How can traditional garments be reimagined through the merging of innovation and contemporary ethics with a deep-rooted history and culture?
The Project: The Umushanana-Saree Fusion
In response to the driving question, Bernice developed a bespoke saree design that acts as a cultural bridge between Indian textile tradition and her own Rwandan heritage.
The Design Goal: Working from a hypothetical client brief, Bernice sought to design a garment that felt “effortless and modern.” The result was a fusion concept inspired by the Rwandan Umushanana, reimagining the saree as a global garment suitable for high-profile celebrations like Rwandan weddings.
Innovation & Ethics: Her design process prioritized “slow fashion” ethics, researching sustainable materials like Tussar silk and examining how digital looms and CAD programs can modernize production without losing the “sacred geometry” of hand-drawn motifs.
Field Research & Immersive Learning
To ground her design in “deep-rooted history,” Bernice engaged in extensive field research throughout Mumbai:
Sacred Geometry: By studying the Kanheri Caves and the Global Vipassana Pagoda, Bernice analyzed ancient architectural patterns—such as the Flower of Life—and translated those spiritual symbols into contemporary textile motifs.
Radical Resourcefulness: An excursion to the Dharavi informal economy provided a lesson in “contemporary ethics.” She observed how the community’s circular economy repurposes every scrap of fabric, proving that high-efficiency production can be deeply sustainable.
Technical Workshops: Bernice took part in hands-on learning in Bandhani (Tie-dyeing) and Block Printing, mastering the technical precision required to balance traditional complexity with a modern, “effortless” aesthetic.
Final Product: A Bespoke Design Brief
The module culminated in a technical design for a 5,000-year-old garment reimagined for the 21st century.
The Assessment: Bernice produced a final design specification, including a client needs analysis and a structural breakdown of the saree’s Par (border) and Pallu.
The Summative Reflection: In her final analysis, she reflected on the ethics of cultural representation, arguing that the “Umushanana-Saree” is not just a piece of clothing, but a respectful evolution that celebrates diversity and the shared pride found in both Indian and Rwandan traditions.
How might Mumbai’s community-driven systems inspire more sustainable urban living?
The Challenge
Mumbai’s congestion is more than a nuisance; it’s a crisis. Residents lose nearly half their personal time to traffic, and the resulting air pollution contributes to hundreds of deaths annually. With 19% of the population occupying 82% of the road space in private vehicles, the city’s productivity and safety are at a breaking point.
The Solution: Mumbai Move
Liam and Benjamin developed Mumbai Move, a service-exchange app designed to shift commuters from private cars to public transit.
How it Works: The app tracks bus and train journeys via Google Maps integration.
The Incentive: Users earn points based on mileage and time spent on public transport, redeemable for discounts at local businesses.
Impact: By gamifying sustainable travel, the project aims to reduce four-wheeled vehicle traffic by 10% and provide real-time carbon emission tracking for every user.
Field Research & Inspiration
The project was fueled by immersive experiences across Mumbai:
Dharavi: The team explored the “slum’s” $2 billion circular economy, learning how total resource efficiency and community interconnectedness can drive massive impact.
Dabbawalas: Studying the legendary lunch-delivery system provided a masterclass in logistics, loyalty, and near-perfect operational efficiency.
Final Product: The ENpower Pitch
The term culminated in a professional startup pitch (Navonmesa) delivered to industry mentors.
The Assessment: The duo presented a full business model, including a tiered subscription service (Standard and Pro+) and a B2B advertising strategy.
Refinement: Based on expert feedback, the final iteration focused on a “powerful” user hook and a clear bridge between transit data and consumer rewards, ensuring the business was both socially responsible and financially viable.
How can I contribute to solving a problem in my local community?
Project Summary:
The Service Project “Emergency Box” focuses on improving emergency preparedness in the Township of Georgian Bay, Ontario, where many residents live far from hospitals and first responders. Through this project, Maya G. examines how remote communities face increased risks during medical emergencies due to long response times and limited access to life-saving equipment.
In this project, Maya G. investigates how the lack of nearby emergency services can lead to higher risks of fatalities and long-term health complications. Her proposed solution is the installation of community emergency boxes containing critical first-aid equipment such as an AED (defibrillator), EpiPens, naloxone for drug overdoses, snake bite kits, and other medical supplies. Maya has already taken concrete steps toward implementing this solution by writing and presenting a motion to the Township of Georgian Bay council, which has passed its first round of approval and is currently under review by staff.
