Congratulations to all of our award winners! We celebrate your commitment to your research, particularly in this challenging time, and your noteworthy contributions and achievements. We can’t wait to see where your research goes from here!
Sustainability Award
Bioplastics are the counterpart to the petroleum-based plastics made of biopolymers. They are biodegradable, made from renewable raw materials such as gelatin, starch, and other biopolymers. Although the materials are not new, we now have technologies and methodologies that can help us create everyday products out of bioplastics to replace traditional plastics.
Innovation Award
Sonic Bloom is a soundscape that helps plant owners understand the status of a plant’s health by creating an efficient monitoring system. Using the internet of things, the soundscape behaves as an interface stimulating a deep connection between the plants and their owners.
Impact Award
The interdisciplinary Preserving Activism project team conducts historical research that seeks to foster public dialogue about social justice activism between and beyond Pratt’s gates. This past year faculty and students worked with the Institute Archivist to examine 20th century activism at Pratt through coursework and the collection of oral histories, texts, and ephemera that will become part of the Archives.
Impact Award
A Civic Shift is a series of performative digital events bringing contemporary artists, grassroots organizers, and NYC City Council candidates into dialogue around pressing sociocultural issues to investigate how our collective imagination can foster progressive change in the time of COVID-19.
Start-Up Power Award
The Wing Guard is a biomimicry insect repelling device that mimics the visuals, sounds, and motions of the dragonfly to stop flies from landing on food items. It aims to combat the hygiene problem of places that rely on temporary food service establishments, such as wet markets and open-air farmer’s stalls.
People’s Choice Award
Fashion, Identity and the Muslim-American Narrative is a design workshop series developed for and with Muslim-American female adolescents. The goal was to highlight the direct correlation between awareness, agency, and perception of dress and self-esteem established with ownership of one’s authentic narrative.