Miss Next Century 2020 | Merritt Moore

Merritt Moore is an American ballerina and quantum physicist. Moore's love for math and dance started at a young age growing up in California. Moore dances professionally for ballet companies around the world and completed her PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics at Oxford in 2017 following her underaduate degree in physics at Harvard. In 2020, Moore began an innovative residency at Harvard's ArtLab exploring how AI can inspire human creativity through dance.

Moore was named Glamour's 'Top Ten College Women' in 2010. In 2017, Moore was a candidate on BBC Two's 'Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?'. In 2018, Moore started a unique Instagram profile and campaign called SASters Squad (Science-Art-Sisters Squad, @sasters_squad) to support and promote women pursuing both science and art. Moore was named one of Forbes 'Forbes 30 under 30' in 2020.

Merritt Moore was named Future-ish's 10th Miss Next Century in 2020.

Social Media

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>> Facebook
>> Instagram: @physicsonpointe | @sasters_squad
>> LinkedIn
>> Twitter: @physicsonpointe

Additional Reading

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• Butterfield, L. 2017. Women in science: A quantum ballerina dancing to the beat of her own drum. Oxford Science Blog.
• Campbell, C. S. 2018. PODCAST: Torn Between Two Passions? Choose Both. Forbes
• Knapton, S. 2017. Oxford physicist and professional ballerina battles to become astronaut in new BBC show. The Telegraph.
• Levine, A. 2018. Staying on Pointe: Physicist Twirls Her Way to Successful Ballet Career. APS News.
• Strul, J. 2010. Meet the Top 10 College Women of 2010: Amazing Women You Haven't Heard of…Yet! Glamour.
• Wikipedia

Design Idol | Jason deCaires Taylor

Jason deCaires Taylor is an English sculptor who creates objects that develop into artificial coral reefs making his pieces part art, part marine conservation, and part tool for environment awareness and social change.

With an English father and Guyanese mother, Taylor grew up in Europe and in Asia where he spent formative years exploring the coral reefs of Malaysia. Taylor earned his Honours BA degree in Sculpture in 1998 from the London Institute of Arts. As a credentialed scuba diving instructor, underwater photographer, underwater naturalist, and conservation enthusiast, Taylor has the unique ability to create works of art that provide habitat for sensitive ocean corals and marine life.

In 2006, Taylor created the world’s first underwater sculpture park off the coast of Grenada in the West Indies which is now one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World according to National Geographic. In addition, the park was instrumental in the creation of a National Marine Protected Area. In 2009 he completed the worlds largest underwater sculpture museum, MUSA, situated off the coast of Cancun and the western coast of Isla Mujeres near Cancun, Mexico.

Taylor's most recent completed work, “Ocean Atlas” was installed in 2014 in the Bahamas. At five meters in height and weighing over 60 tons, "Ocean Atlas" is the largest underwater sculpture in the world. He is currently working in the Canary Islands on a new underwater museum for the Atlantic Ocean.

Taylor was added to our PISA List in 2014.

Design Idol, Culture Icon | Majora Carter

Majora Carter is an American social entrepreneur, environmental justice activist, urban revitalization strategist, real estate developer, and radio host.

Carter graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and later received a BA at Wesleyan University. She then completed her MFA at NYU in 1997 and has received multiple honorary doctorate degrees from universities including Wesleyan, Knox, and The New School.

Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001, a nonprofit organization created to provide environmental justice solutions to challenges facing the community. Her initiatives have included multiple green-infrastructure projects and urban revitalization policy development, as well as diversity-focused green and technology industry development in inner-city areas.

Carter's TEDtalk in 2006 was one of the initial six presentations that launched the TED website. Other accolades include: the Goldman Sachs' "100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs", a Peabody Award from the University of Georgia, the Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the NY Post, the Rachel Carson Award from the National Audubon Society, the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Humanitarian Service from NYU, and the Environmental Advocate of the Year from NRDC. Carter is also a McCarther Genious Fellow.

Carter is a Board Member of the US Green Building Council and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

Carter was added to our PISA List in 2014.

Twitter: @majoracarter

Design Idol | Vivienne Westwood

Dame Vivienne Westwood (born Vivienne Isabel Swire) is an English fashion designer and activist.

Westwood studied fashion and silversmithing for a short time at the Harrow School of Art in the University of Westminster and then took a job in a factory before becoming a primary school teacher and beginning to design jewelry. She married Derek Westwood in 1962 but the marriage ended when Westwood met musician, artist, and band manager Malcolm McLaren. Together with McLaren, Westwood would help define the punk and new wave fashion period, partly by designing clothing for some of the leading punk bands of the era.

