VCUQatar Announces Bowman Heiden, Natalie Jeremijenko and Michael Mauer as Inspirational Speakers for Tasmeem Doha 2011

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is pleased to announce the participation of Bowman Heiden, Natalie Jeremijenko and Michael Mauer as inspirational speakers for the Tasmeem Doha 2011 – ‘Synapse: Designer as Link’ conference. Tasmeem Doha 2011 will take place at VCUQatar from 21 to 24 March, 2011.

A successful business guru, Bowman Heiden is responsible for developing a diverse, effectual knowledge community by knitting together disparate interests through a compelling, unifying vision. Heiden is a dynamic, energetic linker of people, mediums, companies and research agendas. As the Innovation Director for the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), Heiden is well positioned to elaborate on its role as a unifying synaptic center for innovators of all stripes.  One of the driving principles of QSTP is to foster innovative research in a variety of sectors to help Qatar achieve its goal of becoming a robust and fully integrated knowledge-based economy and society within the next two decades.

Bowman Heiden is currently the innovation director for the Qatar Science & Technology Park, where he is responsible for driving innovation strategy and intellectual property policy. Heiden holds degrees in engineering and technology management and his PhD work is in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship with a focus on intellectual property valuation and finance in knowledge-based sectors. Before turning his focus to the field of knowledge-based business, Heiden played professional basketball in a number of European countries.

Natalie Jeremijenko’s knack for cutting across multiple fields and sensibilities to link activities that fully engage the bicameral mind epitomizes the figure of the designer as synaptic linker.  An inquisitive scientist and innovative designer, Jeremijenko is a walking, talking, synaptic node who generates productive synergies in quirky, eccentric ways, refreshing our everyday life-worlds, unlocking new and curious perspectives.

Jeremijenko is an artist and engineer whose background includes studies in biochemistry, physics, neuroscience and precision engineering. She is currently an associate professor at NYU in the Visual Art Department, and has affiliated faculty appointments in Computer Science and Environmental Studies. Jeremijenko is also a visiting professor at Royal College of Art, in London and an artist not-in-residence at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto. Previously,

Jeremijenko was a member of the faculty in the Visual Arts at UCSD and in Engineering at Yale. Her work is described as experimental design, hence xDesign, as it explores opportunities presented by new technologies for non-violent social change. Recently, Jeremijenko’s work was included in the 2006 Whitney Biennial of American Art and the Cooper Hewit Smithsonian Design Triennial 2006-7. Jeremijenko’s permanent installation on the roof of Postmasters Gallery in Chelsea Model Urban Development (MUD) provides infrastructure and facilities for high-density bird cohabitation in an environmental experiment in interaction with the New York City bird population.

Michael Mauer’s work at Porsche expresses a complimentary relationship between stylish, pragmatic design and precise, complex engineering. His work conveys insight into the thoughtful application and combination of design and materials and the splendid potential for design to link luxury and technology. Doha is home to some of the most exquisite automobiles in the world. Qatar features a receptive and responsive audience for the kind of high-performance, high-tech, luxury design typified by Porsche.

Michael Mauer is the chief designer for Porsche AG. Mauer studied automobile design at Pforzheim University, and started his career at Mercedes-Benz. In 1989, he was appointed design project leader for the Mercedes V Class models, and was in charge of design work for the first SLK model generation. In 1995 he was appointed head of department and given design responsibility for the A-Class, SLK and SL models. In 1998, Mauer moved to the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Tokyo as general manager. In 1999, he was appointed as head of Design at Smart, where he was

responsible for the initial development of the Roadster Coupe. Afterwards he moved to head Saab Design and in March 2003 became responsible for GM Europe’s Advanced Design studio in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Tasmeem 2011 “Synapse: Designer as Link”, with 14 speakers and 14 workshops, is interdisciplinary and collaborative, aiming to forge dynamic links between students, creative problem solvers, local community members, community stakeholders and VCUQatar. Tasmeem 2011 is situated as a working conference, featuring student driven teams investigating the role of design as a problem solving activity that tackles community issues, our daily life-worlds and future concerns. Conference activities are designed to generate awareness, raise important questions and provide meaningful, realizable solutions. For more information about Tasmeem 2011, featured speakers, workshops and events, and to register please visit http://www.tasmeemdoha.com/