Professor Leads Roundtable for Prototypes for Humanity in Dubai

Liz McCormick was recently invited to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to participate in the Prototypes for Humanity Professors Collaboration Program, where she led a roundtable discussion on Health in the Built Environment. Prototypes for Humanity is an annual exhibition of 100 student-led innovations that “have the power to change the world.” The 2023 exhibition projects were chosen from approximately 3000 submissions from more than 700 universities in 108 countries.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Professors Collaboration Program convened 50+ faculty members from around the world who are doing work to combat global issues. These scholars, representing many different disciplines, came together with participating students for roundtable conversations on issues such as education, artificial intelligence, building materials, and data collection.

“Since P4H is based out of Dubai, a city known as a global hub, a key component of this event was forming international relationships,” McCormick said. “It was a really inspiring group of people.’

As the moderator of the Health and the Built Environment session, McCormick spoke about her ongoing research into climate-resilient architecture in Tanzania, which has been funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

“The panel was loosely based on my own research interests, particularly the idea of democratized innovation,” McCormick said. “We spoke about how to implement health innovations in a bottom-up way to better integrate strategies into communities. Because buildings (particularly housing) are so personal, it’s the best place to start conversations about health. By decentralizing the power and responsibility for healthcare interventions, we empower communities to take charge of their health futures. This approach, grounded in the use of locally available materials and the expertise of local builders, not only addresses immediate health challenges but also lays the foundation for enduring, community-driven solutions that resonate with the unique needs and aspirations of diverse populations around the world.”

While she was in Dubai for the Prototypes for Humanity events, McCormick was able to attend the 28th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 28), the annual United Nations Climate Change conference hosted at Expo City, Dubai.