By Parsons Public Relations, published on the Parsons website, July 2006

Douglas Diaz, a full-time faculty member at Parsons, has been selected to participate in the annual Design Science Lab programs taking place at the United Nations in New York City and the University of North Carolina this summer.

The Design Science Lab programs develop solutions to global and local problems through a design and planning methodology often referred to as design science, is a problem-solving approach entailing a rigorous, systematic study of the deliberate ordering of the components in the universe. This methodology is inspired by the work of R. Buckminster Fuller, the late 20th-century inventor, philosopher, and designer.

The New York program aims to devise solutions to the world’s most pressing problems as outlined by the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. Participants in the program will work collaboratively to design solutions and then present them to U.N. officials at the program's conclusion.

The Asheville, NC, program will focus on regional issues and include a systems-based perspective of the relationship between the issues facing the Southern Appalachian region and the global problems affecting us all. Solutions developed to address regional challenges will be models for global applications.

» original article