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The Design Initiative at Dartmouth (DIAD) is where liberal arts meets making. We bring together students and faculty from across campus—from philosophy to engineering, studio art, languages, medicine, computer science, and more—to uncover meaningful challenges and develop impactful solutions using human centered design methods.
The result? New courses that bridge disciplinary silos, high impact student and faculty research, and a growing community of creative problem-solvers equipped to design a better world.
Design innovation thrives on critical thinking, cultural awareness, and ethical reflection. Integrating perspectives from the arts, humanities, and social sciences, we help designers consider more than technical feasibility, but also human needs, cultural context, and societal impact. This interdisciplinary foundation helps students develop creative problem solving alongside critical judgment.
From engineering to computer science and beyond, DIAD embraces physical, digital, and mixed methods of idea development and implementation to equip learners with the technical skills and creative confidence needed to build impactful solutions to complex challenges.
DIAD bridges inquiry and action to catalyze learning, scholarship, and impact. By centering human needs, embracing iteration, and prototyping solutions, we transform how Dartmouth tackles complex challenges. Our collaborative approach moves us from theoretical understanding to tangible impact—in the classroom, in research labs, and in communities.
DIAD supports faculty creating new interdisciplinary design-based courses and infusing design methods into existing courses across campus. Our work includes:
Looking for examples of DIAD-supported courses past and present? Or interested in proposing something new?
Reach out to us at design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
Faculty and students discuss the impact of collaborating across Dartmouth to bring human-centered design tools to all corners of campus—from new courses and programs, to interdisciplinary research efforts and off-campus projects.
Please note: We are currently revising our funding proposal process, and we expect to publish the new process here in early 2026. If you are interested in receiving funding from DIAD for a design-related project, please email us at design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
Who is eligible?
All Dartmouth faculty (individuals and teams)
Funding for: Creation of new design-based curricular module within an existing course
Amount: $1,000 stipend, plus up to $1,500 in supplies
To learn more or to apply:
design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
Who is eligible?
All Dartmouth faculty and staff (individuals and teams)
Funding for: Any interdisciplinary, design-based research or creative project
Amount: Up to $5,000
To learn more or to apply:
design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
Who is eligible?
All Dartmouth students (individuals and teams)
Funding for: Any design-based project taken on outside of an existing course
Amount: Varies based on need
To learn more or to apply:
design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
DIAD catalyzes interdisciplinary and cross-sector research efforts with opportunities for students and faculty. DIAD supports and generates design-based investigations aimed at co-developing positive impact. These include:
Interested in proposing something new?
Reach out to us at design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
DIAD looks for opportunities to support students, faculty, and staff to practice design in and outside the classroom, through workshops, events, and programs.
Past examples include: public lectures by design luminaries, design workshops for student clubs and cross-campus organizations, and the Design Corps program where teams of students use human-centered design to improve life on campus.
DIAD works with many partners across Dartmouth to foster interdisciplinary creative learning. Some of our collaborators include:
Need a space for your design-related event? The Design Loft in the Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center is a dedicated space available to members of the Dartmouth community engaged in design-related activities.
Location: ECSC, Rm. 007
In this hyper-flexible multipurpose room, everything is on wheels—even the couches! Any member of the Dartmouth community can reserve it for any design-related event, including workshops, design sprints, working sessions, club meetings, presentations, exhibitions, special class meetings, and more.
Furniture: The Loft features both bar-height and standard-height tables with dozens of chairs and stools, four moveable couches, and both stationary and mobile whiteboards.
A/V Equipment: It has a standard AV setup with a projector and room speakers, as well as lecture capture and built-in Zoom Room capabilities.
Beth Altringer Eagle
Distinguished Professor of Engineering Design
Paula Olson
Senior Program Manager
Jsun Velasco-Hébert
Program Manager
Solomon Diamond
Associate Professor of Engineering
Eugene Korsunskiy
Associate Professor of Engineering
Samuel Levey
Professor of Philosophy
Peter Robbie
Associate Professor of Engineering
John Bell, Film and Media Studies
Nicola Camerlenghi, Art History
Michael Casey, Music; Computer Science
Tania Convertini, French and Italian
Mary Flanagan, Film and Media Studies
Dan Kotlowitz, Theater
Lorie Loeb, Computer Science
James Mahoney, Computer Science
Justin Mankin, Geography
Liz Murnane, Engineering Sciences
Scott Pauls, Mathematics
Elizabeth Carpenter Song, Anthropology
Rafe Steinhauer, Engineering Sciences
Zenovia Toloudi, Studio Art
Tricia Treacy, Studio Art
Tim Tregubov, Computer Science
Jacque Wernimont, Digital Humanities; Film and Media Studies
Thalia Wheatley, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Jack Wilson, Studio Art; Engineering Sciences
Have questions or would like to talk about a design-related idea? We’d love to hear from you!
Email us at design.initiative@dartmouth.edu.
