Meet the Team
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Dr. Yoon Jung Choi, with a PhD from the Royal College of Art in London, whose research explores the intersection of social and environmental innovation within product-service and systems design. Her research is distinguished by influential collaborations with both industry and public entities, reflecting her dedication to transforming the future of design practices. She is now assistant professor in Industrial Design at Virginia Tech. In an era where product obsolescence is the norm, Yoon is passionate about the role and responsibilities of the design professional and seeks to explore how we can add value to our everyday lives through design.
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Hiromi Okumura is a collegiate assistant professor at Virginia Tech, an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. Hiromi is a visual and performance artist. As an artist, Hiromi would like to contribute to making the world a better place with her creativity. She would like to change the way people perceive life and experience the world. Art is her contribution to a world where art, Science and life come together as a holistic journey. Hiromi would like her art to lift people's spirits; it should be love songs and cheers to human life.
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Prof. Brook Kennedy explores broad topics in sustainable design, bioinspiration and renewable materials. Informed by an award-winning industrial design career, Kennedy's research endeavors to fundamentally redirect current design practices towards a zero-waste, equitable future. Kennedy is widely published and has earned numerous international recognitions and patents for his work. He graduated with an MFA in Design from Stanford University.
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Dr. Kim is a 10+ year expert of the bioplastic and biopolymer industry with experience in bioplastics, smart packaging, biosensor, and the nano-composite structure of packaging. Dr. Kim graduated from Clemson University majoring in Packaging Science and joined the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials in 2010 as a co-founder of the packaging B.S. degree program. He teaches classes in packaging materials (paper, corrugated and bioplastic polymers) and their application focusing on interaction with food and health care products. For the last several years, Dr. Kim has been serving the packaging student club as a primary advisor.
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Avery Gendell is a graduate student at Virginia Tech with an Industrial Design background pursuing a Master’s of Science in Architecture. They are studying sustainable design with a focus on biomaterials research. Avery believes that design is an outlet for joy, expression, and harmony, and their passion for the field is rooted in exploring sustainable methods to promote these ideas in a way that is symbiotic with the natural world.
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Farida Hanna is an undergraduate researcher at Virginia Tech studying Industrial Design and Sociology. She is passionate about the intersection of the two and the movement to create products that are equally usable, ergonomic, and safe for everyone to interact with regardless of sex, race, socioeconomic status, etc. Her goals as a designer are to create designs that are equitable, functional, and beautiful.
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Camille D'Amico, an undergraduate researcher studying Industrial Design at Virginia Tech and a Calhoun Honors Discovery Program member, began her studies through fine arts. As she started her college career, she explored various areas of design, such as sustainability, participatory design, and model-making, and she found a passion for designing products for people with people. She enjoys exploring new machinery and techniques to achieve unique and exciting solutions and products. When not immersed in design, she loves experimenting with photography or creating garments by knitting and crocheting.
