Design for America (DfA) has been busy these last few months, whether leading workshops at universities across the nation and at ABWBD, winning design awards, being featured on the cover of Fast Company magazine, and, of course, a articles feature right here on Core77. In short, Design for America is launching a design revolution all across America, inspiring young designers to take ownership of social problems in their communities and working to solve them with innovative solutions.

During this past week, all eight of Design for America's flagship studios have gone live. These studios are hosted at: Barnard/Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Northwestern, RISD/Brown, Stanford, UCLA, and UO Eugene. Student leaders from each studio attended a Summer Leadership Studio at DfA Headquarters at Northwestern, which included a surprise visit from Massive Change author (and Core77 Design Award winner) Bruce Mau.

Workshop at the Dartmouth studio launch

Each of the eight studios have formed teams to address problems in their immediate communities that also have implications for communities across America. These project teams are asking the questions:

Barnard/Columbia - How can we increase the relevancy and accessibility of sex education in local public schools? How can we increase the amount of green spaces on campus?

Cornell - How can we improve the mental health and happiness of students in Ithaca?

Dartmouth - How can we improve the lives of veterans? How can we improve dental health among low income rural families?

Northwestern - How can we improve footcare for the homeless? How can improve the lives of those living with diabetes?

Workshop warm-up exercises at the RISD/Brown studio launch

RISD/Brown - How can we improve learning for children with language-acquisition disabilities? How can we reduce the frequency of lead poisoning?

Stanford - How can we improve the waiting room experience at the free clinics and Stanford hospital? How can we make eating on campus easier for students with dietary restrictions?

UCLA - How can we help nurses and doctors reduce the number of mistakes they make prescribing and dosing medication to patients? How can we get more drivers off the road?

UO Eugene - How can we improve the relationship between Alzheimer's patients and their care-takers? How can we improve mobility for wheelchair users?

Design for America is now accepting applications for the next generation of studios. For more information and the application, visit the DfA website here!

And, without further adieu, we present the students behind this Design for America revolution: