University of Oregon College of Design

09/05/2026

UO Product Design professor Tom Bonamici set out to explore the compromises required to utilize a functional backpacking kit made entirely from natural materials. His plastic-free kit included custom clothing, a backpack, tarp, quilt, sleeping pad, and trekking poles. This October, this collection will be featured at Dutch Design Week in the Netherlands.

University of Oregon product design professor Tom Bonamici spent the past year making his own summer backpacking kit from wool, silk, cotton, and other natural fibers. Here's how it performs in the backcountry.

08/31/2026

UO Environmental Design associate professor Alexandra Rempel spoke with Gizmodo about alternative solutions to cool homes, from low-tech fans to passive cooling through smart home systems.

Advancements in passive cooling technologies are showing promise, but technical, economic, and climatic barriers remain.

08/30/2026

Congratulations to UO Landscape Architecture associate research professor David Buckley Borden, whose pop-culture art installation on the PNW's the historic wildfire forest lookout towers, titled "Lookout Landscape," was just awarded an Oregon Cultural Trust grant! The exhibition is on view in Portland at the World Forestry Center's Discovery Museum through March 2027.

The Oregon Cultural Trust announced a record $4.5 million in grants to more than 600 organizations across the state for fiscal year 2027. Thanks to the support of more than 10,000 Oregonians, over 600 organizations will be directly impacted by the generous donations of our community. Oregonians have...

08/29/2026

🏆 🦆 "What's Your Sign?", a Fieldscape Fellowship project supported by the Fuller Initiative for Productive Landscapes and UO Landscape Architecture’s field school program, has earned an ASLA Award of Excellence in Communication!

The project explores the folk graphics and historic timber frame barns of rural Pennsylvania to communicate environmental narratives relative to agricultural practices.

Achieving global, social, and environmental change through landscape architecture, investing in research, education, and community outreach for a sustainable future.

08/28/2026

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announce a $15 million+ investment in Oregon wood innovation projects, including $300,000 for the UO to accelerate adoption of mass timber by addressing acoustical considerations.
https://kqennewsradio.com/2026/08/18/over-15-million-in-federal-grants-to-support-wood-product-industry/

08/22/2026

The University of Oregon and UO Product Design welcomed more than 30 international researchers and practitioners for the 2026 Kansei Engineering and Emotion Research (KEER) International Conference, the first of its kind in the United States.

Kansei engineering helps designers quantify emotional responses to products, creating more human-centered designs. UO Product Design Professor Kiersten Muenchinger, one of the few US experts in KEER, hopes the conference will expand awareness of the methodology and its potential to shape how we understand people and the products they bring into their lives.

On a sunny, summer Oregon morning, a diverse group of people walked briskly into the Global Scholars Hall for the 2026 Kansei Engineering and Emotion Research (KEER) International Conference. The conference and building played host to more than thirty international researchers and practitioners, inc...

08/16/2026

Mckenzie Sampson, BFA (Digital Arts) '12, gives Cycling Weekly a behind-the-scenes look at designing the kits worn by CANYON//SRAM Racing at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift!

Apparel designer Mckenzie Sampson reveals how ideas, fabrics, rider fittings and dozens of individual pieces become one unmistakable WorldTour kit

08/15/2026

Katie Kerekes, MNM '20, spoke with FOX 13 Seattle about CORE's large-scale response to the Spokane wildfires. CORE, or Community Organized Relief Effort, is a humanitarian aid organization that assists areas across the globe facing climate disasters, conflicts, and health crises.

Humanitarian organization CORE has arrived in Spokane to help resid...

08/08/2026

Every 4 years, the World Cup sells millions of jerseys. Along with the excitement of the tournament comes something more sinister. Polyester, the jersey material used for decades, has been found to shed more microfiber pollution than alternative options.

Advances in materials and textile technologies could offer more sustainable alternatives without sacrificing performance.

https://worldcupanalysis.ws/world-cup-analysis-2026/a-red-card-for-sustainability-the-environmental-cost-of-modern-world-cup-jerseys/

08/07/2026

Mark Fretz, assistant architecture professor and co-director of the Institute for Health in the Built Environment, gives advice on how to manage wildfire smoke and improve the quality of your home’s air.

Advice for staying healthy during wildfire season from Mark Fretz with the UO Department of Architecture