Westwood and McLaren opened a boutique together in 1971 called Let it Rock, known today as Worlds End following several other names. The two had their first runway show, The Pirate Collection, in 1981 and Westwood continues to show today.

Westwood now has owns several shops in London and MIlan, has multiple franchise stores throughout England and in New York City, and has showrooms in Milan, Paris, Los Angeles and Honolulu. She has designed the British Royal Family and celebrities.

Westwood was named British Designer of the Year in both 1990 and 1991. In 1992, Westwood was awarded the Officer (OBE) class of the Most Excellent of Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. She was later awarded the higher level Dame Commander (DBE) for her accomplishments in fashion in 2006.

In addition to her fashion accomplishments, Westwood is well known for her political activism for causes such as nuclear disarmament, human rights, climate change, and consumerism. She is also passionate about the role of culture in shaping the future referring to culture as "the anchor that holds us together as a people and gives life greater meaning" in the 2011 Canadian television documentary, Vivienne Westwood's London.

Westwood was added to our PISA List in 2013.

Below is Westwood's 2011 TEDxObserver video in which she also talks about the importance of history, heritage, and culture:

Design Idol | David Tartakover

David Tartakover is an Israeli graphic designer, artist, educator, and activist.

Tartakover studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and later graduated from the London College of Printing in 1968. He has lead his own studio in Tel Aviv since 1975 and has been a senior lecturer in the Visual Communication Department of the Bezalel Academy since 1976.

Tartakover's work has focused on culture and politics and frequently is in response to provocative events. Among his many accomplishments, Tartakover is well known for degigning the logo for Peace Now in 1978, the Israeli two-state solution NGO.

Tartakover served as president of the Graphic Designers Association of Israel, is a member of Israel's Culture & Arts Board, and continues to be an active member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). He has curated many Israeli design exhibitions and international poster exhibitions and his own work has appeared in exhibitions around the world including France, Japan, China, Germany, Poland and Russia.

Tartakover also has works that are part of permanent collections in museums including MOMA in NYC and the Musée de la Publicité in Paris. Tartakover has won many exhibit prizes and in 2002 was awarded the Israel Prize for design.

Tartakover was added to our PISA List in 2013.

Design Idol & Culture Icon | Patricia Michaels

Patricia Michaels (Taos) is a Native American fashion and textile designer. Michaels is a finalist on Project Runway, Season 11. She studied graphic and jewelry design at the Institute of American Indian Arts and later worked at Field Museum in Chicago and apprenticed with a tailor in Milan. Michaels then spent two years working in New York's garment district culminating in show at New York Fashion week.

Known for her creativity and technical abilities in designing and manipulating textiles, in our minds Michaels and her designs are a perfect composition of science, design, and culture.

Design Idol | Thomas Woltz

Thomas Woltz and the Orongo Station Wetlands
The career of American landscape architect Thomas Woltz is coming into full bloom. He was recently named a Society of Landscape Architects fellow and has become highly recognized for his innovative ideas within the industry.

Woltz completed Masters degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia where he has also been a part-time faculty member since 2000. Woltz began working with Warren Byrd in 1997 and on 2004 became a full partner in what is now Nelson Byrd Woltz, a 30-person design practice with offices in NYC and Charlottesville, VA.

Woltz's projects range from private gardens and farmlands to urban landscapes and corporate campuses. One unique element of Woltz' work is his commitment to honoring people and place while creating forward-thinking environments. A passion for sustainability led him to launch the Conservation Agriculture Studio within his firm that connects design with sustainable agriculture, wildlife conservation, native plants, and systems thinking. Thomas serves on the Board of Directors of The Cultural Landscape Foundation and has been named to the 2011 ASLA Council of Fellows.

Design Idol & Sceleb | Judy Lee

Judy Lee is an American product designer and TV Host. As the child of a civil engineer, Lee's interest in engineering started early but it was in high school that she decided to pursue engineering. Later, Lee earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Industrial Design from North Carolina State University. While in graduate school, one of her designs was chosen for production by IKEA. Lee currently works as a Senior Project Leader and Principle Product Designer for IDEO in California.

Lee is best known for her work on PBS's Design Squad Nation and also appeared on WGBH's Engineer Your Life and NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers web series.

