Pratt Institute’s premier research event, Research Open House celebrates the ways design drives meaningful inquiry, raising critical questions and opening up possibilities for what research can be.
Each year, the event draws a wide community of participants: faculty and students from every corner of Pratt, as well as partners from universities and related industries, elected officials, funders, nonprofit organizations, alumni, and thought leaders from business and civic sectors.
The 2026 Research Open House covers four areas of inquiry: Art & Public Spaces, Technology & Ethics, Materials & Fabrication, and Planning & Policy.
Program of Events
| Time | Topic | Presenters |
| 1:30–2:15 pm | Equity Research & Public Practice | Roger Smith, AIA, NOMA, Gensler Lisa Cholmondeley, FAIA, NOMA, Gensler |
| 2:30–3:30 pm | IP Strategy: A Fireside Chat on Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets | Peter Ragonetti, Pratt Institute David Kalow, IP Strategist Aaron Nesser, Keep Earth Company |
| 3:30–4:00 pm | Global Solutions, Local Impact: Decarbonizing New York’s Buildings | In Cho, Passive House for Everyone Tony Daniels, Cycle Retrotech |
| Time | Topic | Presenters |
| 1:30–2:15 pm | Shaping the City Forum | Lucia Pedrana, European Cultural Centre Hadi El Hage, European Cultural Centre |
| 2:15–2:45 pm | Sustainable Development Goals Local Learning Studio | Anna Rubbo, Columbia University Silvia Vercher, Columbia University |
| 3:00–3:30 pm | Center for Environmental Research Launch UN Collaborations | Eliana Abu-Hamdi, Pratt Institute Rebecca Fitzgerald, Pratt Institute Partners from Carnegie Mellon University, Lehigh University, and The New School |
| 3:30–4:00 pm | To Designing in Nepantla: Articulating a Design Value System for the Mexican Context | José de la Ocampo, Pratt Institute |
Acupuncture Architecture: Small Interventions for Social Mobility
Syracuse University
Magdalena Valdevenito, Instructor
A.L.L. H.U.M.A.N.S Are Born Equal – Advancing Local Leadership: Harlem’s Urban Metropolitan Architecture Network System
New York Institute of Technology
Farzana Gandhi, Associate Professor
Alessandro Melis, Professor
Fadhil Fadhil, Adjunct Professor and Robotics Fabrication Lab Manager
Sivapriya Janakiraman, Research Assistant
Yasmine Koleilat, Research Assistant
Deborah Seyilnen Parradang, Research Assistant
Chana Rhodes, Research Assistant
Project in the Public Realm
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation
Building Science Through Design
Syracuse University
Hannibal Newsom, Assistant Professor
Magda Valdevenito, Adjunct Instructor
Xixi Chen, Adjunct Instructor
Anjiang Xu, Adjunct Instructor
C.U.L.T.I.V.A.R.T.E. (Community Urban Landscapes Transforming through Interactive Vital Art and Therapeutic Engagement)
New York Institute of Technology
Farzana Gandhi, Associate Professor
Alessandro Melis, Professor
Fadhil Fadhil, Adjunct Professor and Robotics Fabrication Lab Manager
Sivapriya Janakiraman, Research Assistant
Yasmine Koleilat, Research Assistant
Deborah Seyilnen Parradang, Research Assistant
Chana Rhodes, Research Assistant
Mobile Refuge Room
Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Deanna Van Buren, DJDS
Courtney Knapp, Pratt Institute
Designing Sustainably for Design Works High School
Design Works High School
Molly O’Brien, Assistant Principal
Students of Design Works High School
Distributed Care Hubs: Rethinking Disability Care Policy Through Participatory Research
Lehigh University Small Cities Lab
Christina Chi Zhang, Assistant Professor
Equity Research & Public Practice
Gensler
Lisa Cholmondeley, FAIA, NOMA, Director of the Center for Research on Equity, Design Manager, Principal
Roger Smith, AIA, NOMA, Director of the Center for Research on Equity, Design Director, Principal
Progress Update: NY-NLT
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF)
Paul Crovella, Associate Professor
Co-presenter: Aakash Joshi
