Parsons School of Design

ECO-SKIN

Outstanding Science Prize Winner (supported by Genspace)

Jonah Goodman

ECO-SKIN is a bioactive wound dressing made from bacterial cellulose produced through Kombucha SCOBY fermentation. The bacteria Komagataeibacter xylinus creates a dense, hydrated pellicle, enhanced with antibacterial Manuka honey and anti-inflammatory acetic acid. This results in a semi-permeable, naturally adherent, moisture-retentive bandage effective for chronic and acute wounds. Developed as a low-cost, sustainable alternative to synthetic dressings often reliant on antibiotics and petrochemicals, ECO-SKIN addresses the need for eco-friendly medical materials. Inspired by personal experience with Ulcerative Colitis, it exemplifies a future where medicine is grown biologically rather than manufactured chemically.

GVS – Gender Validity Store

finalist project

Kairu Tong, Jordan Fong

The Gender Validity Store (GVS) envisions a world where embodied liberation redefines identity, embracing gender as expansive and deeply connected to culture and self. Biological sex is recognized as a spectrum, acknowledging intersex variations as natural diversity. Gender identity is validated through both biology and lived experience. Care is universal and free, removing financial barriers, while policies reflect fluidity rather than restriction. This future fosters a joyful, diverse society that normalizes gender diversity and supports individuals in their ongoing process of becoming, focusing on affirmation rather than correction or fixing.

Jane Pirone is an Associate Professor of Design Ecologies at Parsons School of Design. She served as Dean of the School of Design Strategies from 2015-2019 and as Director of the Communication Design program from 2006-2011. Jane’s creative and transdisciplinary practice engages with living systems, storytelling, participatory futures, and new technologies from critical, queer and post-human theoretical perspectives. Jane has been a founding member of the Datamyne Project (MYNE), the Urban Research Toolkit (URT), the urbanBIKE initiative, and YouthBike. Prior to joining Parsons, Jane was the founder/creative director of Not For Tourists, drummergirl.com, and the award winning design firm, Happy Mazza Media, working with clients such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, IBM, Nickelodeon, and the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Harpreet Sareen is a scientist, artist, and educator based in New York. His work is situated at the intersection of material science, biology, and electronics and draws on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. Harpreet terms this as 'Convergent Design' to create hybrid substrates and bionic materials that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems, and interaction design. Harpreet is an assistant professor of Interaction and Media Design at Parsons School of Design, New York. He also directs the Synthetic Ecosystems Lab that focuses on biological futures, their implications in interaction design, and the cybernetics of organisms and materials.