Hey! Let’s rewind a bit and step into the whirlwind adventure that was our time at IdeaSquare in Geneva, hanging out at CERN as part of the CBIA3 Project’s Phase 1.

Picture this: mornings kick-started with some serious energizers to shake off any lingering sleepiness, setting the stage for the exciting day ahead. From there, it was a rollercoaster of fun workshops and eye-opening talks till the sun dipped below the horizon. Our mission? Tackling UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

 

Team DesignSeers

 

We immersed ourselves into problem spaces, crafting some seriously radical solutions fit for the year 2030. Huge shoutout to the amazing teaching team at CERN for guiding us through this maze with informative sessions on discard studies, ethnographic research – you name it, we did it. And let’s not forget about getting cozy with CERN and ATTRACT deep tech, which we resourcefully incorporated into our brainstorming and prototyping sessions (sticky notes and sharpies, our trusted sidekicks).

Now, let’s talk highlights. Pablo Garcia Tello dropped some serious wisdom bombs on why crunching numbers is key to understanding problems better. Neal Stone schooled us on design thinking, taking our creative game to a whole new level. And Dr. Markus Nordberg? Well, let’s just say he blew our minds with his sci-fi journey into the universe’s deepest mysteries.

 

Team NYCDF

Team NYCDF

 

Oh, and did I mention we got VIP access to CMS, the particle detector at LHC? NBD, just hanging out at the world’s largest particle collider. Plus, a tour of the United Nations Office at Geneva gave us a glimpse into global diplomacy and sustainable development goals. And dinner with Robert Cailliau? Yeah, that happened. Cue mind-blowing conversations about the past, present, and future of the internet.

Major props to our pals from Germany and Melbourne for bringing some serious global vibes to the table. Connecting with like-minded souls from around the world? Pure magic. And let’s not forget about our mentors and the teaching team, who had our backs every step of the way, helping us unleash our full potential.

 

All hands on deck

 

The program was immersive and profoundly inspiring. It pushed us to cultivate a futures-thinking mindset through continuous creative exploration. “Creativity is a muscle and it needs exercise” – we learnt! And over the course of two weeks, our team grew closer. We started as friends and returned as a strong team. In the beginning, we stumbled through problem-solving, rapid prototyping, and concise presentations. But now? We’re totally owning them.

Towards the end of week 2, we had the opportunity to present two of our big ideas. We’ll save the juicy details for the next part of this blog. So stay tuned!

– Hasta la Vista!