A key component of the project is ensuring that these emergency boxes are strategically placed and accessible, with the first proposed location near Gibson Lake, where both road-access and water-access cottages could reach the equipment within minutes. Maya also emphasizes the importance of public awareness and education, explaining that community members must know where the boxes are located and how to use the equipment. Her long-term goal is to expand the initiative to more lakes across the township and potentially throughout Ontario, improving emergency response in remote communities.
January 28, 2022 by Bido H. Luiza M. Santiago D. and Noemie T.
Getting into the field of robotics with little hardware knowledge was both challenging and exciting. I learned that I can find ways to implement existing knowledge into a new field and that there’s always room to lead my own learning experience if I work hard enough. My biggest takeaway is always approaching any new project with a positive, open, and flexible mindset.
-Class of 2023 Student Bido H.
Driving Question: How can I design and build a robot – inspired by Expo 2020 and the Mobility Pavilion – that performs an action to increase our quality of life?
Our project is an autonomous conservational technology system that aims to provide efficiency in agriculture. NutriBot goes around agricultural fields and senses its surrounding environment to measure moisture levels and the type of nutrients in the soil. It then uses this data to evaluate the minimum quantities of water and nutrients necessary to keep the soil healthy and sprays them in the targeted blocks. Implementing this system will make farmers no longer have to apply water or fertilizers across entire fields. NutriBot can conserve up to 40% of water already wasted in agriculture alongside nutrients due to human error and inefficiency.
January 27, 2022 by Mila F. Mmelta M. and Guillermo H.
One of my favorite sessions was right after our wexplore, visiting Tierra del Sol. It was unbelievable. The place was fantastic and so heart-warming. Everything was so thought out and showed an impressively accurate representation of what a community space should look like. I spent such a great time there and hope to go again. I learned more than I could’ve imagined.
-Class of 2023 Student Mila F.
Driving Question: How might we use our understanding of architecture through time to design a context-informed structure?
Our group designed what we believe is a modern take on a traditional Oaxacan house and gastronomical hub which showcases the Oaxaca’s rich food and drink diversity.
What new things did you learn about yourself?
We learned about the impact of colonialism on Mexican architecture through our experience through seeing the use of traditional European elements that incorporate Mexican structures.
What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?
Our biggest takeaway was the process of the environmental impact analysis as I feel like the process of environmental impact analysis will be very important in any project I want to do that involves construction thinking about input and output I am putting in the environment.
Driving Question: How can I raise awareness and facilitate alternative solutions to food waste and loss in Mexico?
Project Overview: For her service project, CM2 Student Isa Luna Moro set out to facilitate a circular economy system to reduce food waste inside Queretaro’s food industry. To do so, she worked with local restaurant Moser to improve their sustainability practices and contribute to the circular economy through techniques such as composting and recycling.
Project Reflection: ““My service learning project was a journey of exploration, creativity, and boldness. During this project I decided to go out of my comfort zone and take one of my passions to the next level. I was able to improve my leadership, communication and self-confidence.”
Driving Question: How can we convey the complexities of ethnic and religious reconciliation through our experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
For her summative assessment, Class of 2021 student Malak B. went an artful route by working on a series of pictures of Bosnian strangers. Each held up a flower representing a value that they believe leads to reconciliation, along with a description of why they hold that belief.
The end project demonstrated how different people in Bosnia and Herzegovina hold different views on reaching reconciliation. In the end, it turns out, no matter their ethnicity, everyone strives towards the same goal.
October 8, 2020 by Nada A. Kirsten A. and Guillermo M.
Driving Question: How might we collaboratively implement a design-thinking process to meet the needs of the community we serve?
What were your goals for this module? How did you achieve them?
For this module, we all had a common goal, create a fun product for young people that will help them connect with themselves, so we produced a notebook with a lot of cool stuff in it.
What did you learn about yourself or about your creative process or about your medium?
I enjoyed researching and designing the driving questions for the journal. It was really insightful for me because I was basing what we had learned from the interviews and shaping it into something our users could interact with. I like that we were able to refine our product based on the feedback we got. At first, I thought that it would be hard to change all our work for the comments, but it turns out that it was beneficial. It made our vibey journal better.
