Q&A with Media Producer, Thatcher Bean
Thatcher joined MASS in 2013 to document the construction and use of MASS Design Group’s health infrastructure in Rwanda. The resulting videos accompanied Alan Rick’s TED talk on how buildings can heal communities. Since then he has worked with MASS as a media producer to explore how video can be used as a unique tool to assess and convey the impact of our built environments. Thatcher obtained a BFA from the University of Colorado film studies program.
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Q&A with Industrial Designer Michael Lye
Michael Lye is an industrial designer and educator teaching advanced studios and seminars at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He is currently senior critic and NASA coordinator and specializes in human-centered design with an emphasis on design research and analysis. He has extensive experience teaching interdisciplinary, partnered studios. Some partners include: NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, Intel and Maytag. Since 2004 he has overseen Design for Extreme Environments, an advanced design studio in collaboration with NASA, where RISD students work with engineers and designers from Johnson Space Center to develop innovative concepts for future spacecraft and habitats. He was a designer and project manager for the Universal Kitchen Project, an award-winning re-examination of the home kitchen environment. Along with his degree in Industrial Design, he also studied physics at The Johns Hopkins University. He has lectured internationally on design for elders and currently holds nine patents in his name.