and practice of sustainability?
The emPOWER the FUTURE kit that I designed has four activities that aim to appeal to all types of learners. I tried to relate the information in the infobooks to students, and present it in a way that was accessible, not scary or hard-to-understand. When I put together the postcards, the idea was that they would see how people around the country are utilizing renewable resources. It would be great then, if the students could make their own postcards to describe how they would use renewable resources. One main goal of the kit was just to promote discussion about the topic of renewable resources-to put the idea in their head so that they might think about it more often. So if a student hears about wind energy on the news after an experience with the kit, they will have some background information, or context, for the new information that they are receiving.
If you have questions or would like more information about Samantha Lang's emPOWER the FUTURE kit, please contact her at samanthalang1@gmail.com.
