Thesis Preparation

PRIMARY SOURCE HUNT

I decided to ignore my initial reaction of finding sources through the Internet and contacted a reference librarian at SCAD. This was a first for me, as I usually use Internet library searches to find my own sources. My past experiences with librarians have led me down unnecessary, time-consuming paths; therefore I’d rather just search myself. But, I wanted to do this right.

I emailed one evening and got a response the following morning from a reference desk associate. He advised me to use JSTOR, a database that contains a wide variety of sources that are searchable in the same place. Ryan gave me tips on how to narrow my search with this database, using keywords and dates. I also learned that “reviews” generally mean book reviews, rather than exhibition reviews; the better word to use for these is “articles.”

My first search resulted in quite a large amount. Using the JSTOR database allowed me to quickly skim through pages that contained my search words (I had to use Adobe PDF to find some of them, though). However, after combing through these, there was not much success of finding a related source. But, I was able to find what exhibitions Matisse participated in through “American Art News.” Matisse participated in a 1908 exhibition at Photo-Secession Gallery, and another in 1913 called the Armory Show.

To gain more overall knowledge about these exhibitions, I decided to use JSTOR again. This, I believed, would better inform my search.

The Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art and ran in New York City’s 69^th Regiment Armory from February 17 until March 15, 1913. The Photo-Secession Gallery was also commonly known as 291 as it was located at 291 Fifth Avenue in New York City from 1905 to 1917. It was created and managed by photographer Alfred Stieglitz, and was originally known as “Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession.”

Alfred Stieglitz and his protégé, the photographer and painter Edward Steichen, decided they needed a refresh of ideas. Steichen, at the time, lived in Paris and had created connections with local artists. He sent over their exhibitions to Stieglitz, which included Matisse. 291 held the first exhibition of Matisse’s work in the United States in 1908, from April 6 to April 25. This works included innovative ways of portraying the human form that often shocked 291’s audience with depictions of sensuality and challenges to conventional ideas of beauty. Stieglitz’s aim was to instruct artists and the American public about the fundamental art and to provoke serious discussion.

Frank Anderson Trapp’s, The Armory Show: A Review, explains a group of artists concerned over the difficulties of exhibiting contemporary works (in late 1911) formed a corporation to further their cause, which they called the Association of American Painters and Sculptors. There were few galleries that were adequate enough to present these works, including Alfred Stieglitz’s Photo-Secession Gallery. 291 had served for a time as the focus of knowledge for contemporary European movements. But, there was little opportunity for the public to become familiar with new works of art. Therefore, this association sought to correct this lack of opportunity and thereby stimulate a wider public interest, which in turn would lead to the support necessary for a healthy artistic climate. This resulted in the 1913 Armory Show.

As I had more information on these two exhibitions, I went back to Reference Services at SCAD and used the online chat. This librarian knew more about the assignment as more of my classmates had contacted them. They decided to run a search through the JSTOR database again (and double-check my findings) as they believed this database was the only source for finding older reviews, especially online. They also suggested that not all reviews are necessarily extensive and in-depth, and to think of the kind of reviews seen in the New York Times. After their search, the librarian reaffirmed me that my search was going to yield short reviews (and that they had the same results I did). They stated that most databases cover more current research, and don’t go back as far as the early 1900s, so JSTOR was the best in this regard. When New York Times was mentioned, I decided to broaden my search to newspaper articles outside of SCAD.

FINDINGS

1908 Photo-Secession (291)

American Arts News 6.26 (1908): 1-8 Print.

American Art News 8.21 (1910): 1-10. Print.

“American Pictures.” New-York Daily Tribune 6 Mar 1910: 2. Print.

“News and Notes of the Art World.” The New York Times 10 Mar 1910. Print.

1911 Armory Show

“Cubists and Futurists are Making Insanity Pay.” The New York Times 16 Mar 1913. Print.

Greely-Smith, Nixola. “An Alienist Will Charge You $5,000 to Tell You if You’re Crazy; Go to the Cubist Show and You’ll Be Sure of It for a Quarter.” The Evening World 22 Feb 1913: 8. Print.

