Students unveil final-year creations
Products, tools and appliances for tomorrow’s world have been unveiled to the public by final-year BA (Hons) Product Design students at Southampton Solent University.
From a neonatal incubator and prototype superyacht to a gender loo, chair and solar streetlight and wash station for people with disabilities, the showcase represents the creative inventions for more than ten major projects.
Seven industry sponsored awards were made to some students and Senior Lecturer Andy Douglas says: “We are grateful to the sponsoring companies for supporting the course, and for confirming the high quality of work that is produced by our students. The awards this year particularly reflect the ‘industry readiness’ of our graduates.”
Winner of the Innovation Award, Olivia Gibbs, 22, designed a neonatal incubator. The design was developed using the principles of parental-led care and inspired by Canadian research. The work, carried out in Toronto, showed dramatic improvements in neonate recovery and lowered parental stress when parents are at the heart of their neonates care.
Olivia explains: “The LETO Protect Infant Incubator is a development on current incubator systems, which allows closer bonding between mother and baby in the NICU. The intuitive design allows mothers to take an active role in the care of their infants while still ensuring comfortable and efficient working practices for staff.”
The exhibition, which previewed on Friday 12 June, is open to the public until Thursday 18 June in the John Millais building at Southampton Solent University’s main campus on East Park Terrace. Opening times are: 17 June 10am – 5pm and 18 June 10am – 4pm.
James Rayner, 22, designed a ‘Stem’ street-light and chair, which eliminates the issue of the seat pan becoming wet from rain and helps social interaction.
He says: “The Stem street-light is powered using solar power and is unlike any product on the market. This product has been designed to offer a high lumen output while also being a statement using architectural lighting solutions.
“I took inspiration from the fluent forms, which are found within plant life and used this analogy throughout the project. The designs were developed ensuring they were fluent with one another and portrayed modern, minimalist and sleek attributes” he continues.
Equipped with model-making and prototyping workshops, the University’s studios provide hands-on learning. Links with industry help students relate projects to the real world and provide live project briefs to develop products from concept to market.
Charlotte Jeffery, 21, says, “I have enjoyed making new friends and learning more about my chosen career path than I ever thought possible. Having worked at B&Q Headquarters last summer, I hope the experience I gained and the professional work I produced – a gift card for the 2015 range – will benefit me in my search for a product/graphic design job.”
For more information about Solent’s BA (Hons) Product Design course, visit solent.ac.uk
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8201 3642 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 19,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The University was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2014 poll of students. Solent Business School has been awarded the Small Business Charter Award, which is supported by the Association of Business Schools and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and ‘gold approval’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
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