Tag: Hunt Institute

Posted on

David Son, Ph.D.

David Son joins the Hunt Institute as a Fellow, bringing his organic chemistry expertise. Son has been a professor in the Department of Chemistry at SMU since 1996. Dr. Son received his B.S. in chemistry from Andrews University (Berrien Springs, MI) and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA). Dr. Son was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, D.C.) before coming to SMU. Dr. Son conducts research on the synthesis of inorganic and organometallic polymers for a variety of applications including drug delivery, additive manufacturing, and aerospace. At SMU, Dr. Son has been awarded the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Award, the Thomas W. Tunks Distinguished University Citizen Award, and the ‘M’ Award. Dr. Son has also served as Faculty-in-Residence at Boaz Residential Commons since 2014. Dr. Son’s most recent project in the Global Development Lab is the Biodegradable Plastics Project, which shifted its focus to developing a 3D-printed biodegradable mask frame in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The frame is intended to be used in conjunction with surgical or cloth masks and provides the benefit of a more adequate seal to the face, while also posing a better environmental impact than most disposable PPE.

Dr. Son’s current project in the Global Development Lab is the Biodegradable Plastics Project, a collaborative effort with Hunt Fellow Dr. Paul Krueger in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Son is focusing on the preparation of biodegradable plastics that degrade at tunable rates, and that degrade into safe and environmentally-friendly products. A primary focus of this joint project is to address the problem of medical plastic waste.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted on

Associate Professor Michael Zaretsky, Hunt Institute Fellow

Michael Zaretsky, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Hunt Institute, Fellow

Michael Zaretsky joins the Hunt Institute as a Fellow who brings his expertise in architecture. Zaretsky is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in the College of Engineering with a courtesy appointment in the School of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the Director of the Architectural Engineering program in Civil Engineering. Zaretsky is a licensed Architect with extensive experience in local and international design/build projects.

His research is focused around culturally and environmentally responsive public interest design projects and community engagement with underserved communities locally and internationally. His published work includes Precedents in Zero-Energy Design: Architecture and Passive Design in the 2007 Solar Decathlon (Routledge Press, 2009) and New Directions in Sustainable Design, with Dr. Adrian Parr (Routledge Press, 2010). Zaretsky has articles published in several architectural journals and has presented at conferences around the world on Sustainability, Humanitarian Design, and Public Interest Design. His work is included in the 2018 book The Public Interest Design Education Guidebook edited by Bell and Abendroth.

He is presently writing Design Beyond Borders: International Design/Build Community Engagement – a book that explores how those in practice, organizations, and universities involved in international design/build projects engage those in underprivileged communities where they are working. Additionally, he is Director of Design for the Roche Health Center in rural Tanzania, a project of Village Life Outreach Project. Roche Health Center is the first-ever permanent health care facility in this region. The Roche Health Center opened April 1, 2011, and provides health care to as many as 20,000 villagers. The Roche Health Center was the winner of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Collaborative Practice Award in 2011 and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Award for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy in 2011 for the Roche Health Center project.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

Paul S. Krueger, Ph.D.

Photo of Dr. Paul Krueger

Paul Krueger joins the Hunt Institute as a Fellow bringing his expertise in mechanical engineering. His research interests and activities include unsteady hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, vortex dynamics, bio-fluid mechanics, bio-morphic propulsion, fluid-boundary and fluid-particle interactions, and fluid processes in additive manufacturing using a variety of materials, including degradable plastics.

Krueger received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1997 from the University of California at Berkeley.  He received his M.S. in Aeronautics in 1998 and his Ph.D. in Aeronautics in 2001, both from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).  In 2002 he joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) where he is currently a professor and department chair.  He is a recipient of the Rolf D. Buhler Memorial Award in Aeronautics, the Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award for distinguished research in Hydrodynamics, the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (2004), and the Ford Senior Research Fellowship from SMU (2012). 

Dr. Krueger’s most recent project in the Global Development Lab is the Biodegradable Plastics Project.  This project aims to develop novel materials that may be used to reduce plastic waste and are versatile enough to accommodate a range of manufacturing methods including 3D printing.  A key area of interest is in reducing medical plastic waste, as for instance by developing a 3D-printed biodegradable mask frame intended to be used in conjunction with surgical or cloth masks and provide the benefit of a more adequate seal to the face, while also posing a better environmental impact than most disposable PPE.