“Matters of Art.” New-York Tribune 23 Feb 1913: 6. Print.

WORKS CITED

Trapp, Frank Anderson. “ The Armory Show.” Art Journal 23.1 (1963): 2-9. Print

Cotter, Holland. “Rethinking the Armory Show.” The New York Times, 25 Oct 2012. Web. 16 Feb 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/arts/artsspecial/two-exhibitions-re-examine-the-1913-armory-show.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>

“Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and his New York Galleries.” National Gallery of Art, 2013. Web. 16 Feb 2013. <http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/modart_2.shtm>

I decided to ignore my initial reaction of finding sources through the internet and to contact a reference librarian at SCAD.  This was a first for me, as I usually use library searches to find my own sources.  But, I wanted to do this, and I’m not too sure of the resources here in Cincinnati.  I plan to use the University of Cincinnati Library as well, but as I’m classified as an ‘affiliate’ with the university, I’m only allowed to use certain services, including ones at the library.  (It’s because the foundation is paid by a non-university budget and only gets certain privileges.)

My past experiences with librarians have led me down an unnecessary, time consuming paths.  So that’s why I’d rather just search myself.

Anyway, I emailed late last night and got a response this morning from a reference desk associate.  He advised me to use JSTOR, a database which contains a wide variety of sources that are searchable in the same place.  Ryan gave me tips on how to narrow my search with this database, using keywords and dates.  I also learned that “reviews” generally means book reviews, rather than exhibition reviews; the better word to use for these is “articles.”

My first search resulted in 44 results.  Using the JSTOR database allowed me to quickly skim through pages that had my search words (had to use Adobe PDF to find some of them, though). However, after combing through these….not much success.  But, I was able to find what exhibitions Matisse participated in through “American Art News.” Matisse participated in a 1908 exhibition, and another in 1913.

I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere though….stay tuned.

In order to control biomedical waste hazards in household trash (specifically needles and similar products), a collaborative, cross-discipline effort must be implemented. Combining problem-solving techniques and methods of graphic design and the medical, pharmaceutical, and waste industries will provide a unified solution. By concurrently meeting all industry standards, social awareness and safety regulations will be greatly improved for medical staff, sanitation workers, consumers, and the community.

In order to control biomedical waste hazards in household trash (specifically needles and similar products) a collaborative, cross-discipline effort must be implemented. Combining problem-solving techniques and methods of graphic design and the medical, pharmaceutical, and waste industries will provide a unified solution. By concurrently meeting all industry standards, social awareness and safety regulations will be greatly improved for medical staff, sanitation workers, consumers, and the community.

Another round:

In order to control the hazards of biomedical waste in household trash — specifically needles and similar products — a collaborative effort must be implemented utilizing various disciplines of graphic design, the medical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the waste industry. The resulting solution will create awareness of this issue and improve the safety of consumers, medical staff, and sanitation workers, while meeting the standards of the industries involved.

In order to control the hazards of biomedical waste in household trash — specifically needles and similar products — a collaborative effort must be implemented utilizing various disciplines of graphic design, the medical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the waste industry. Through this redesigned, unified solution, society will become aware of this issue and it will improve the safety of consumers, medical staff, and sanitation workers, while meeting the standards of the industries involved.

This is just thinking out loud and getting the general questions out of the way.  I plan to add more later.

Academic

Scott Boylston – sustainability, packaging
Scott Boylston is program coordinator and co-author of the Masters in Design for Sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and professor of Design for Sustainability. He is the author of 3 books, including Designing Sustainable Packaging, and has published over a dozen short stories in acclaimed literary journals. Professor Boylston is President and co-founder of Emergent Structures, a non-profit organization dedicated to the innovative re-use of C+D waste material for community benefit. He is also founder of SCAD’s Design Ethos conference and ‘DO-ference,’ an interactive workshop-based conference that brings together international design practitioners with community leaders in order to address pressing social and economic concerns within the local community. Boylston spent a decade as art director in New York City, working with clients including Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Opium, and Calvin Klien. He speaks internationally on design and sustainability, and holds a masters from Pratt Institute.

