Carl Conlee ‘05 ID and Evan Twyford ‘05 ID are habitability-center designers, working with NASA engineers to devise the interior of a new rover that will house living quarters for future scientific missions to the moon and beyond. Carl and Evan are challenged with designing a space that can accommodate eating, sleeping, personal hygiene, exercise and more in 380 cubic feet of space. And, of course, it has to look cool - and no doubt it will! Read more about them, and the project, in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine and in this extensive profile on Core77.

Think before you buy.  For me, that used to mean I’d ask myself questions like “is this a good value?” or ” is it well made?” These days, thanks to entrepreneurs like Hiroko Kurihara ’89 TX, it means much more. Hiroko is a textile artist, living and working in Oakland, CA, who produces a line of home furnishings and fashion accessories. For every purchase made, she donates a scarf or blanket to a homeless member of the community. She calls it “conscientious consumerism,” encouraging people to consider the global and local impact of all their purchasing decisions, and you can read more about her philosophy, view her work, and find out where to purchase it on her website. You can also read more about Hiroko in this article in the Contra Costa Times.

For those of you on the West Coast, Hiroko will be selling her work at the RISD Holiday Sale on Sunday, December 7 at Fort Mason, Building A, San Francisco, from 9:30AM-5PM.

RISD’s basketball team The Balls won yesterday against MassArt — 76 to 33. Congratulations, and “Go Balls!”

The tradition of American documentary photography thrives, as evidenced in some recent images made by Peter Goldberg [RISD ‘88, Photography], who journeyed well below (more than 300 feet below!) the streets of Providence to record the work and daily life of the “sand hogs” — the men and one woman — who built the Narragansett Bay Commission’s sewer overflow tunnel beneath our city streets. Peter’s stark and revealing images of tough people hard at work evoke the spirit of his 20th-century forebears Lewis Hine and Margaret Bourke-White and can be seen at the Gail Cahalan Gallery (200 Atwells Avenue, Providence — right near the site of one of the tunnel’s access points) through November 24.

>> see more/read more in The Providence Phoenix

So, in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s this new character in Gossip Girl, who was just introduced as a potential love interest of one of the protagonists, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Her new squeeze, Aaron Rose (John Patrick Amedori), purportedly went to RISD. Fans of the show are now debating whether it’s “a good idea for Serena to date a RISD hipster” or if artist Aaron will introduce “a dangerous archetype into areas of middle America where it just shouldn’t go.” Tune in, if you dare, Mondays at 8pm EST, if the suspense is just too much.

A short documentary by ceramist Courtney Leonard MFA ’08 CR on the death of a 60-foot finback whale is one of six films chosen to be screened this month as part of the PBS project We Shall Remain. Backed by ReelNative, a video initiative designed to give voice to Native Americans across the country, it is also being shown at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Courtney is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation.

When The GRAMMY Museum opens in Los Angeles on December 6, people will be immediately drawn to Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom, curated by RISD’s very own Dan Cavicchi, associate professor of American Studies. The author of Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans, Dan is a historian of popular music and culture, and was invited to curate the new museum’s first special exhibition, which is also the first major museum survey of 200 years of music and politics in America. The show strives to “move beyond common assumptions about music as mere entertainment and spark awareness about its function as a social and political force,” Dan says. “While the institutions of government give elected officials the authority to shape policy and create law, the power of music enables American citizens to publicly express their needs and create the debate and discussion necessary in a democracy.” Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom is on view through December 2009 before touring nationally.

Congratulations to Judith Schaechter [RISD ‘83, Glass] and Kara Walker [RISD MFA ‘94, Painting/Printmaking], who are among the 50 fellows just awarded unrestricted $50,000 grants by United States Artists (USA). Four RISD alumni (so far!) have been named USA fellows: in its inaugural year (2006) USA recognized Assistant Professor of Textiles Liz Collins [RISD ‘91, Textiles/MFA ‘99, Textiles] and Tanya Aguiñiga [RISD MFA ‘95, Furniture Design].

USA is funded by a coalition of foundations—Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential and Rasmuson—dedicated to the unlimited promise of our finest artists. As part of its mission, USA poses some important questions, among them this one: Will the convergence of science, engineering, and art redefine American innovation and global competitiveness? Just the kind of question we ask—and try to answer—every day here at RISD.

I had the opportunity to visit in NY with RISD alum Meg Roberts (TX ‘78) and her husband Steven. Their company Echo Design is world renowned for their ability to produce incredible scarves and accessories that marry integrity of design with inspired affordability. Echo generously supports scholarship initiatives here at RISD and have my echoed thanks for making an important difference in students’ lives.

[Ed.: We’ve just learned from Mitch Goldstein ‘06 GD that the Echo logo was designed by Anne Jordan ‘07 GD. Together Mitch and Anne run Hypothesis in Providence.]

The RISD Northern California Alumni Club continues to be one of RISD’s strongest clubs, with an active group of committed alumni planning diverse activities to appeal to a variety of interests. Earlier in the year, they came together to produce a one-night show at the Mina Dresden Gallery in San Francisco. This fall, they spent a day together in the park with family and friends, enjoying the fine weather, celebrating and nuturing the unique bonds of community shared by RISD alumni living in the Bay Area. Here’s a photo of club co-leader Eric Engstrom ‘64 IL checking out the grill!