What’s New at the AK Design Collaboratory
PSU Student Team Submits AR Sandbox Project to SEED Design Competition
Summer 2026
This summer, the Portland State University student design team—Ron Janus Acob, Gabriella Werner, Anthony Westwolf, and Suzy Cordisco—along with advisors Todd Ferry, Sergio Palleroni, and Todd Nicewonger, submitted their work on the AR Sandbox project to the SEED Design Competition.
Developed as part of the AK Design Collaboratory, the AR Sandbox is an interactive engagement and planning tool designed to support conversations around community planning, environmental change, and future development in Alaska communities. The project brings together student design, community engagement, and ongoing research to explore how interactive tools can support collaborative decision-making.
The two diagrams below provide an overview of the project and its development.
The Alaska Design Collaboratory AR Sandbox Project received an Honorable Mention in the 2026 I-SEED Awards, recognizing the team’s innovative and collaborative design work.
Annotated Bibliography on Typhoon Halong Now in Press
Summer 2026
2026 I-SEED Award Honorable Mention
Alaska Design Collaboratory
Summer 2026
After months of gathering and reviewing news coverage, photographs, and other social media accounts, we have completed an annotated bibliography documenting media coverage of Typhoon Halong and its impacts across Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. We’re pleased to share that the bibliography is now in press with Virginia Tech Publishing] with publication expected in late fall 2026.
Edited by Todd Nicewonger, Jilan Chen, and Stacey Fritz
The Alaska Design Collaboratory AR Sandbox Project received an Honorable Mention in the 2026 I-SEED Awards, recognizing the team’s innovative and collaborative design work. The project highlights how research, student-led design, and community engagement can come together to develop tools that support planning and decision-making in Alaska communities.