What was the turning point that personally convinced you to reconsider design solutions for sustainability practices?

Do you feel that society really does care about sustainability?  Have you been seeing evidence of this?

What design principles do you implement in order to create sustainable solutions?  Does this include collaboration with other industries in producing a successful solution?

What packaging material do you feel is the best suited for these solutions?

Besides packaging design, what other disciplines/fields/materials do you believe are needed to create awareness about sustainability?

Pharmacy

CVS
CVS Pharmacy is the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States (after Walgreens), with more than 7,000 stores in 41 states and Puerto Rico. As the retail pharmacy division of CVS Caremark, it sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards and convenience foods through their pharmacies, retail stores and online. It also provides healthcare services through its MinuteClinic healthcare clinics as well as their Diabetes Care Centers. Most of these clinics are located within CVS stores.

Do you offer any programs that allow consumers to bring back medical injection devices to your store for proper disposal?  Is this something your company would be interested in?  Why or why not?

What is your current suggestion to consumers who want to properly dispose of their devices?

Waste

Rumpke
Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc. has been in operation since 1932 and provides environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions and recycling options. Headquartered in Colerain Township, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati, Rumpke is one of the nation’s largest privately owned residential and commercial waste and recycling firms, providing service to areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. Rumpke divisions include Rumpke Recycling, Rumpke Portable Restrooms, The William-Thomas Group, Rumpke Hydraulics, Rumpke Haul-it-Away and Rumpke Park.

Does your company keep record of how many injuries resulting from medical injection devices?  Can you provide that information?

Where do these injuries occur? (curb-side, separation facility, etc.)

Would having a proper disposal program for these devices reduce the amount of injuries to your employees? Why do you feel that way?

Medical (M.D. Offices)

I found a diabetes center here in Cincinnati (with University of Cincinnati)! http://diabetes.uc.edu/Home.aspx
I see myself using them as a resource.

Do you offer any programs that allow consumers to bring back medical injection devices to your office for proper disposal?  Is this something your office would be interested in?  Why or why not?

Consumer

Are you aware of the current issue of medical device waste and safety?

How do you currently dispose of your medical injection devices?

How much do you spend on proper disposal containers?  How much for your injection devices?

If there was a mail-back program, would you utilize this?

Are you aware if there is a drop off program in your community?  If so, would you use it? Why or why not?

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Boylston, Scott. Designing Sustainable Packaging. London: Laurence King Publishers, 2009. Print.

This book focuses on creating packaging prototypes that reflect sustainable and ecologically sound principles. It challenges the next generation of graphic designers to re-envision packaging design as a less environmentally destructive practice, and examines an array of techniques and methodologies for creating innovative and sustainable packaging designs, from first concept to final production. The book first embraces the theory, including many case studies, and then the practice of eco-friendly packaging design. This information will contribute to visual research and solutions, forming a basis for package re-design while meeting sustainability standards.

Brower, Michael, and Warren Leon. The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from The Union of Concerned Scientists. 1st ed. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. Print.

Paper or plastic? Cloth or disposable? Regular or organic? Some choices have a huge impact on the environment; others are of negligible importance. To those who care about their quality of life and what is happening on this planet, this is a vastly important issue. The Union of Concerned Scientists, devoted to environmental issues, wrote this book to help inform consumers about everyday decisions that significantly affect the environment. This book identifies the 4 Most Significant Consumer-Related Environmental Problems, the 7 Most Damaging Spending Categories, 11 Priority Actions, and 7 Rules for Responsible Consumption. This guide will provide insight of what the consumer ponders when it comes to decisions that affect the environment. It takes on both sides of the consumer-impact argument, the environmentalist movement and the industrialist perspective. The information presented features the consumer’s perspective and their concerns.

