Flavia Torunsky has graduated in Arts – Image and Sound at Ufscar, SP (2003) and is finishing her specialization in Environmental Education at USP. Flavia did previous courses as Social Ecology, PDC and has been working as an environmental educator for over 10 years now. Currently member of Veracidade, works with workshops, talks and other educational activities about permaculture and environment, as well as coordinates the CSA SC project since its foundation in 2013. Moreover Flavia is the treasurer of both the CSA and Veracidade. Flavia has lived in Ipema ecovillage where she did the PDC course for the first time and now lives at Veracidade for over 2 years helping in the development of an urban sustainable house.
Miho is a designer/engineer from Kyoto, Japan – where she leads her design for development organization called SoHub. She founded SoHub largely inspired by IDDS 2012 in Brazil – she couldn’t stop thinking how and why IDDS design process can empower people and liberalize communities so much. Her research in UC Berkeley is also related to that, and she hopes to continue experimenting IDDS design process in many other places. She holds B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and currently a candidate for M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. She loves drawing, photography and learning about different culture J
Débora Leal is from two different parts of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro and Para in the Amazon. Débora is graduated in Data Processing, post-graduated in System Analysis and Marketing and worked as web-project manager for more than 10 years. Her involvement in organizing events: TEDx organizer, IDDS Brazil 2012 participant, IDDS Maternal and Neo-Natal Health 2013 organizer, Rethink Relief 2013 and 2014 facilitator and organizer, and volunteer at IDDS Zambia 2013 and IDDS D’ Akar 2015.
Max is a community builder, event organiser and general enthusiast. Currently based in Pakistan he is co-founding the countries first makerspace in Lahore. He is a co-founder of ThingsCon, a leading conference on IoT and hardware, and the Global Innovation Gathering, a network and annual get-together of community spaces from all over the planet. He has recently organised IDDS Lahore in early 2016. Max is interested in the social, psychological and cultural implications of technologies and how technology can be used to increase agency and personal human connections.
Michael Schuster is graduated as a Product Designer at the HFG Schwaebisch Gmuend (BA), is currently studying in the MSc Program Development and Rural Innovation at the Wageningen University and spends his practical training at the ZK/U Center for Arts and Urbanistic as an Intern in Cultural and Operational Management. Previously Michael worked on a number of social design and sustainable development projects namely; Snowland Ranag Schoolgarden in Nepal, re:char Inc in Kenya, Don Bosco Vocational School in Cambodia or at the Future Living Studio 3 in Vietnam. He is an autodidact, artist, social thinker, cyclist and doer. Participant of Rethink Relief Uganda 2014.
Mariana Negrao was born and raised in Brazil. She recently finished her masters in the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA Program at Colorado State University. Previously, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. Mariana currently works as Medical Device Quality Engineer at a multinational company. She’s been engaged with the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN) since 2008. She participated in the International Development Design Summit (IDDS) in Boston (2008) and in Ghana (2011), and helped organizing the summit in Brazil (2012) and in Zambia (2013).
Juliana Sauaia was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and studied Engineering Physics at UFSCar. Despite her background working for different industries both in Brazil and in Germany, her true passions are the social impact and the education sectors. Currently, she is one of the Expeditions project ambassadors at Google, promoting innovative tools for education in schools across the country. She was a volunteer translator in IDDS 2012, in São Paulo, and a participant in IDDS 2014, in Tanzania. She recently came back from a one year trip around the world, where she backpacked through 25 countries and cultures. Besides traveling, she loves photography and forró, a local Brazilian dance.
Andre Santachiara Fossaluza was born in Americana/SP and has lived for 10 years in Botucatu/SP (Brazil). There, he graduated as a biologist and teacher of sciences at São Paulo State University (UNESP). After that, he earned a master’s degree in Science Education (UNESP-Bauru), and since March, 2015, has taken his doctorate in the same program. His fields of research and work are Environmental Education, Permaculture and Agroecology. He is a member of Curare Permaculture Group, which has developed low-cost Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) since 2009. He’s been acting in social and environmental actions in partnerships with universities and NGOs.
Diego was born in Belém, but raised in the countryside of Pará, in the brazilian Amazon. A lover of design, innovation, communications and photography. He’s graduated in social communications at UFPA (2013) with academic interchange at Oporto University, Portugal (2012). Today he lives in Belém and works as freelancer designer and communications planner. In the weekends he’s also a volunteer hospital clown in a pediatric ward. And the most important: he’s very ready to dive deep into IDDS.
Sher Vogel is the IDIN Summits Coordinator located at MIT. She oversees the selection of IDDSs around the globe and provides lead organizers with the tools, training, and connections necessary for their organizing teams to host a successful summit in their local context. She has a background in communications and international development, is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and is passionate about bringing diverse groups of people together to share ideas and learn from each other. Though you won’t see her at IDDS Amazon, you’ll see plenty of emails from her once you’re a network member about opportunities to help organize summits!
