Design Education

Studios & Seminars

I believe powerful design education unites rigorous thinking with the discipline of actually making things.

Across more than fifteen years of teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder, I've watched students learn why a project matters, work through iteration and failure, build confidence in their own judgment, and carry ideas into physical and public consequence.

My teaching spans foundational studios, environmental product design, architecture and product capstones, design-build, visual communication, theory and ethics, ecological design, digital modeling, and generative AI.

Lecture
Taking It to 11
In this lecture, I look back across eleven years of teaching design and the questions, projects, and students that continue to shape my practice as an educator.
Watch 11 Years of Teaching Design on YouTube
Student Voices
“Genuinely one of, if not the best-taught classes I have taken at CU Boulder, coming from a senior who is about to graduate. ... Throughout this class, my perspective on AI has continued to change and I have learned a lot, and I hope this class continues to be taught.”
Generative Design with AI | Spring 2024 course evaluation
ALL LEVELS
12 courses
FOUNDATION
intro studio
ADVANCED
options studio
CAPSTONE
thesis studio
SEMINARS
special topics
Showing all 12 courses
Generative Design with AI student work
Seminar / Special Topics|Spring 2026|AI Collaboration
Generative Design with AI
ENVD 4365-002
CU Boulder's first generative AI design course, framing AI as a creative collaborator while foregrounding human authorship and ethical agency.
Design-Build Studios, completed luminous ticket center
Advanced / Options|Studio|Design-Build
Design-Build Studios
ENVD 3300  |  Three projects, 2017 to 2019
Three community design-build partnerships, including work with Denver Botanic Gardens and the Northeast Denver Housing Center, carried from concept through construction.
Iceland Slow Sauna Competition, volcanic landscape arrival
Capstone / Thesis|Spring 2026
Iceland Slow Sauna Competition
ARCH 4100-11
A capstone thesis studio researching ritual, light, and material response to the Icelandic landscape through four sauna and bathing proposals.
Museum of Analog Experience, screened facade
Capstone / Thesis|Spring 2025
Museum of Analog Experience
ARCH 4100-11
A capstone thesis studio imagining museums built around slowness, craft, and analog experience in a digital age.
EPOD Capstone Studio, Moza stool exploded assembly
Capstone / Thesis|2016 to 2024
EPOD Capstone Studio
EPOD 4100
Environmental Product Design capstone studio spanning entrepreneurship, professional practice, and independent thesis research.
Urban Rewilding Studio, backyard species network
Foundation|Fall 2025
Urban Rewilding Studio
ENVD 1120Coordinator
A foundation studio introducing ecological design and site research through the lens of urban rewilding.
Graphic Design and Portfolio, poster exercise
Seminar / Special Topics|Spring 2025
Graphic Design and Portfolio
ENVD 4052
A seminar and workshop on visual communication and professional portfolio development.
Luminaire Studio, Owl luminaire
Foundation|Fall 2024
Luminaire Studio
ENVD 1110Coordinator
A foundation studio in material exploration and digital fabrication, centered on the design of a single luminous object.
Theory and Ethics of Design, halftone portrait referencing Dieter Rams
Seminar / Special Topics|2017 to 2025
Theory and Ethics of Design
EPOD 3101
A seminar on critical and ethical inquiry in design practice.
EPOP Retail Outlet, Framed proposal
Advanced / Options|Fall 2019
EPOP Retail Outlet
EPOD 3100Coordinator
An advanced studio in entrepreneurship and professional practice, designing and building a retail environment.
Studio I Environmental Product Design, School Super Sidekick prototype
Foundation|2020 to 2024
Studio I | Environmental Product Design
ENVD 1010Coordinator
A foundation studio in environmental product design.
Advanced Digital Modeling with Rhino, Eames Revolution city plan
Seminar / Special Topics|2010 to 2023
Advanced Digital Modeling with Rhino
ENVD 2352
A seminar in computational design and digital fabrication using Rhino.
Teaching Philosophy
"Love is a better teacher than a sense of duty."
Albert Einstein