The Caltech Y Social Activism Speaker Series, NetImpact and Engineers for a Sustainable World present EMILY PILLOTON Founder of Project H Design Design Revolution: Solutions that Enable and Empower Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 7:30 - 9:00 PM Beckman Institute Auditorium (building 74 map)

Emily Pilloton believes design can change the world. More specifically, she believes that industrial designers must rewrite their own job descriptions to be solution-makers for social empowerment. The founder of design nonprofit Project H Design, Emily will present the story of Project H's first year in existence, including 4 key projects, both global and chapter-based. She will highlight lessons learned for social impact, tactics, case studies, and imperatives for the new design revolution: one in which design is a process of empowerment, a catalyst to enable individuals, communities, and economies, and a process by which we can solve real problems for the real world. Examples of Project H initiatives, as well as sneak peaks from her forthcoming book will provide context and inspiration.

BIO: Emily Pilloton is the Founder and Executive Director of Project H Design, a nonprofit that enables product design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness. Trained in architecture at UC Berkeley and product design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she started Project H in January 2008 to provide a conduit and catalyst for need-based product design that empowers individuals, communities, and economies. Current Project H initiatives include water transport and filtration systems in South Africa and India, educational math toys for a school for AIDS orphans in Uganda, a homeless-run design co-op in LA, and design concepts for foster care education and therapy in Austin. She has written for publications including ID, GOOD, and ReadyMade, and is the author of a forthcoming book entitled "Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People," which will be published by Metropolis Books in September 2009. An unyielding optimist and California girl, she loves crossword puzzles and never shows up to a business meeting without baked goods.

Reception after event sponsored by the GSC

For more information about Project H Design, please visit: http://projecthdesign.com/