SFSU 2023 Biodesign Team returns to Share Their Work and Experience With Fellow Students in Product Design 2

Left: Carlos, Paul, Ida, and Jhoany after their AquaKai presentation in NYC, 2023. Right: Paul at the Biodesign exhibition at Parsons School of Design, during the Biodesign Challenge.

In the Summer of 2023, a team of students consisting of Ida Lajevardi, Jhoany Chong, Paul Garnica, and Carlos Hernandez represented the SFSU School of Design at the BioDesign Challenge (BDC) in New York City, where they presented their project AquaKai – a device that captures and filters microplastics from communal water sources using chitosan’s coagulant properties. This was the very first time that San Francisco State participated in this prestigious international competition.

A year later, Paul and Carlos, two members from the participating team returned to Prof. Carvalho’s Product Design 2 class, this time to share their work, experience, and to help

inform current students preparing to the 2024 BioDesign Challenge, once again taking place in NYC over the Summer.

Thank you, Carlos and Paul, for your talent, and for spending time with our Spring ’24 DES.410 students!

Carlos Hernandez

I’m Carlos Hernandez, currently a senior in the industrial design program at San Francisco State University. I transferred from Appalachian State University after my sophomore year where I began studying industrial design. As a kid, building with my hands was my play… growing up, the stakes are becoming higher but I still enjoy the process. I hope to design universal products that understand people and have the capacity to adapt by taking inspiration from nature’s modularity, form, and functionality.

I am an active student with another semester to go. I’m engaging in both digital 3D modeling and physical modeling this semester and it's been a fun trip so far! Looking forward to how my projects will turn out.

Instagram: @finos.design

Paul Garnica

Paul is product design student at the San Francisco State University School of Design. He was born and raised in San Jose, California. He enjoys rapid prototyping and concept ideation sketching and is currently working on his senior design project pertaining to transit in the South Bay.

Paul has a had a rewarding and challenging experience in the School of Design. His goal is to apply the knowledge of what he learned to the design of educational toys for children.