Dina Johnny (Dubai)
Dr. Rachel Schreiber, Executive Dean at Parsons College of Design in New York and Paris, stressed that design fields for today’s students are essential to engage in future work sectors such as artificial intelligence, space and data science, pointing out that the “STEM” programs in schools reflect the close relationship between fields of work. Technology, science and design.
Schreiber confirmed in an exclusive interview with Al Ittihad that graduates of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation who studied the first multi-track design program in the region, can now complete postgraduate studies at one of Parsons’ branches in New York and Paris, and it is expected that a number of them will apply to the program. She called for design students to be removed from the stereotyped image as producers of decorative tools, pointing out that their real and effective role is to provide decisive solutions to common problems and challenges.
And about how to attract more students to design colleges or institutes, at a time when school education tends to focus more on scientific subjects, artificial intelligence, space and data science, and consider them the basis for being able to engage in the future labor market, Schreiber explained that design fields are necessary for the success of Sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace and data science, what is required is to educate students about the wide range of functions that may already exist in such scientific fields, for example, in order to analyze data meaningfully and correctly, it must be presented in ways that allow the user of this data to absorb it.
Therefore, Parsons College offers a graduate program in data visualization, where students combine quantitative thinking with visual design strategies and technology, in order to create the most clear and compelling data visualizations, and many design majors are classified as part of the STEM fields. i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, which recognizes the deep relationship that these disciplines have with science subjects.
Regarding the development of the partnership with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation during the last period and the aspects of support provided by the college, Schreiber expressed her admiration for the success achieved by the students through the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, congratulating the first batch of graduates. She has served for the past three years as a member of the Institute’s advisory board, a position that has enabled her to directly follow the work of students.
She added that Parsons is continuing to consolidate and expand its cooperation with the institute, and is currently exploring new opportunities to bring DIDI students to New York City.
Partnership with the UAE
Rachel Schreiber confirmed that the students’ academic study at the institute prepares them and qualifies them to complete graduate programs at Parsons, in both New York and Paris. After the first group completed their university studies at the institute, she expects that many of them will apply to these programs, and looks forward to welcoming them soon. On the importance of this partnership with the institute in an ever-evolving region such as the UAE, Schreiber said: This partnership meets the strategic goals of the college’s global impact, while seeking to expand access and offer the design education program to the largest global student segment. She emphasized that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, is an important region for the global economy, and it is a global destination for those interested in fields such as technology, architecture, multimedia design and fashion design from all over the world, which we seek to reach through cooperation with the institute to prepare a global generation of designers.
As for the challenges faced by the design sector in general, Schreiber said, designers play a fundamental role in solving most of the world’s most challenging problems, such as climate change, food security, and other aspects of living.
The challenge that designers face is the stereotype of their work as mere executors of decorative and fine art, when their real role is to provide critical solutions to problems, and their influence in the face of common challenges.
future jobs
On the position of design in the jobs of the future, and her view on how to prepare students, Schreiber stated that by teaching design, it prepares students to be able to design solutions to problems in the future. This approach offers an innovative way of empathetic thinking, and enables students to succeed in a very wide range of jobs.
Through the interdisciplinary design program offered by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation for example, the student studies fashion design with product design, and can explore a wide range of areas, from the use of materials to the conditions in which they are produced and other stations related to the fashion industry and the study is not limited to To introduce them to the aesthetics of fashion and the traditional way of learning fashion design. She added that when the student is multidisciplinary, he will have more comprehensive visions and be closer to aligning future jobs that require integrating many skills centered around the outputs of modern technology.
BSC
The Bachelor’s degree in Design offered by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation includes four specializations taught over a period of four years: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management.
As for Parsons’ priorities today as a leading design school, Schreiber said: The first is to contribute to the mitigation of climate change, by preparing designers who are able to develop solutions and designs to conserve resources, and in addition, designers must also be trained to address a range of human challenges, Efforts will always be made to educate the world about the power and impact of design and its role in improving human life.
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