>> Judy Lee at TedxEastside Prep

Design Idol, Esteemed Expert | Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard is an American businessman, rock climber, surfer, kayaker, falconer, fly fisherman, and environmentalist. As founder of the outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, Chouinard is highly respected for his contributions to both climbing and sustainability in the outdoor apparel industry. He has been featured in radio, television, and many magazines ranging from outdoor magazines to Fortune. He has been a Sierra Club member since his youth and it was his love for falconry that led him to rock climbing. Chouinard often made his own climbing tools to save money and this practice set him on his path of designing climbing and outdoor equipment. Although he earned a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, Chouinard has become known for promoting "management by absence" with his book, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, and is a strong supporter of the slow company movement. Chouinard's ongoing interest in sustainable business has revolutionized theh outdoor industry multiple times, from 'clean climbing' in the 1970s to organic cotton initiatives in the 1990s.

Future-ish added Chouinard to our PISA List in 2011.

Design Idol | Cameron Sinclair

Cameron Sinclair is a British architect and humanitarian. Sinclair studied architecture at the University of Westminster and the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, during which time he developed a keen interest in social, cultural, and humanitarian design. After moving to New York, one of Sinclair's first projects was providing shelter to New York's homeless through sustainable, transitional housing. In April, 1999 Sinclair co-founded Architecture for Humanity with Kate Stohr to provide design services and architectural solutions to humanitarian crises. The organization has grown to include 40,000 professionals and 72 chapters in 14 countries. Sinclair continues to serve as the organizations 'chief eternal optimist' (CEO).

In 2006, Sinclair and Stohr authored "Design Like You Give A Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises". Sinclair and Stohr have also created the Open Architecture Network, the worlds’ first open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Sinclair was named one of the Aspen Seven in 2004 by Fortune Magazine. In 2006, Sinclair received the TED Prize, was named RISD/Target Emerging Designer of the Year, and was chosen with Kate Stohr to receive the Wired Magazine Rave Award for Architecture for their work after Hurricane Katrina. In 2008 the University of Westminster awarded Sinclair an honorary doctorate for his services to the profession. Also in 2008, Sinclair was profiled in CNN's "Principle Voices" series, appeared in Sundance Channel's "Iconoclasts", and Sinclair and Stohr received the Design Patron Award during the National Design Awards. In 2009 Sinclair and Stohr were awarded the Bicentenary Medal by the Royal Society of Arts.

Future-ish added Sinclair to our PISA List in 2010.

Design Idol - Janine Benyus

Janine Benyus is an American author, educator, consultant, and environmentalist. She is a leading expert in the field of biomimicry, which seeks to find solutions to society's social and environmental challenges by emulating nature's designs and processes. Her ideas have sparked innovations in design fields ranging from architecture and industrial design to engineering and urban planning. Benyus has authored six books and co-founded an education and innovation practice in 1998 called Biomimicry Guild that has worked with General Electric, HOK Architects, Levi’s, NASA, and Seventh Generation. Benyus has received many awards including the Rachel Carson Environmental Ethics Award, the 2009 Champion of the Earth Award in Science & Innovation from the United Nations Environmental Programme, and was named one of TIME International's Heros of the Environment. She is passionate about restoring and protecting wild lands and continues to serve as President of the Biomimicry Institute.

Future-ish added Janine Benyus to our PISA List in 2010.

Design Idol - Landscape Architect Kongjian Yu

Internationally acclaimed landscape architect Dr. Kongjian Yu continues to set new standards for his industry by infusing his agrarian roots and culture into his breathtaking projects that combine the best of sustainable design with cutting-edge engineering. Yu's projects with his firm, Turenscape, range from small gardens to regional planning but they all include aspects of nature, man, and spirits as one. The Qinhuangdao Red Ribbon Park (pictured above) is just one such example which created a modern urban recreation opportunity while maintaining the ecological system that existed there prior to the project. Dr. Yu now teaches at Peking University and Harvard so we expect to see many more inspiring works from Dr. Yu, as well as his students for many generations to come.

Latina Nina

I was psyched to hear judge Nina Garcia switch into Spanish in the first episode of Project Runway Season 8 on Lifetime. Casanova, one of season 8's competitors, wasn't quite understanding what host Heidi Klum was asking so Nina stepped right in to help out. Spanish is pretty rare in mainstream American television, particularly connected to design, so it really was great to see happen. Kudos for diversity in design! Reposted from Sustainable Sean.

