Igniting GIANT Ideas: The Power of Co-Design with the Next Generation

Thursday October 17, 2024
Presented by Azadeh Jamalian and Jessica Mezei

Join us for an inspiring keynote that’s been six years in the making. In 2018, The GIANT Room began as a simple pop-up creative studio where kids could get messy, make things, and think big. Our mission was clear: take kids' ideas seriously and collaborate with them to create extraordinary projects alongside STEM professionals. Fast forward to today, and that vision has grown into a comprehensive, successful STEM curriculum, the GIANT Design Lab where we partner with industry leaders to co-design products, policies, and learning experiences for kids and with kids, and we’re building a new creative AI design and publishing app.

In this keynote, we’ll dive deep into the transformative power of co-design—how we work side-by-side with children to shape products, policies, and their own learning. You'll learn practical strategies for applying co-design principles to your work, no matter your field, and hear the hilarious, insightful stories of what happens when kids' imaginations run wild.

Come away inspired with actionable tactics for harnessing creativity and innovation, and discover how co-design can unlock fresh perspectives for you and your team. Whether you’re in education, design, tech, or any field that values creativity, this keynote will leave you thinking differently about the future.

Azadeh Jamalian. Phd in Cognitive Science in Education Teachers College, Columbia University, BAS in Systems Engineering

Azadeh Jamalian is founder and CEO of The GIANT Room co-design lab for families and schools. She is a TED speaker, former head of education strategy at littleBits, and co-founder of Tiggly. Jamalian has designed learning products and programs that millions of families have engaged with, and thousands of schools have implemented in their programs. Through her work at The GIANT Room, she has partnered with 150 schools, museums, libraries, and organizations such as Joan Ganz Cooney Center, LEGO Education, Scratch Foundation, Brainpop, and Lysol to provide community engagement, design, and learning programs. She has a PhD in cognitive studies in education from Teachers College, and has published on topics such as designing learning platforms for family engagement and emerging educational tech.

Jessica Mezei, PhD Science Education Teachers College Columbia University, BA Education, BS Biology

Jessica Mezei is a co-founder of The GIANT Room co-design lab for families and schools. With experience as a classroom science teacher, researcher, and parent, she has consistently centered play-based methodologies in the programs she designs and studies. GIANT Room has partnered with 150 schools, museums, libraries, and organizations such as Joan Ganz Cooney Center, LEGO Education, Scratch Foundation, Brainpop, and Lysol to provide community engagement, design, and learning programs. In addition to her work in education, Jessica has also helped early-stage tech start-ups connect educators with innovative, creative solutions to integrate play into their products and services. Through The GIANT Room, she continues to empower educators, caregivers, and communities to create environments where children can thrive and bring their imaginations to life. Jessica holds a PhD in Science Education from Columbia University.