Thanks for the advice no spec! I hope to get more groundwork in next semester. I dropped my teaching gig so I’ll have more time to work on sketching and the like.
You’re very right about having resources around for interdisciplinary work. Before I started in ID, I did projects with several engineering disciplines and anthropology. Working those in to design projects is tough because we usually don’t get enough time in the project lifecycle to bring in extra material. Same with the thesis… my committee chair has already prescribed me a thesis project that she’d like me to do. I certainly have the option of striking out on my own, but I think it will be more of an uphill battle.
I’m starting to think about internships too. At this point, I feel like that’s going to be the single most defining element of my design education. Hopefully I can luck into something good!