Architect David Adjaye

In the world of architecture, the best designers build an international and following and an international portfiolio to follow. With projects in London, Moscow, Oslo, Denver, and Washington D.C.London-based architect David Adjaye has done just that. Although Adjaye creates multi million dollar masterpieces, he remains deeply committed to making great design accessable to everyone and ensures that his projects include community and charity projects as well.
Sclera, London, 2008

Culture Icon, Design Idol, & Sceleb - Susmita Mohanty

"Home Sweet Spaceship" might be the motto of designer, engineer, and space entrepreneur Susmita Mohanty. Mohanty, a firm believer that space training, travel, and living must consider humans over machines, is revolutionizing the future of space travel with her unique background and vision of the future. Mohanty's passion for space started during high school in Ahmedabad, India where the ancient city itself inspired her interest in design and her Father inspired her interest in technology. Her keen interest in design and science lead her to a bachelors degree in engineering, masters degrees in industrial design and space studies, and more recently a Ph. D. in architecture from the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden. Mohanty then spent time on projects connected to Boeing, NASA, the Mir Shuttle, and the International Space Station before starting several of her own ventures including Moonfront, Liquifer, and Earth 2 Orbit.

Mohanty has been recognized with many honors. In 2005 she was the youngest recipient of the Women in Aerospace International Achievement Award...but even more impressive - from a pop culture perspective - was that she was voted one of San Francisco's Top 20 under 40 in 2004.

Key words from her personal manifesto may provide the best inside into her motivations:

Transcend. Shed. Embrace. Encourage Technology convergence. Collaborate across disciplines and cultures. Catalyze. Minimize, Maximize, Eliminate. Redefine, Address, Develop. Identify, Apply. Think Hybrid. Think Programmable. Think Holistic. Think Intelligent. Think Sustainable.

Culture Icon & Design Idol - Twiga Mbunda

Surface Magazine described Twiga Mbunda's jewelry designs as having "a purity of form that manages to be simultaneously archaic and futuristic". Sound fabulous? We think so! Mbunda started her career in Tanzania as a civil engineer and then moved to the US in 1985. Unable to use her engineering degree, she started a new career as a Tribal Art Dealer in San Francisco in 1987 with her showroom, Twiga Gallery. Mbunda's interest in art soon evolved into jewelry design and today she now has jewelry in many stores, has been featured in many magazines, and has adorned many celebrities.

In 2007, Mbunda started the Mbinga Children's Organization to support the children of East Africa and to build an elementary school for girls where the daughters of AIDS victims can obtain the same quality of education that she received. Mbunda was the first person ever to leave her village so she hopes that her successful business and charity efforts will inspire others to also explore the world and their own possibilities.

Design Idol & Sceleb | Neri Oxman

Gracing the June 2009 cover of Fast Company Magazine as one of their 100 Most Creative People in Business is modern science and design diva, Neri Oxman. Although her early studies were in medicine and technology, after a degree in architecture she's now focused her keen mind on the science and design of materials and processes in what she describes as 'materialecology'. When she's not busy as a Presidential Fellow at the MIT Media Lab you might find her preparing for an opening of her artwork at MoMA, chatting with Vogue and Interview for upcoming articles, or lecturing at another major university somewhere in the world. Best of all, her work to improve industrial materials and processes is inspired by nature and ecology which explains why she wins awards in both design and sustainability. A scientist as cover girl leads us at Future-ish to propose two hypotheses: 1. smart is sexy and 2. smart is the new black. Watch out Tyra and Cindy, the era of glamour geeks has arrived.

Design Idol | Isaac Mizrahi

Fashion designer, author, actor, television host, documentary filmaker, and activist...Isaac Mizrahi has long been known for being outspoken on social and environmental issues on his shows, in his designs, and in his interviews. But one thing for sure, he won't sacrifice style for any reason. Mizrahi has won awards across several industries and his designs for Target proved that high style can be accessable to everyone. No one does style and substance like Isaac Mizrahi.

Design Idol - Marcel Wanders

Marcel Wanders is of one of the most famous contemporary Dutch industrial and furniture designers today. In fact, many feel he helped to revitalize Dutch design and brought it back to the world stage. Wanders first claim to design fame was the 1996 Knotted Chair for Droog Design. In 2000, Wanders became art designer and co-owner of a new design company called Moooi.

Design Idol | Richard Swett

Richard Swett is an architect, consultant, former congressman, and former US Ambassador to Denmark. Swett is a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council. Swett has written and spoken extensively on sustainable design, the role of architects in society, the characteristics and leadership qualities architects share with politicians, and the value in architects running for public office. Among other projects, Swett is the Founder and CEO of Climate Prosperity Solutions.

Future-ish added Swett to our PISA List in 2009.