CS Colloquium: Reinventing How We Make Things with Computational Fabrication and Sustainable Design

Abstract: Manufacturing underpins every major industry, from electronics to consumer products. How objects are designed—from their geometry to their material composition—has a critical impact on both their functionality and global sustainability. In this talk, I will demonstrate how integrating computational techniques, digital fabrication processes, and novel materials unlocks new opportunities for creating interactive and sustainable objects. From 3D-printed electronics and recyclable multi-material devices to dissolvable bio-based smart textiles, this work highlights a vision for how computational fabrication and sustainable design can reshape how we make things—and make them better.  Bio: Dr. Michael Rivera is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. He directs the Utility Research Lab—a highly interdisciplinary group that invents and investigates digital manufacturing technology by combining materials science, computational fabrication, and sustainable design practices. Michael has published award-winning articles on digital fabrication processes and interactive systems at premier human-computer interaction venues, including ACM CHI, UIST, DIS, and IMWUT. His research has been featured in popular national news venues such as NPR’s All Things Considered, Ars Technica, and CBS News. He is a former NSF/CRA Computing Innovation Fellow. He earned his Ph.D. at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, where he engineered additive manufacturing materials and processes for soft and sustainably designed interactive objects. ----- Watch more videos from University of Colorado Boulder Engineering & Applied Science and subscribe: https://bit.ly/37UmM5X Founded in 1893, the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder is the second largest of seven schools and colleges at one of the nation's top public research institutions.