Santa Maria de Ostuma Farm, Matagalpa, Nicaragua
July 21st, 2011
One of the Pratt IDSA Student Chapter’s important objectives is to introduce students to ways in which they can become involved and challenged with real world experiences and applications. This year our IDSA Student Chapter and Pratt’s Center for Sustainability co-sponsored a Research Project and Field Trip to Santa Maria de Ostuma, located in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
A group of 11 Pratt Industrial Design students, led by Adjunct Professor Karen Stone, engaged in research and study of the social and cultural characteristics of the Sta Maria de Ostuma community. Students had the opportunity to explore a different natural environment, gain knowledge of a distinctive culture, and study the practices of a working community, gaining a broad view of life in another part of the world.
The overall objective was for students to learn about the relationship between the socio economic and cultural aspects of Sta Maria de Ostuma, and find ways in which they can contribute, as good citizens of the world, to helping improve the quality of life and the environment, through good design solutions.
Karen Stone from Pratt CSDS on Vimeo.