Drexel University

Projects 2024

Collected Dermafutures

Micah Lockman-Fine, Maya Hillis, Belinda Chen, Tyler Fulton, Kate Lindberg, Emma Meyers, Janet-Nicole (DJ) Riddick, Josepha (Sepha) Sugrue

Collected Dermafutures explores the past, present and future of skin care on four speculative planets. Each planet, set in a unique reality, exemplifies one way in which a care model can direct biotechnological innovation, restructuring society and lived experience. Collected Dermafutures asserts that the future of biotechnology is steered by societal values and that individual introspection and agency empower choices which support the collective futures of people on Earth.

D.S. Nicholas (Dee) established the Drexel Design Research for Health lab an evidence based, interdisciplinary research and scholarship lab, in 2013. She is a registered interior designer, tenured Associate Professor and the Founding Director of the MS Design Research Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Dee holds a BARCH from Carnegie Mellon, an MFA from The University of the Arts, and is currently working towards her Social Science Ph.D. in Leadership and Change at Antioch University. Primarily concerned with the health-supportive possibilities within our environments, Dee’s work springs from her formative experiences as a “third culture kid” and MENA woman. With 25 years of practice and Higher Ed. experience, including as a small business interior design firm owner. Dee also co-holds two patents and collaborates with researchers and students from STEM and Health. She specializes in two processes she has developed, “insightful design thinking” and “slow engagement”, both of which are based on design-led strategy.