A Novel Approach to Digitalized Therapeutic Environments
Vital Element and Pratt Institute
Joseph Lanctot, Founder, CEO, Vital Element
Eric Chan, CDO, Vital Element, Principal, ECCO
Peter Sim, AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellow, Pratt Institute
Sunrise Bay: Immersive Experiential Learning of Scenario Planning
NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University Tandon School of Engineering
Manny Patole, Industry Assistant Professor
Global Solutions, Local Impact: Decarbonizing New York’s Buildings
Passive House for Everyone and Cycle Retrotech
In Cho, Passive House for Everyone
Caroline Zayas King, Passive House for Everyone
Tony Daniels, Cycle Retrotech
Murali Nallamothu, Cycle Retrotech
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Local Learning Studio
Columbia University
Anna Rubbo
Silvia Vercher
SEEN/UNSEEN: Design, Surveillance, and Public Trust
Thought Matter
Able Parris
Nicole Beira
Sara Yuan
Shaping the City Forum
European Cultural Centre
Lucia Pedrana
Hadi El Hage
Storefronts + Sidewalks: Activating Commercial Corridors with Art
Van Alen Institute
Hayley Eber, Executive Director
Shiloah Coley, Program Manager
Joseph Messana-Croly, Program Manager
UN Collaborations
Carnegie Mellon University, Lehigh University, and The New School
Urban Futures Hackathon: Design + Data Scenarios for NYC
New York University and New York Institute of Technology
Anton Rozhkov, Industry Assistant Professor, Director of M.S. in Urban Data Science, New York University
Marcella Del Signore, Associate Professor, Director of M.S. in Architecture, Urban Design, New York Institute of Technology
Urban Heat & Small Cities
Lehigh University Small Cities Lab
Lauren Scott, Research Scholar
Research Open House Exhibitors
Research Open House 2026 is organized around four broad thematic research areas—Art and Public Spaces, Materials and Fabrication, Planning and Policy, and Technology and Ethics—and are grouped by thematic area in the Research Yard.
3, 30, 300, 3,000: A Durational Psychosomatic Inquiry into Grief; Repetition, Rounds, and Reconciliation
Cristina Gabriele, Visiting Assistant Professor
(Agri)Culturing A Community: Using Agricultural Byproducts to Build Neighborhoods
Saddqa Bahidrah, Undergraduate Student
The Architecture of Hasidic Williamsburg
Arie Salomon, Visiting Assistant Professor
Talia Turpaz, Research Assistant
Center for Art, Design and Community Engagement K–12 & STEP
Daniel Bergman, Senior Director
Megan Aebi Opena, Program Director, STEP
Eco Art on Island: Environmental Research Through an Artist-in-Residence Project on Governors Island
Nina Edwards, Lecturer
FIREWALL Cafe, A Comparison between Internet Images on Google vs. Baidu Search Engines
Joyce Yu-Jean Lee, Assistant Professor
Integrating Contemporary Methods with the Rowena Reed Kostellow Methodology, Workshop & Exhibition, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkiye, January–February 2026
Karen Stone, Adjunct Associate Professor (CCE), Industrial Design
Munire Kirmaci, Visiting Instructor, Industrial Design
The Labyrinth Project
Madeline Rugh, Visiting Associate Professor
Kimberly Faulkner, Visiting Associate Professor
Parti Eco : Activations for Accessible Education
Swati Piparsania, Assistant Professor
Prototyping an Air-Sensing Sculpture
Aurelie Barbier, Graduate Student
Public Address
Alex Strada, Fine Arts Civic Engagement Fellow
Rewire
Kartikaye Mittal, Co-PI and Design Developer
Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, Visiting Associate Professor and Project Lead
Shibori Geometry Project
Philip Ording, Associate Professor
Isa Rodrigues, Assistant Professor
Supporting Design-Build Collaborations
Keena Suh, Professor
Ann Dinh, Visiting Assistant Professor
2026 STEAMplant Initiative Projects
Juliana Toloza Serna
Algenosphere: Air-Purification Of Toxins Via Vacuum-formed Algae Growing Panels Within A Dual-Layer Timber Gridshell
Darrick Borowski, Visiting Associate Professor
