On November 1, 2023 the Kusske Lecture & Dialogue Series hosted its third annual event with biologist, innovation consultant, and author Janine Benyus. Each year, the Kusske Lecture & Dialogue Series features renowned design practitioners and thought leaders whose work models ways of addressing humanity’s most pressing issues and generating solutions for our radically changing world.

In an inspiring keynote lecture, Benyus discussed the value of biomimicry as a strategy for designers seeking more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative solutions. Following her lecture, Benyus was joined in conversation by College of Design Dean Prasad Boradkar, UMN Vice President for Research Shashank Priya, and Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Emilie SnellRood from the College of Biological Sciences.

About the Kusske Design Initiative
A generous commitment from Manitou Fund to the University of Minnesota’s College of Design honors the memory of distinguished alumnus Christopher Arthur Kusske (BLA ’78). The Kusske Design Initiative (KDI) reflects his legacy through widely inclusive events and collaborations among a growing design community. Chris’s emphases on interdisciplinary dialogue, cocreativity, and celebration of the natural world inspire timely solutions. KDI programs and inquiries have transformative potential for the products we use, the environments we inhabit, and the systems we tend.