Congratulations to Industrial Design students Lulu McRoberts and Jack Johnston for receiving a 2019 GRAY Award! They won the Student Design category, which was one of ten awards presented during a November 20 event at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle.
Johnston and McRoberts designed PREPI during a junior-year class with Michael Kritzer. It is an epinephrine delivery system and accompanying app for people with severe allergies. The delivery system has two flat syringes in a case the size of a cardholder. It is connected to a phone app that is activated when the case is opened and a syringe removed. The app provides options for additional assistance.
The two winners commented on the project and award. McRoberts said, "My boyfriend is deathly allergic to peanuts, and he constantly leaves his EpiPens behind because they are too big. I have always been stressed about this when we go out to new restaurants, and I often create an "escape plan" in my head in case something goes wrong. Winning the award was an unforgettable experience and so inspiring. I had such a wonderful night and got a taste of what the industry is like." Johnston had this to say, "People risk their lives everyday by leaving their EpiPens at home, simply because they are too big. This is a pervasive problem that not only affects both my boyfriend and Lulu's but also people in my life who've passed from not having their EpiPen's on them after consuming an allergen. Winning this award is absolutely thrilling and a privilege."
All the 2019 GRAY Award winners had their projects written up in the No. 49 (December 2019 / January 2020) issue of GRAY Magazine.
The School had additional finalists for the 2019 GRAY Awards. Two other Industrial Design student projects made it to the short list: Fibro by Caroline Slick as well as Teeter by Yuansi Li and Thipok Cholsaipant. In the Design for Good category, Visual Communication Design Associate Professor, her Studio Matthews, and some of her students were finalists for the exhibition they designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. View all the finalists.