Peter Scupelli

Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design, Faculty Member

Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design, Adjunct

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Peter Scupelli is an Associate Professor in Design, Director of the Learning Environments Lab, and Founder of the Dexign Futures Studio in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He was Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Milano (2022-2024). Peter is co-founder of the Global Design Futures Network. He was the Nierenberg Professor at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University from 2019-2022. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level design courses. He holds a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, M.S. in HCI, M.Des. in Interaction Design, and an undergraduate Architecture degree. His work with A12 was exhibited in the Architecture Biennial of Venice; PS1-MOMA, New York; the São Paulo Contemporary Art Biennial; the ZKM museum of Karlsruhe, Germany and many other places.
Peter is currently is working on https://dexignfutures.org to disseminate the Dexign Futures course series as an open-source project. Dexign Futures focuses on how to align short-term design action with long-term sustainable vision goals see https://dexignfutures.com for more information.
Phone: 4125352699

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[ ] With Design: Reinventing Design Modes

Design Education for Alternative Futures: Climate Disaster, Artificial Intelligence, and DEIBJ

How engaged should design education be with the unfolding Climate Disasters, technology, and DEIB... more How engaged should design education be with the unfolding Climate Disasters, technology, and DEIBJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice)? Is the next generation of designers prepared to lead zero-carbon lifestyle transitions? Second, what role might Artificial Intelligence (AI) play in design education? Thirdly, what does engaging with topics such as design for the pluriverse, "decolonizing design," and DEIBJ practically involve? I explore eight alternative futures in a 2x2x2 cube of possibilities with three axes: Climate Disaster engagement, technological change, and DEIBJ. Future 1 is the "business as usual" of design education. (e.g., no meaningful engagement with AI or unfolding Climate Disasters). Future 2 is the "high-tech status quo" (e.g., engagement with technology such as AI but not Climate Disasters). Future 3 is a "Sustainable Luddite Design" (e.g., Engagement with Climate Disasters but ignoring AI and technology). Future 4 is "AI for Climate Disasters," using advanced technologies to engage with zero-carbon lifestyle transitions and social innovation. Futures 5-8 emerge, adding the DEIBJ to the four futures mentioned. In this paper, I describe a survey conducted with faculty, staff, and students at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. The first set of questions probed the personal outlook on the future ten years out and the perceived agency on such futures. The second set of questions asked about interest and engagement with emerging topics. The third set of questions asked about the comfort and frequency of teaching emerging issues. Close to two-thirds of all participants thought they could impact the future in ten years (half of which thought the future would be worse, and the other half better). Close to one-third of participants said the future was worsening and they lacked agency. Most of the faculty said they were comfortable teaching emerging topics. Regarding the frequency of teaching, it was surprising to note that SDGs and zero-carbon lifestyle transitions were in the "rarely "and "sometimes" taught range. DEIBJ frequency was between "sometimes" and "a good bit." In contrast, "decolonizing design" and "design for the pluriverse" were in the "sometimes" range, suggesting that university and college leadership motivate faculty teaching frequency.

Peter Scupelli

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