Julio M. Ottino (NAE) is dean of the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Northwestern University, and Distinguished Robert R. McCormick Institute Professor and Walter P.

True plug-n-play is the holy grail manufacturers strive to attain when systems must work with each other. The ideal scenario lets users take a device out of the box, plug it in, and start using it.

Design thinking provides a holistic approach to the development of new products and processes, emphasizing the creative, interdisciplinary synthesis of new systems that can lead to solutions for real ...

Examines the aesthetics, design, and engineering of sculpture, installation, and public art. Through research presentations, readings, and field trips, students learn about the complexities of making ...

Design thinking is playing an increasingly significant role in the business world. Companies doing some of the most innovative work, such as Apple, Amazon, and Google, use this approach to help solve ...

The Engineering Design program is intended for students whose academic/scientific interests aren’t aligned with an existing engineering discipline or limited to one engineering discipline. The ideal ...

An approach that promised to democratize design may have done the opposite. When Kyle Cornforth first walked into IDEO’s San Francisco offices in 2011, she felt she had entered a whole new world. At ...

When just about all business activity — both with customers and employees — was hurriedly moved to digital a few months ago, one could be forgiven for not paying close attention to the nuances of the ...

Design for America (DFA), the national social impact network started at Northwestern Engineering that uses design thinking to tackle social challenges, is now part of the Watson Foundation. The ...

The first year of a Drexel engineering major’s college journey isn’t an easy one. There’s a lot to adjust to— living in a new environment, making new friends, and the challenging foundational courses ...