When asked about the motivation behind his impactful work, Dr. Krueger replied, “My motivation for working with the Hunt Institute springs from a desire to use engineering to help improve society and the environment we live in.  Sometimes this means working to overcome problems we have created ourselves, which underscores our responsibility to do something about it.”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

Jeff Corkran

Photo of Jeff Corkran

Jeff Corkran is a Fellow of the Hunt Institute that brings his industry expertise in using human-centered design and technology to discover, inform and lead product and design teams innovating in food systems, sustainability, finance, retail, healthcare and manufacturing.

Most of his recent work has been in design, strategy and operations for organizations and brands innovating or disrupting focused on sustainability and social impact, surfacing and growing positive opportunities that strengthen human-to-human and human-to-planet connections.

Some of those include the United Nations, Paul Allen’s Vulcan and the Discovery Channel, XPrize and others. He was previously VP Experience Strategy at Human Design in Boulder and ZenCash in Dallas, and was a partner in a human-centered, enterprise-focused design and development firm with offices in Dallas and Atlanta for about a decade, post-consulting, and post-agency, where he cut his teeth working on large-scale innovation projects for JP Morgan Chase, BMW, Brinks Armored, Mission Foods, large CPG and retail brands like Downy and others.

A series of inspiring moments led Jeff to pivot towards work for positive environmental and social impact with a systems thinking lens. He now draws from toolkits within design, story, and engineering to move good ideas from impossible to inevitable. Jeff now runs an impact design studio called takka, leads innovation and technology for a rapidly growing company in the organic foods retail space called Dirty Hands, and is developing new, experiential products and services for children’s mental health at The Wezmore Project. He previously led product and experience strategy at Impact Mill in Sonoma, researching, developing and launching models for increasing the potential for sustainability-centered behavior change.

When asked why he was drawn to the Hunt Institute, he replied, “Every facet of experience in life seems like it is on the verge of great change, and bursting with opportunity. If, why, and how we decide to make that change positive, equitable and just, and who we bring along on the journey is up to each of us, striving together on a deeply connected planet. If I can help make the best, most positive outcomes out of these moments for the future, for everyone and all life around us, and bring along or connect others too, then I’m doing what I am supposed to do.”

Jeff is a member of the Inclusive Economy Consortium Leadership Council at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity at SMU, is an advisory committee member and co-author on a project within Academy Health, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and is a former board member at the systems-focused Unschool of Disruptive Design. Jeff is an advisor to companies like Good Coworking in Dallas, and is a lead mentor at Dallas-based tech accelerator Impact Ventures. He has coached and mentored individuals and teams at SXSW, AIGA, Uncharted, HackDFW and other events, and launched several community-building events and organizations like Dallas Startupweek with small, but mighty volunteer teams.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

2019 Social Enterprise Cohort

Hunt Institute's Social Enterprise Program

Our 2019 Cohort focused on developing and improving food systems across Dallas and around the world. Of the four Social Entrepreneurs in this cohort, only one was unable to continue work during the pandemic. As we approach the end of the year, below is a brief description of each social entrepreneur’s venture along with links to their work in order to read more and/or follow their progress in the future.

Break Bread, Break Boarders

Founder: Jin-Ya Huang

Break Bread, Break Borders is catering with a cause: empowering refugee women to earn a living through their existing cooking skills, while they also share their incredible stories with the community. Huang is an Affiliate of the Hunt Institute and one of our first Social Entrepreneurs​. The Dallas Observer featured her story in their December 19, 2019 edition. In addition, Huang was a member of the 2020 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars. Most recently, Huang was featured as a TIME Magazine Community Bridge Builder.

Restorative Farms

Founder: Dr. Owen Lynch

Restorative Farms wants to grow a better Dallas. Their mission is to foster a vibrant and viable community-based urban farm system — an agrisystem — in one of the country’s largest food deserts: South Dallas, Texas. Lynch has been featured in several blogs describing his various community engagements and awards. He is a Senior Fellow in the Hunt Institute and has worked in this area of research for many years. Most recently, Restorative Farms was featured in the Dallas Morning News article Urban farm sprouts on unused DART property beside South Dallas station.

