Studios
- Global Leadership
- Civic Innovation
- Campus Transformation
- Conversations
The Design Lab’s work includes transformative changes to the institutional processes and physical environment of the university itself.
The Junior Designer program is a paid, co-curricular record opportunity that provides undergraduate students from any major with opportunities for additional instruction and involvement in projects outside of the classroom. Because the program runs on cycles per academic year, it gives participants the opportunity to expand ideas beyond the 10-week quarter cycles of traditional instruction.
Participants must apply to the program in spring for acceptance in the fall quarter. The program is managed by design mentors who offer coaching and guidance along with instruction.
Program structure:
Recent example projects and tasks:
About Co-curricular Record
This program puts qualified extracurricular activities like the lab’s Junior Designer program onto your official undergraduate academic transcripts. It’s a way of highlighting the total picture of your skills for future employers.
As our society grapples with critical questions about civic and social justice, equity, and inclusion, the Design Lab has sponsored a series on Power, Privilege, and Ethical Responses (PPER). The series has primarily focused on addressing anti-racism, particularly in relation to the experiences of Black communities. Part of this initiative is a series of Studio Sessions, designed to share tools that address the experiences of our Black community, in hopes of bridging existing gaps between the historical precedent and current calls to action. These interactive sessions are intended to foster dialogue, nurturing communication, and self-reflection to build empathy and ethical responsibility among participants. Expert speakers address issues affecting Black communities, ranging from the structures of anti-Blackness and White fragility to voter suppression, education, the school-to-prison pipeline, environmental racism, and much more. Leadership and key team members: Michèle Morris, Emily Knapp, Eric Hekler, Camille Nebeker, Brian McInnis, Lilly Irani, Stephanie Sherman, Teenah Eco, and the Junior Designer team.
The Scaling Paid Undergraduate Research (SPUR) initiative at UC San Diego is a groundbreaking program designed to expand and democratize research opportunities for undergraduate students. Spearheaded by The Design Lab, the initiative aims to integrate paid research positions across diverse academic disciplines, ensuring students from all backgrounds have equitable access to hands-on research experiences. By collaborating with faculty, industry partners, and university departments, SPUR fosters a vibrant research community that supports student innovation, enhances academic engagement, and prepares undergraduates for professional success. The program's success is highlighted through documented outcomes and impactful student projects, illustrating its transformative potential within the academic ecosystem. Leadership and key team members: Michèle Morris, Kevin Popović, Mackenzie Yu, and the Junior Designer team.
The Connected Learning Pathway program is a seven- to ten-week, co-curricular design intensive for UC San Diego undergraduate students that provides an opportunity for participants to gain design and innovation experience while working with civic, industry, or community mentors. The program focuses on applying principles of human-centered design to real-world challenges through an intersection of learning, making, implementing, and evaluating across multiple disciplines. The initiative was first piloted with the Sony human factors team in spring 2021. Leadership and key team members included Michèle Morris, Emily Knapp, Jennifer Taylor, Joyce Hwang, and a team of junior designers.