Adream Blair-Early is a designer and educator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she develops cross-disciplinary design research initiatives and curricula with the colleges of engineering and health sciences. Previously, Ms. Blair-Early worked as an interaction designer, educator and researcher for the University of Cincinnati (UC) in the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP) and their Center for Design Research and Innovation (CDRI) and Live Well Collaborative (LWC). Her research into principles of interaction and cross-disciplinary design curricula has been presented and published both nationally and internationally. Ms. Blair-Early has an M.G.D. from North Carolina State University's School of Design.

Our next generation of designers and makers face major challenges as they complete their education and enter the technical job market. While a high value is placed on innovation and entrepreneurship in the marketplace, the preparation students receive does not always provide them with the intellectual framework, the range of skills, the flexibility, the hands-on experiences or the leadership opportunities they will need to function as creative thinkers and versatile problem solvers in the global collaborative work environments of the 21st century. Herein lies the underlying theme of this talk: lessons and ideas from participatory and interdisciplinary teaching and learning spaces that empower the students and users.