Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation

Our next speaker at is Kelsey Brennan, Head of Product Design and User Research at ThredUp, where she leads the teams shaping how people buy and sell secondhand in one of the world’s largest online resale platforms.

With a background spanning design, research, architecture, and new media, Kelsey brings a systems-minded approach to product design, pairing creative rigor with a deep understanding of how people interact with complex digital experiences.

Kelsey has built her practice across a range of ambitious product environments, from scaling design at Planet, where she developed novel patterns for machine learning, satellite, and geospatial data, to launching products at Carbon Five that many people know and love. Her interdisciplinary path, grounded in a Master of Architecture from and a BA from Reed College, reflects a career shaped by both conceptual thinking and practical ex*****on.

In this talk, she will explore the tensions between found problems and made problems, and what comes first when designing products, teams, and systems that need to work in the real world.

Tues 9/22 5:30 PM. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP via link in bio or via https://luma.com/DesignFieldNotes

Part of the benefit of having a Makerpass is access to a range of skill building workshops taught by Jacobs’ Design Specialists. Swipe through to check out the array of great classes coming up:

9/17: Intro to Rhino / Unlock the potential of 3D modeling with Cody Glen
9/23: Jewel of my (Laser) Eye / hands-on intro to laser cutting with Chris Myers
9/24: Intro to Grasshopper / Understand the fundamentals of parametric design with Cody Glen
10/1: RoboDraw / Turn your sketch into robot art with Cody Glen
10/15: Advanced RoboDraw / Go deeper with multiaxis robotics with Cody Glen

Note two are OPEN TO ALL, and do not require a Makerpass:

* 9/18: Privacy Not Included / Take back control of your data with Chris Parsell
* 9/29: AI Ethics for STEM / Navigating AI, thoughtfully and critically with Nicole Panditi

Find out more at https://jacobsinstitute.berkeley.edu/workshops



 


This Tuesday, 5:30 PM Hall: Josette Melchor is a founder and cultural strategist working across art, technology, cities, and responsible AI.

As the founder of Gray Area and now Newtemporary  — as well as Google’s global lead on “placemaking” and a board member of the Burning Man Project — Josette has spent her career shaping experiences that connect emerging technologies with civic life, cultural infrastructure, and public imagination.

In this talk, Josette will reflect on how design can respond to impermanence, support community meaning-making, and help shape the cultural infrastructure of the future.

Free and open to the public!
RSVP and see the whole lineup: https://luma.com/DesignFieldNotes



 


This Tuesday come explore UC Berkeley’s 8,000 sq. ft. design & prototyping hub, meet the community, and watch the tools in action. We’re also celebrating the newly dedicated Yee Commons at noon — remarks, ribbon cutting & lunch!

📍 12:00 — Yee Commons Grand Opening & lunch
🔧 12:30 / 1:30 / 2:30 — Guided tours
🎨 Hands-on demos + Cal club showcases
🎱 Makerspace Bingo — win a FREE Maker Pass (3 winners!)

Free & open to ALL Cal students, staff, and faculty 💡

Please RSVP via link in bio!




Swipe through this season’s deep Design Field Notes lineup.
9 talks, 11 speakers… one very full semester of ideas.🧠

First up: Tania Ketenjian & Philip Wood, this Tuesday 9/8 at 5:30 PM.

Free & open to the public. Tuesdays at 5:30 pm, Jacobs Hall, 3rd floor.

See 🔗 in bio and follow 
https://luma.com/DesignFieldNotes




Introducing the 2026 Berkeley Engineering Design Scholars! 🛠️✨

Swipe through to meet this summer’s cohort — seven undergrads spending their summer deep in engineering design research, prototyping, and learning from Engineering faculty & PhD mentors.

From bio-mechanics to bio-inspired robotics, HCI to microfluidics — this crew has been busy. 👀

Ash • Christy • Kate • Madison • Sam • Yumi • Yunosuke 🙌

📅 Come see what they’ve built! Join us for the Poster Exhibition THIS FRIDAY, August 7th, 12–1 PM in 310 Jacobs Hall. Link in bio to RSVP 🔗

 
 


🚀Meet the Spring 2026 Innovation Catalyst Cohort!

We are beyond excited to introduce this semester’s grantees: 11 projects and 31 students pushing the boundaries of design and technology. From ambitious undergraduates to pioneering PhDs, this cohort represents the best of Berkeley’s creative intelligence.

This year, we’ve awarded:
6 Ignite Grants ($2000) scaling high-impact, advanced ventures.
5 Spark Grants ($500) driving fresh, early-stage concepts.

Watch these teams as they debut their prototypes and breakthroughs at the Jacobs Spring Design Showcase on May 6th-8th @ Jacobs Hall.

Applications for the Fall 2026 Cohort are now open! Apply by Monday, July 20th, 9AM PST.

Applications are officially OPEN for the Fall 2026 Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalyst grant program! 🚀

We invite Berkeley students from every major to submit project proposals they are passionate about developing this upcoming semester. Whether you’re prototyping a new gadget or designing a community solution, this is your chance to take your vision to the next level.

Why apply?

Funding: Receive up to $2,000 to bring your ambitions to life.

Resources: Gain access to the full suite of Jacobs Institute tools and expertise.

Community: Join a collaborative cohort of fellow student innovators.

Ready to build something meaningful? Attend an upcoming info session to get your questions answered.

🔗 Check the link in our bio for full application details, deadlines, and info session RSVPs!

* Info Session: Friday, April 24th • 11:00am - 12:00pm PT

The Jacobs Spring Design Showcase is almost here! Join us May 6th–8th at Jacobs Hall to celebrate a semester’s worth of creativity, innovation, and hands-on making.

Check out student projects, tour the Makerspace, and connect with the next generation of designers shaping the future across engineering, art, and technology. Free and open to all!

From Mechatronics Design and Design of IoT for Smart Cities to Human-AI Interaction and MDes Capstone presentations — there’s something for everyone!

Click the link in our bio to RSVP!

Our last lecture of the season features Johanna Hoffman, an urbanist working at the intersection of design, planning, fiction, and futures.

Johanna is the founder of Design for Adaptation, where she partners with communities, cities, and organizations to explore potential futures and design strategies for resilience and change.

She holds an MLA in landscape architecture and environmental planning from UC Berkeley (GO BEARS!) and has been a fellow at institutions including the Berggruen Institute, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, USC, and the European Futures Observatory.

See you tomorrow eve, Tuesday 4/7 @6:30 PM! RSVP via link in bio.