Mehek Usman, Undergraduate Student
Niki Gotzev, Undergraduate Student
Aarav Shroff, Undergraduate Student
Biomimetic Potential of Fish Scales in Medical and Sustainable Design Applications
Sarah Houston, Undergraduate Student
The BlueBlocks Floating Gardens
Gita Nandan, Adjunct Associate Professor
Jinean Robinson, Executive Director, RETI Center
Data Textiles: Exploring Data Physicalization in Quilts, Embroidery, and Fiber Arts
Nancy Smith, Associate Professor
Hyperstitch: The Architectonic Potential of Robotic Crochet
Gisela Baurmann, Associate Professor
Jamie Latimer, Assistant Professor
HyperTILES, HyperBRICKS
Haresh Lalvani, Professor
LEAF TO MATTER
Tinatin Egiashvili, Graduate Student
The Material World: Collaborative Approaches to Materials Education
Carolyn Shafer, Director, Pratt Sustainability Center
Natalie Moore, Adjunct Associate Professor
Mechanical Library
Steve Turbek, Visiting Assistant Professor
NY‑NLT: A New York State Mass Timber Structural Panel Building System
Meta Brunzema, Adjunct Associate Professor
Pratt Textile Research Lab
Kerry Ryan, Associate Professor
The Strange Road of Materials
Anivia Deng, Undergraduate Student
Eleonora Del Federico, Professor
Renato Miracco, Curator
Gabrielle Smith, Undergraduate Student
The Textile Dye Garden at Pratt Institute
Gina Gregorio, Adjunct Professor
Isa Rodrigues, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Misheelt Batkhurel, Undergraduate Assistant
Emma Barnes, Undergraduate Assistant
Transforming Studio Paper Waste into Recyclable Furniture
Eugene Kim, Graduate Student
Twisting Growth: An Experimental Rope Fabrication Machine for Bio-Derived Materials
Moein Shashaei, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Weichu Cheng, Graduate Student
Kavya Gunasekar, Graduate Student
Vessels: Garment Repair as Intergenerational Storytelling
Brooke Garner, Assistant Professor
Julie Vo, Graduate Student
Aquapelagic Infrastructures – The Big Pitch
David Erdman, Associate Professor
Building a Collective Story of North Brooklyn Heat Experience
Yuliya Dzyuban, Assistant Professor
Lisa Bloodgood, Director of Horticulture and Stewardship, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance
Coal Ecologies and the Fragility of Heritage: Development, Extraction, and the Changing Landscapes around Harappa
Komal Niazi, Postdoctoral Researcher
Uzma Rizvi, Professor
Course-Based Civic Engagement at Pratt
Michael Kelly, Adjunct Professor
Irine Le, Graduate Student
Ewa Miano, Undergraduate Student
Creative Fabric: Mapping New York’s Garment District
Tessa Maffucci, Assistant Professor
Designed to Exclude
Tim Lawrence Cunningham, Adjunct Associate Professor
The EcoCultural Design Studio: A Trans-Disciplinary Exploration of Human Cohabitation within Natural Systems in the Context of Acute Climate Change
Enrique Lanz Oca, Adjunct Associate Professor
David Ling, Visiting Associate Professor
Ecodesigning Sustainable Products? Voluntary and Regulatory Measures Shaping Design Strategies in the Scandinavian Furniture Industry 1987–Present
Carl Zimring, Professor
Entrepreneurship at the Margins: Rethinking Creative Business Education
Jessie McGuire, Visiting Instructor
Yura Kang, Graduate Student
Mapping Endangered Architectural Heritage in Havana
Max Scott, Graduate Student
The Mindfulness Collaboratory
Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, Visiting Associate Professor
Rhonda Schaller, Project Lead, AVP of Student Success, Assessment, and Strategic Initiatives, and Instructor
Sam Harvey, Research Assistant and Assistant Director, RWW
NOEM — Context as Infrastructure: Designing a Context-Aware AI System
Sebastian Roda, Undergraduate Student
Noemie Ducrey, Graduate Student
The Post-Corporate Dwelling
Laura Salazar-Altobelli, Assistant Professor
Pratt Center for Community Development
Alexa Kasdan, Executive Director
Janrey Serapio, Communications Manager
Tara Duvivier, Senior Planner
Chante Ramsey, Director of Operations