Brown, Tim. “Why Social Innovators Need Design Thinking.” Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2013. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/why_social_innovators_need_design_thinking.>

Tim Brown asserts that while we have well-developed tools for tackling social issues based on thoughtful analysis and technological inventiveness, we have not applied design thinking to the exploration of new choices and alternative solutions. Design thinking is scalable and can be applied to improve existing ideas, or it can be applied to create disruptive solutions that meet the needs of people in new ways. Brown gives an example of Safepoint founder Marc Koska’s seeking to reduce the transmission of blood-born diseases through the reuse of syringes. Instead of bettering communications or package design, Koska chose to design an entirely new syringe that breaks automatically after first use. As design thinking is centered on innovating through the eyes of the end user, it can be applied by people from a broad range of backgrounds to problems ranging from creating new products and services to redesigning existing ones. This article will act as a guide of exploring the collaboration between the medical, waste, and design industries.

Butschli, Jim. “How leading pharma/device firms employ sustainability.” Packaging World, 3 July 2012. Packaging World. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. < http://www.packworld.com/sustainability/
strategy/how-leading-pharmadevice-firms-employ-sustainability>

Jim Butschil argues that medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical firms are committed to sustainable practices, while patient safety and regulatory compliance takes precedence. These include not only material selection, but also facility management, processing, and packaging lines, while counting on packaging suppliers to be partners in these sustainability efforts. Butschil features companies including Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and Bayer. Part of this decision-making process requires companies to take a global sustainability perspective, such as European Union directives. This article details goals established by pharmaceutical companies, and their process of achieving them. Described goals include energy efficiency, conserving natural resources, purchasing sustainable products, eliminating waste, reusing and recycling materials, and reducing carbon footprint. A variety of package design solutions are employed, from using less ink to reducing carton board thickness. While other articles may say the pharmaceutical industry is slow to sustainability, Butschil says otherwise, providing an argument for the thesis topic.

Gold, Kathleen, R.N., M.S.N, C.D.E. “Analysis: The Impact of Needle, Syringe and Lancet Disposal on the Community.” Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology 5.4 (2011): 848-850. Print.

Kathleen Gold’s analysis argues that a sustainable plan must be developed in order to address the impact of home-generated pharmaceuticals and personal care products on the environment, which affects all areas of manufacturing and not just specific companies. As there is no current regulation in the United States, Gold explains the standard practice of patients depositing their medical waste products with their curbside trash – specifically syringes, lancets, needles, insulin pump tubing, continuous glucose monitor tubing, and insertion devices. This analysis forms a strong foundation and provides information on how graphic design (including all of its disciplines) can collaborate with the medical and waste industries to produce a more safe and environmentally conscious solution. The author asks thought provoking answers, to which she doesn’t have the answer, ranging from financial coverage to custodial safety. These are questions that can be addressed in research and survey questions.

Hay, Mariah Ruth. Design and Our Health: The Link Between Comfort, Aesthetics and Healing. MFA Thesis. Savannah College of Art and Design, 2009. Print.

As the cost of healthcare in the U.S. grows, individuals and companies are faced with this financial burden and are looking for alternatives. This objective of this thesis is to explore the psychology behind America’s complex relationship with the medical industry. By examining psychological, sociological and historical pretexts, the impediments to designing effective medical devices surface, providing a deeper understanding of damaging and dangerous oversights in current medical design. This understanding can be applied to a new generation of products that relate to the user on an emotional level, shifting the paradigm to what products Americans associate with illness and with healing.

Johnson, Kathryn, Wynne Grossman, and Anne Cassidy, eds. Collaborating to Improve Community Health: Workbook and Guide to Best Practices in Creating Healthier Communities and Populations. 1st ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997. Print.

Many of today’s toughest problems – violence, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and crime  – can be solved only through the collaborative efforts of community leaders. This book shows how key players from local governments, businesses, healthcare organizations, school boards, churches, and police departments can be turned into a team, working together to make their communities better places to live, work, raise families, and grow old. The book contains a wealth of resources including worksheets, guidelines, overhead slides, and case studies – all designed to help every community implement a plan of action. This workbook is also a guide through the Seven Core Processes, a synthesis of interrelated activities and events in which all-collaborative efforts engage. While this book may not seem related to design at first, it provides insight of how communities work together to produce workable solutions. This approach can be used for discussion regarding how community programs can be enacted for medical device waste.

