Time

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Speaker(s)

Beth Ferguson, Assistant Professor of Design, UC Davis

Abstract

This seminar will explore recent mobility trends connecting users to a variety of sustainable transportation options. Solar charging station design for electric vehicles and scooters share systems will be explored along with the City of Austin’s new Electric Drive pilot program. Ferguson will present her research and design work related to electric scooter solar charging stations for Austin, TX and the Bay Area that give urban dwellers a free solar charge.

Biographical Sketch

Beth Ferguson is Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at The University of California Davis. She runs Sol Design Lab, a solar charging station design/build company. She has collaborated with public utilities, festivals, and universities to position solar energy as a civic and public resource. She has engaged thousands of participants in the development of projects such as solar charging stations, up-cycled public furniture, Climate Kits, and Green Maps. She has received commissions from SXSW, Austin Energy, ZER01 San Jose Biennial, TEDxPresidio, Coachella, The ZERO1 American Arts Incubator, The U.S Department of the State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Longhorn Innovation Fund for Technology and the Bay Area Maker Faire. She has an MFA in Design from the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught solar design courses and workshops at Stanford University, The University of Texas at Austin, The Art Institute of Chicago, and UC Santa Cruz.