Pratt Public Sphere: A Living Laboratory for Sustainability and Community Resilience
Rafael De Balanzo Joue, Adjunct Associate Professor
Enrique Lanz Oca, Adjunct Associate Professor
Darini Nicholas, Adjunct Associate Professor
Connor Campbell, Undergraduate Student
Reclaiming the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Donata Kraskauskaite, Graduate Student
Alex Colon, Graduate Student
Karalyne Dube, Graduate Student
Threademption Workforce Development Initiative
Qu Ling, Graduate Student
Marissa Shadburn, Graduate Student
Kunze Song, Graduate Student
Hao Zeng, Graduate Student
AI Systems for Creative and Cognitive Augmentation
Saif Bajnaid, Undergraduate Student
AquaSteady
Cindie Kehlet, Professor
Anna Collette, Project Manager and Visiting Associate Professor
Baillie Vensel, Senior Production Technician
Yazhe (Gigi) Luan, Project Assistant
Cosmopolitan Plants: Fiber, Fabrication, and Ecological Design
Mariel Collard Arias, Assistant Professor
Decoding Mental Health Conversations with GenAI
Irene Lopatovska, Professor
Marc Lobo, Graduate Student
Designing for Conscious Digital Consumption
Drishya Sudarsanan, Graduate Student
Reza Prasad, Graduate Student
Fernando Alonzo, Graduate Student
Akanksha Salvi, Graduate Student
Exploring MohenjoDaro in Virtual Reality
Jack Young, Researcher
Uzma Rizvi, Professor
Exploring Student Use of Generative AI Tools in Prototyping Physical Computing Projects
Monica Maceli, Associate Professor
FLOW: Energy Autonomy and Regenerative Infrastructure for Floating Communities
Christopher Brokaw, Visiting Assistant Professor
Zehra Kuz, Adjunct Professor
Elizabeth Lynch, Undergraduate Student
Devanshi Lodha, Undergraduate Student
Ghosts of Goods: Experiencing Nineteenth-Century Consumption through XR
Ersin Altin, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Making Nature Audible: Visualizing Frog Calls with Machine Learning
Nisha Shrinivasan, Graduate Student
Mapping Learning: Using Generative AI to Visualize Evidence of Student Learning Outcomes
Gaia Hwang, Chairperson of Graduate Communications Design
The Migrant Mortality Mapping Portal Project (M3P2) – A Humanitarian Data-Provision Project in Process
Rachel Daniell, Visiting Assistant Professor
Mudbrick Materials Study
Uzma Rizvi, Professor
Greg Sheward, Visiting Assistant Professor
Museum Accession Cards in Mohenjo-Daro: Archives, Labor, and Decolonial Practice
Sophia Trifoli, Graduate Student
Uzma Rizvi, Professor
National Gentrification Intensity Map
John Lauerman, Associate Professor
Alice Viggiani, Graduate Student
Emely Perkins, Graduate Student
Neurodiversity and Entrepreneurship Innovation Lab
Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, Visiting Associate Professor
NYC Future Perfect: Wind Power and the Waterfront
Karen Bausman, Adjunct Professor
Product Architecture Method: Architectural Thinking for Digital Product Design
Hasan Hachem, Visiting Assistant Professor
Regulation-Informed Design: Developing Ways to Integrate Legal Knowledge into UX Practices
Sai Shruthi Chivukula, Assistant Professor
Kirsten Segeren, Graduate Student
Maanya Agarwal, Graduate Student
Resonant Objects
Jon Otis, Professor
Linh Nguyen, Graduate Student
Elizabeth Hammet, Graduate Student
Tangible Interfaces Lab Design Challenges
Steve Turbek, Visiting Assistant Professor
Maria Myers, Graduate Student
Chad Ruble, Graduate Student
Tracing Aksara: Documenting and Digitizing the Typography of Indonesia’s Traditional Scripts
Puteri Annisa Tsamrotul Fuadah, Graduate Student
Value Lanes: Toolkit to Build Ethical Argumentation in Design Students
Sai Shruthi Chivukula, Assistant Professor
Aayushi Bharadwaj, Graduate Student
Xin Jiang, Graduate Student
Ways To Stretch a Flag: Experiments with Generative Design Systems and Semiotics
Nick Berray, Graduate Student
A World in a Jar: the Closed-Loop Ecosphere as a Model of Regenerative Infrastructure
Christopher Brokaw, Visiting Assistant Professor
Seraphine Brokaw, High School Student