![\"Maroa-Isabell](\"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/imperial-people\/files\/2023\/01\/Twitter_Socials5-1024x512.png\")
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I\u2019m a Master\u2019s student studying Global Innovation Design (GID) at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. I combine research, graphic design, conversational and written practices to reflect on the agency of the arts in nation building.<\/p>\n
A third of our time on the course is spent on cultural exchange at different universities around the world. I was part of a group of seven who went to the Maharashtra Institute of Design\u202f(MIT) in Pune, India to join their classes. One of the projects there was about how people from different backgrounds perceive metaphors differently. My favourite experience was meeting the students \u2013 they were so open and keen to welcome us.<\/p>\n
After my time in Pune, I travelled to the Uravu Indigenous Science & Technology Study Centre in Wayanad, India \u2013 a non-profit organisation that focuses on cultivating and preserving bamboo, and educating people about bamboo\u2019s benefits as a sustainable material. I learned a range of skills including weaving, hand cutting, bending, thinning, sanding and joining with bamboo.<\/p>\n
In my third term I was selected to pursue a module at Design Lab X, based at the University of Tokyo, to learn more about the confluence of science, technology and design thinking. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences on the GID programme. I used their specialisms such as high-precision, high-speed cameras and 3D tracking systems to develop a handwriting and computer interaction gesture system. I also developed wearable nail markers that aided in testing and experimentation. This solution was inspired by the lack of innovation in how Arabic speakers interact online using inefficient keyboards which are not designed for the Arabic script.<\/p>\n