In 2007, Professor Linda Keane and Professor Mark Keane founded NEXT.cc with 15 journeys for Milwaukee Public Schools students on Saturdays. Today, NEXT.cc has grown into a global non-profit that delivers free design curriculum online with more than 350 journeys in 180 countries.
Read on to learn more about Prof. