Humans of TU Delft: Erica Brizzi

“I’m Italian and I studied industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. I decided to move here to change my perspective on design, so about two years ago I started a master’s in integrated product design (IPD). During the master’s I realised I really like the research part so I’m taking an extra six months to do design for interaction and then I will graduate.

For one of the electives, I decided to work on a Base of the Pyramid project, to work on a project for an emerging market. My group decided to carry out part of the research abroad, working in the context. Things are really different when you are on the ground because you can verify your assumptions. We worked on a project with Doctors Without Borders on developing a bait for mosquitos to prevent the spread of malaria. We went to Kenya to test if the mosquitos liked it and also to engage with the community. We spent a month there and it was a great experience. I am so grateful because TU Delft is full of these opportunities for students.

‘Futury is the link between students and the rest of the world’

I’m also on the board of Futury, which is the IPD master’s community. We are basically the link between the students and the rest of the world. We connect companies with students to interact and work on cases. We’re also the link between students and professors. If students feel like there is something that should change or maybe there’s a way to improve the master’s programme then we are the ones who facilitate that. I really wanted to have more of an active role in the community and I thought Futury was a great way to do that. We already have a great programme here, but it’s nice to try and keep improving.”

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Heather Montague / Freelance writer