Associate Professor, Auburn University
Since joining the faculty at Auburn University in 2007, Associate Professor Jerrod Windham has been committed to educating the next generation of designers in a manner that reaches beyond the status quo. In Over 16+ years, he has, and continues to challenge his students to best utilize their role as student and creativity.
Like most industrial designers, Jerrod works to promote the idea that design isn't just about creating something aesthetically pleasing; it's an exploration into the physical realization of what is possible. Exploration and curiosity are at the core of his approach to education. He is continuously challenging his students to employ their creativity as an extremely valuable resource, encouraging them to design with purpose without ignoring the responsibilities industrial designers inherently possess.
As a faculty member at a research institution, Jerrod dedicates his efforts to the intersection of emerging technology, sustainability, and design ethics. As a self-proclaimed early adopter, he recognizes the nuanced dichotomy at the heart of technological progress, economic growth, and environmental stewardship. His approach to design research and education is constantly seeking balance to this challenge.
Statement of Candidacy
While the discipline and practice of industrial design has historically balanced human centered needs/desires with technological progress, 2023 presents a HEIGHTENED call for introspection, given the increasingly apparent effects of climate change and emergence of generative ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. It seems we stand one foot over the THRESHOLD of both, continuing to weigh and balance the implications of decisions we make as designers and, in the context of academia, design educators.
I have long been a believer in transforming a PERCEIVED liability into an asset or opportunity. This belief is dependent on OPTIMISM, inherent in design. Define the challenge(s).
Address the challenge(s). One of IDSA’s roles in design education is simply stated: Provide a means by which students across universities and time zones are able to work together and inspire each other. This role is easier said than done. It requires a collaborative effort above and beyond weekly deliverables. Other roles are not so simply stated. What are we to do with AI, XR, UX, UI? How do we effectively train the next generation of industrial designers to be proactive with respect to these two-letter acronyms? What about our RESPONSIBILITY to the natural resources and the health of the planet?
I served as a student chapter advisor for a number of years. I fondly remember regional conferences that, while not expressly stated, provided students with opportunities to network and feel a part of the professional deign world. I, too, am in favor of the deep dives that have ultimately replaced those REGIONAL conferences.
We live in a post-covid, Web-enabled conference world. Students are all-to-familiar with a hybrid In-Person/remote approach to education, lectures, and networking. As an alternative to the deep dive, I propose we explore the accessible dip-your-toe-in-the-water, student centric event. Many of our students are non-committal to their specific career/industry goals and would likely benefit from less formal, shallower introductions to the many possible career directions thier industrial design education may take them.
