Virginia Tech Industrial Design

Student Spotlight: Summer Herbig "Hi! I'm Summer Herbig and I am a first-year Industrial Design student from Fairfax, VA! What drew me to Industrial Design is cars, and when I leave Virginia Tech, I want to work in the automotive industry, hopefully for a German company, as I am also planning on minoring in German! I heard about Industrial Design through friends who told me that its much more of what I want than Engineering would be ;). I love all of Industrial Design so far but my favorite part is the sketching and brainstorming process. I love how new ideas aren't yet fully formed and both sketches and ideas can go through multiple iterations. Outside of design I spend my time with friends and family, working on my car, and also with other creative pursuits, including sewing, drawing, and crafting of all kinds. I really enjoy Industrial Design so far and I can't wait to see where it takes me :). Thanks for reading!"

... and it happened! My first keynote, thanks to Dr. Isabel Prochner, PhD, Matthew "Matt" Powers, and Virginia Tech School of Design, was beyond. I had one goal: to connect with one student, one person in the audience, and it's clear I exceeded my own expectations. Thank you all for listening to me babble for thirty minutes! My keynote paired wonderfully with Jazmin Jurkiewicz's Hokie Wellness presentation in ways even I was surprised by. Now I have a new friend who's from Baltimore, MD — what a small world. There's much more to share, for now here's my cheesy self mere moments before presenting my life story, the power of authenticity, and unconventional paths in this world. I really couldn't ask for a better day, and it truly is an honor to have had this opportunity. Photos and recordings will come soon enough! (Psst — hello ?? to the Hokies who just added me, I can't wait to get to know you!)

I am proud to announce that my product, GRITKIT, has won a Bronze in the Virginia Tech Industrial Design Sustain Floyd Competition!!! The goal of this tool is to create a scalable solution for textile waste. Inspired by the Independent people of Floyd, Virginia, GRITKIT is the ideal repair tool for outdoor workwear. Following the form language of a multitool, this device can fit in your pocket or sit on a workbench allowing for convenience and efficiency when repairing damaged clothes. Inspiration was the biggest takeaway from this project. Being open to new experiences and telling new stories as a designer was key to the success of this project. I would love to thank everyone from SustainFloyd and congratulate my peers for their hard work. Thank you to Yoon Choi and Brook Kennedy for your guidance throughout this process.

And the winners are.... Our fourth year studios worked on a project in collaboration with SustainFloyd and the winners have been announced! Students picked one of three briefs--Reuse, Repair, or Recycle-- in collaboration with a business or organization in the area--Angels in the Attic, New River Time Bank and Repair Cafe, and Red Rooster Coffee. Gold Prize: Barbora Malikova and Leo Adams Silver Prize: Hana Baiod and Hayden Jay Bronze Prize: Camille D'Amico, Henry Stachowicz, Kathleen Senus, Chase Stabolepszy, and James Kim Honorable Mention: Rebecca Greiner Congrats to all of our students who created such innovative products to help the Floyd community!

The Future of design is co-design, participatory design, and design 'with' community, not 'for'! This semester, our senior students at Virginia Tech worked closely with the?Floyd community to tackle wasteful behaviors—contributing to the broader global challenge of ecological sustainability. In collaboration with Angles in the Attic, Repair Café, and Red Rooster Coffee, their work addressed the challenges of 1) negative perceptions surrounding secondhand clothing, 2) repair of broken items, and 3) the overlooked potential of food and coffee grounds waste. Collaborating with the residents and stakeholders in the Floyd community, our students explored ways to extend the lifecycle of materials and/or products with diminished perceived value. Their innovative solutions included: Tools to support repair and reuse, ease of disassembling product design, upcycling secondhand clothing and furniture, AI-powered digital services for repair and reuse, and biomaterials from food and coffee ground waste for valuable material. After six weeks of dedicated effort, the design competition winners were: Gold prize went to Barbora Malikova with "Odd and Fresh," a packaging and service design concept to promote ugly vegetables, and Leo Adams with an AI-powered product and system that supports repurposing unneeded clothing to new items. Silver prizes went to Hana Baiod for a sandal sole made from coffee grounds and jute waste, and Hayden Jay for a design with ease of disassembling coffee pots. Bronze winners went to James Kim, with a hanger made from textile waste; Camille D'Amico, with a multipurpose bag made from discarded clothing; Henry, with a golf tee made from coffee waste; Kathleen Senus, with a stool made from discarded furniture; Chase Stabolepszy, with a mending and sewing tool for men; and Rebecca, with an assistive repair tool. Congratulations to all the winners! Thank you to VT Engage at Virginia Tech Student Affairs and SustainFlody for funding this project!

I'm looking forward to attending the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Portfolio Review at Appalachian State University on next Saturday. It's always great to see student work, provide feedback, and help people advance in their careers. If you're an industrial design student interested in interning with Lowe's next summer, be sure to connect with me in person. Click the link below to apply. https://lnkd.in/eTGWCHK7

Excitedly on my way to Virginia Tech for the School of Design's Health and Wellness Symposium tomorrow where I'm the keynote speaker! Grateful for my former professor, Dr. Isabel Prochner, PhD, for thinking of & inviting me to this opportunity. As I'll tell the students, community and connections are invaluable, and I'm looking forward to a busy next few days. A lifelong goal of mine is about to come true and I'm thrilled to share my authentic journey with humor, honesty, and humility with the designers of tomorrow — in the meantime, on my way to catch my flight ??

This (workspace) is home. ?? #Hokies in the Virginia Tech College of Architecture, Arts, and Design have the unique opportunity to make a workspace of their own, surrounded by peers from faculty to first year through graduate students. ??

Last week, I had the privilege to visit the Collins Aerospace factory in Winston-Salem, NC, as part of the Virginia Tech Transportation Task Force. It was an incredible experience to tour the seating division facilities, where I gained valuable insights into manufacturing processes, crash and burn testing, and the complex components that define aviation standards. A sincere thank you to Martha Sullivan for the opportunity to participate in this task force and to Glenn Johnson at Collins for the informative tour and guidance throughout our visit. I’m excited about the progress ahead for this project and look forward to sharing more updates soon!

Each fall, VTID partners with SFCS Architects and Warm Hearth Village on the "Aging In Place" project, helping students design for the unique needs of older adults. Last week, our third year studios had their first visit to Warm Hearth, where they conducted user interviews with residents and toured the facility. This invaluable experience is setting the stage for our students to develop meaningful, user-centered design solutions. On their next visit, they will put their prototypes in the hands of the users—but until then, they're hard at work in studio!