Janta Energy

Founder: Mohammed Njie

Janta is determined to significantly improve access to energy in The Gambia, where most rural citizens and institutions like schools have no electric power. One of Janta’s key energy sources is agricultural waste because farming is a primary economic activity in The Gambia. Njie has been recognized as a Grand Challenges Scholar, winner of SMU’s Big Ideas, and is also part of the SMU Incubator. He is the first SMU student to be invited to the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program receiving the title of Social Entrepreneur.

Garden of the World

Founder: Kunthear Mam-Douglas

Garden of the World aims to bring the connection between nature and mental health to light through a mindful world garden that promotes sustainable food systems in Dallas. This work is suspended until further notice due to the global pandemic. We remain hopeful it will resume soon.

Each of the Social Entrepreneurs has made a mark in their communities and a dent in the work that needs to be done in our sustainable food systems. As we embark on a new year, we celebrate the completion of this cohort and prepare for the next.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

Javier Destarac ’20

Javier Destarac
Javier A. Destarac graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in Markets and Cultures. 
 
Javier was born in McAllen, Texas but grew up in Tyler, Texas to a multicultural family speaking Spanish at home and English in school. He enjoys learning from new cultures and helping others. Javier has experience in working in marketing over this past summer in his most recent internship, doing research in digital media at NYU. 
 
Javier worked with the communications team to develop and market Impact Nights as well as the marketing strategy of the Hunt Institute. In the future, he hopes to translate his work in the Hunt Institute to a career in Marketing while continuing to spread awareness for sustainability across all platforms. Javier also would like to continue his hobbies of playing tennis, playing the piano, volunteering.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

Dr. Candice L. Bledsoe, Hunt Institute Fellow

Bledsoe is a Faculty member at Simons School of Education & Human Development’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program, a professor at Cox School of Business, serves on the Leadership Council in the Inclusive Economy Consortium, and Fellow in the Hunt Institute. Bledsoe is, the executive director of the Action Research Center, an organization designed to enhance equity in our communities. Dr. Bledsoe is also the founder of the Collective

Candice L. Bledsoe, PhD. is a Faculty member at Simmons School of Education & Human Development’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program, a professor at Cox School of Business, serves on the Leadership Council in the Inclusive Economy Consortium, and Fellow in the Hunt Institute. Bledsoe is, the executive director of the Action Research Center, an organization designed to enhance equity in our communities. Dr. Bledsoe is also the founder of the Collective, a group comprised of community leaders, writers, scholars, and entrepreneurs who share the stories of minoritized women in America. She is the co-convener of the SMU Women of Color Research Cluster sponsored by the DCII. The cluster aims to create space for women of color to share their stories, especially as it relates to the intersections of race, gender, and class.

Dr. Bledsoe has received numerous fellowships including: The National Endowment of Humanities, the New Leadership Academy, National Center of Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, and Boone Family Foundation. She is a proud member of the 2017 cohort of Dallas Public Voices. She is the recipient of the 2020 UN Day Global Leadership Award, in the category of Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education. This prestigious award reflects the bold, transformative work Bledsoe has done to advance the United Nations goals for sustainable development, shifting the world onto a more resilient path through quality education.

When asked about her motivation working with the Hunt Institute as a Fellow and collaborator across multiple initiatives she replied, “The Institute’s mission is to serve as a national and international hub to partner with leaders in business, academia, NGOs and government to develop and scale sustainable and affordable technologies and solutions to local and global challenges. At the SMU Hunt Institute, I enjoy using creativity and innovation to develop new solutions to create change.”

Dr. Bledsoe holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. She received her masters from Southern Methodist University and her doctorate in higher education from University of Southern California.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn,Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu

Posted on

Lillie Noe ’20, Hunt Institute Associate

Lillie Noe SMU Alumna

Lillie Noe ’20, joins the Hunt Institute as an Associate, bringing with her a passion for providing quality heath care and advocating for sustainable apparel.

Lillie Noe is a Program Manager for Professional Membership with the American Heart Association. She works with healthcare professionals advancing the AHA’s mission to improve cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality.

Lillie received her MBA in 2020 from SMU’s Cox School of Business, where she concentrated in Strategy. While at SMU, Lillie served as the Hunt Institute’s Program Manager for Social Enterprise, launching the Institute’s first cohort of social entrepreneurs.  She also led SMU’s chapter of Net Impact where she organized volunteer opportunities and speaking events to help MBA students use their skills on behalf of the Dallas community.