Kelland, Kate.  “Bioengineer Developing Needle-free Nanopatch Vaccines.” Reuters, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/us-vaccines-nanopatch-idUSBRE9090GG20130110.>

In this online article, biomedical engineer Mark Kendall has developed a prototype “nanopatch,” a fingertip-sized patched covered in thousands of vaccine-coated microscopic spikes. The needle and syringe system was developed in 1853 and Kendall says at-risk people need something simpler, more stable, and easier to use. The engineer explains the cons of using the needle, from injection mechanics to refrigeration. Kendall explains the prototype is pain free, low cost, and easily transportable. The nanopatch has only been tested on animals, but hopes are human trials will be conducted this year. While this article focuses more on the industrial design aspect, it’s still a solution to be considered in the needle industry. The article does not discuss waste disposal, which is an issue even with this product. Since there are questions regarding the re-design of needles, this latest development could be used as a basis in discussion.

Leonard, Paul. “Sustainability in Medical Device Design: Turning Challenge into Opportunity.” Carbon Design Group, 2011. Carbon Design Group. Web. 26 Jan. 2013 <http://www.carbondesign.com/
sustainability-in-medical-device-design-turning-challenge-into-opportunity>

Paul Leonard examines the disposal system and how the medical device industry has been slow to embrace sustainable practices. Businesses are managing for the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – while medical design places safety, efficacy, and usability first. The author defines and explains the pressures being placed on medical device design and development: regulatory, market, social and corporate. One interesting aspect of this article was the explanation of why disposals came into the picture. Society quickly shifted away from the practice of reusable products – that were sterilized in between uses – due to the fear about the spread of diseases. This paradigm has largely been replaced with disposables and countless medical businesses have adapted the one-time-use model. However, because of these throw-away products, it’s not optimal because of production costs, waste costs, and environmental damages. This article offers valuable insight of the medical device disposal system as a whole and how business models can pressure other industries.

Sudeykina, Svetlana. Eco Labeling. Constructing visual messages to motivate respect and care about environment on the personal level. MFA Thesis. Savannah College of Art and Design, 2011. Print.

The popularization of eco-friendly products, caused by the upcoming environmental crisis, has resulted in the mass exploitation of the environmental agenda by market participants. This thesis examines the failure of the current labeling systems to effectively inform consumers of the pro-environmental qualities and post-consumer utilization options of products. The research discusses the shortcomings of measures historically and currently taken by the government, business and social activists to resolve labeling issues.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES NOTE

Additional resources will be added in the future.  Some of these will include articles on communities and countries, which have enacted a ban on needle disposal in household trash. They were not listed above as there are numerous references and individual policies, and the personal goal for this annotated bibliography version was to focus on founding resources for the thesis topic as a whole. For example:

Carroll, Jeremy. “Ban on needle disposal begins in Massachusetts.” Waste & Recycling News, 9 July 2012. Waste & Recycling News. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/
20120709/NEWS01/120709943/ban-on-needle-disposal-begins-
in-massachusetts>

“Disposal of sharps – needles and lancets.” Diabetes UK, 2012. Web. Diabetes, UK. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Blood_glucose/Disposal_of_sharps/>

Also, resources from various U.S. federal companies will be referenced in the future. For example:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Needles and Other Sharps (Safe Disposal Outside of Health Care Settings).  U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 12 Dec. 2011.Web. 26 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/Sharps/ucm20025647.htm>

Environmental Protection Agency. Community Options for Safe Needle Disposal. Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency, 2004. Print.

Concept Map

I worked with Mendeley on Friday, but just couldn’t get it to work the way I wanted.  Plus, when I wanted to import a page from the browser to the desktop app, it would ask for my password, and then just sit there.  Tried numerous times.  After our little workshop on Zotero this morning, I went back and tried it again with the new tips and tricks. Got it to work for me this time.  So, I’ll be sticking with it.