A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
Adjunct Associate Professor of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design Carisima Koenig spoke on inclusive environments and trauma-informed design at the North Atlantic Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) conference. Read more at the School of Architecture News.
Young Jun Kim, BFA Fine Arts (Jewelry) ’24, was featured in The Good Men Project about his jewelry practice. “In a world where jewelry often begins and ends with surface beauty, Young Jun Kim dares to dig deeper, transforming metal into memory, ornament into narrative,” writes Noen Noah. “As both a designer and metalsmith, Young Jun Kim is redefining what it means to adorn the body, crafting pieces that not only captivate the eye but also question the nature of beauty, imperfection, and time itself.”
The Pratt women’s tennis team won the 2025 Atlantic East Conference Championship, the first conference championship for Pratt since attaining full NCAA membership in 2022. Kayla Abraham, BA Critical and Visual Studies ’28, was named Tournament MVP after notching two wins in doubles and two straight-set victories at singles.
Graphis awarded Satchel McLaughlin, AOS Graphic Design ’25, Silver for typography and design in their New Talent 2025 competition. She also received an Honorable Mention for her poster design.
Pratt’s Puppet Club had its 5th biannual “Puppet Off” with puppeteers from The New School.
Fadila Prastawa, Qinni (Nino) Xiang, Xueer Han, and Liliya Treyger, all MPS Design Management ’25, presented their project “Beacon of Light” to the American Institute of Architects, New York. The proposal addresses urban resilience during citywide blackouts. A pilot program is slated for Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with plans for citywide expansion and partnerships with agencies like NYC Emergency Management and FEMA. Emphasizing community preparedness over infrastructure alone, Beacon of Light provides a scalable, human-centered model for blackout resilience that aligns with global sustainability objectives.
Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Claudia Berger, MSLIS ’21, and Gabby Evergreen, MSLIS ’24, led a workshop, “Exploring Environmental Data Through Data Physicalization,” at the 2025 METRO STEM Information Professionals Mini Conference. At that same conference, alumna Diedre Brown, MS Data Analytics and Visualization ’21, gave a talk, “Empathy for the Faceless: Using Coloring Books to Exploring the Urban Aerobiome Microclimate,” and alumna and METRO staff Mary Bakija, MSLIS ’20, helped organize the conference.
Emily Vasquez, BFA Art and Design Education ’26, received the 2025 Seraphin Bernard Student Leader of the Year Award.
Alumnus Jashar Awan is highlighted in Little Village magazine for his latest picture book, Every Monday Mabel, which “radiates pure joy,” writes Casey Maynard. “I have loved Awan’s previous titles, especially Towed by Toad, but this one feels like a new creative stride. . . . Everything about the presentation showcases Awan’s colorful style and wonderfully paced narrative.”
Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Ben Zweig published “This Prompt Contains Prohibited Words’: Language, Ekphrasis, and the Limits of the Generative Imagination” in The International Journal for Digital Art History. Also, a panel that he organized titled “Rethinking the Ethics of “Open” in the Shadow of AI” was accepted for the Digital Humanities 2025 conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
From Pratt Institute News
From Pratt Institute News