Before her MBA, Lillie worked in the apparel industry and had a particular interest in sustainable and local production. She worked for a bridal and evening gown designer manufacturer in Dallas and, as an MBA student, interned for Eileen Fisher, an industry leader in sustainable apparel. Lillie holds a B.A. in Plan II Honors and a B.S. in Textiles and Apparel from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lillie previously explained her interest in sustainable apparel, saying, “In my undergraduate studies, I was struck by the amount of environmental waste and human harm unleashed by the apparel industry as a matter of routine. I believe that we have to use business to promote more than just profit if we are to have an equitable and sustainable future.”

 

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

Manuela Murillo Sanchez ’21

Manuela Murillo Sanchez

Manuela Murillo Sanchez graduated form Southern Methodist University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. She was also a Logistics Coordinator at the Maguire Center for Ethics, President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at SMU, Tunes for Texas volunteer, and Second Century Scholar.

She was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to Houston, Texas as a young child. She is driven by her passion for learning, but beyond that she strives to find areas in which she can apply her knowledge for the betterment of her community. Her current community focus area revolves around the STEM access, support, and development pipeline within minority communities. Under her vision, she spearheaded the robust SHPE SMU community service program involving mentorship, STEM workshops, and Math tutoring for students from underprivileged areas of Dallas. Due to her active support of the Hispanic community in Dallas, she was awarded the prestigious SHPE DFW (Professional Chapter) Hispanic Leadership Award.

Manuela was a project manager for the Hunt Institute where she translated scholarly research into driving local and global impact.

Manuela was drawn to work at the Institute because “of the opportunity to transfer my skills and knowledge into real-world impact and solutions,” seeing the Institute as “an opportunity to work with like-minded peers across SMU to create a tangible difference.”

While not working at the Hunt Institute, she built professional experience through co-ops and internships, either serving as an Engineering Data Analyst at BMW in Spartanburg, South Carolina, or working for Global Operations for the largest world’s largest companies, AT&T.

After graduating from SMU, Manuela has been working as an Associate Consultant at Bain and Company.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Posted on

James Olivier, Ph.D

Dr. Olivier is a Hunt Institute Fellow, a researcher, engineer, and educator. As an adjunct professor at SMU’s Lyle Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Olivier brings over 30 years of experience in the areas of telecommunications and computer networking to his classes. As a Fellow at the Hunt Institute, Dr. Olivier leads research efforts into the application of transformational technologies to the Hunt Institute’s mission of developing sustainable and affordable technology solutions to local and global challenges.

Dr. Olivier is the program lead for the Hunt Institute’s Maps4good/ MapInDallas effort. This project seeks to connect individuals in need with free service providers in Dallas to increase the number of eligible individuals taking advantage of local services. The maps created by MapInDallas will empower individuals to use the services available to them by providing them with tools and resources to seek out the services they require.

Dr. Olivier is also the principal researcher for the Hunt Institute’s investigation into the use of AI to provide legal services to the underrepresented. This investigation is studying the applicability of AI systems known as expert systems, integrated with Web-based technologies, to automate simple legal tasks and improve access to legal resources for the underserved in Dallas.

When asked about his motivation for working at the Hunt Institute Dr. Olivier commented, “When I was first introduced to the Hunt Institute, I was impressed from the start, the people, their commitment and even its name, ‘The Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’. The idea of an institute dedicated to engineering and humanity spoke to me. I was honored when they asked if I would join them. I try to bring my experience and understanding of various advanced technologies to help out in any way I can.”

As chairman of the IEEE Dallas Blockchain group, Dr. Olivier has given numerous presentations on transformational technologies, speaking at Dallas Startup Week, Villanova’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Summer Institute, and SMU’s InpactNights. He also volunteers to serve on the board for Dallas College’s Bill J. Priest Institute’s Innovation Lab.

Over the past 20 years Dr. Olivier in addition to acting as a consultant on the design of both advanced networking equipment and the design of advanced networks, Dr. Olivier has also been an intellectual property consultant in the area of networking and telecommunications technologies. Dr. Olivier’s education and background have allowed him to be recognized as an expert in such areas as Packet Switching, Cellular Networks, and Network Security before United States District Courts and the International Trade Commission.

Dr. Olivier currently lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Margaret. A native of Cincinnati Ohio, Dr. Olivier received his Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University during which he was named a Kodak Fellow, one of twelve fellowships given out nationally by the Kodak Corporation in the areas of physics and engineering.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.