Jorge was born and raised in Honduras. He began collaborating with the UC Davis D-Lab in 2013 to translate and adapt the design curriculum to the Panamerican School of Agriculture, Zamorano’s Learn by Doing program in his native Honduras. He currently is helping organize projects with D-lab’s international partners and coordinate with the International Development Innovation Network. His educational background is diverse from Fine Arts to Crop and Animal Science and Regenerative Agriculture. He likes thinking in systems and is fascinated by design process and its transformative effect on individuals and communities.
Miguel Chaves is in love with the ability to bring ideas to life. The feeling of making something of the mind on concrete things in the real world, move his life. And your process for this is to build things and make dirty hands. Although he has a degree in engineering, he likes to have a designer way of life, where ever and ever the most important thing to a solution is to understand the people who are going to use this solution. He began to love social innovation even in the third year of college when spent a month living in a Brazilian Indian tribe. After that, through IDDS, he was involved in projects in Africa, Brazil and the United States. In free time, if he’s not dancing or listening to a boy band, he is watching intelligent / logical films or series.
Gabi is Brazilian. She is a passionate chef specialized in raw and living food, vegan and vegetarian food with international experience at gastronomiaviva.com. She also works as a floral therapist researching about the “Florais da Amazônia” system. As an educator, her interests are in practices involving deep ecology, self knowing and development tools through food and eating. Has experience in Dragon Dreaming, NVC practice and group facilitation skills. In 2009 completed the first EDE program in Rio de Janeiro and joined the team. Was one of the initiators of Transition Towns Brasil – Rio de Janeiro movement at the same year. From 2010 to 2012 supported the staff at Rio and Terra Una/MG EDEs. In 2013 took part on Amazonian’s EDE – AMAGAIA, developed using Dragon Dreaming tools. Some actions still occur at Mapiá Community, the place that holds this EDE. She´s part of Nazaré EDE facilitators team bringing the subject of Conscious Consumption and Fair Trade. Graduated in International Relations and Graphic Design she’s now taking her degree at the Master on Communities and Social Ecology at EICOS/UFRJ researching about Conscious Eating. She also designs books as a freelancer publisher.
Dr. Linder’s teaching and research efforts are focused on sustainable design, international development, human centered design and creative design methods. These efforts are directed at developing techniques and approaches that further a more ecologically connected and socially informed design practice. As an experienced teacher and practitioner of product design, Linder regularly advises and delivers workshops for practitioners, educators and the Public. He is a co-organizer of the International Development Design Summit that brings people together from over 20 countries to build local, creative design capacity.
Helena is a Master of Public Administration candidate concentrating in Development Practice at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). She has a Bachelor Degree in International Affairs from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to graduate school she worked at the United Nations, Brazilian public sector and in the Brazilian former president office. At Columbia University, Helena is engaged in projects related to public-private partnerships, social entrepreneurship and technology for development. She is a board member of Columbia Impact Investing Initiative and the Technology and Innovation Student Association.
Ernst is a graduate student in Ecology at UC Davis. His research is focused on land-use change, deforestation, water use and food waste. He is also involved in projects aiming to reduce food waste at the consumer level: an app that uses data from food retailers to warn users of upcoming expiration dates and a network of community fridges designed for community building and food sharing (freedge.org). As a Climate fellow for the D-Lab, Ernst helps in the design of Climate Neutrality modules for the Zero Net Energy class and the US-Denmark Renewable Energy Workshop.
Arte-educadora e produtora cultural, com foco na saúde e ecologia humana. Trabalhou no Ponto de Cultura Camarim das Artes, Rio de Janeiro (2004 a 2013), produzindo oficinas e eventos socioculturais para inclusão social de jovens da periferia. De 2006 a 2013, foi assistente editorial na Editora Fiocruz, produzindo livros para a Saúde Coletiva. Em 2013, foi curadora da ocupação artística Ocupassom, na Reserva Ambiental de Marapendi (RJ). Integra o Movimento Bandeirante, monitorando o desenvolvimento de crianças no bairro do Guamá (Belém) em ações de cultura, meio ambiente e cidadania. Em 2014 foi produtora no Jalam das Artes – Programa Amazônia Cultural (Ministério da Cultura), nas áreas de Permacultura, Artes da cena e Bioarte, em Benevides (PA). Fez a produção para a sustentabilidade do Se Rasgum Festival em 2014/2015; produziu oficinas de dança afrobrasileira no Coletivo Casa Preta – Intercâmbio Conexões Cultura Brasil (MinC) e coordenou o laboratório de criação e experimentação “O corpo como objeto de arte” (FCP). Atualmente coordena o Laboratório de Narrativas Visuais e Construção de Portfólio, na Casa das Artes (FCP).
Paula Moreira tem várias faces: Para os alunos, é mestranda em Gestão de Empreendimentos agroalimentares – algumas horas de atuação na docência, outras como palestrante. Para as empresas, é consultora em segurança alimentar, inovação de alimentos e empreendedorismo. E para os espiritualizados é praticante de meditação, estudante do pathwork e da comunicação não violenta.
Engenheiro de Produção, estudante de MBA em Gestão Financeira. Atuou em redes sociais e auditoria. Voluntariando com mais de 3 anos de experiência. Já foi Intercambista. Futuro Globetrotter.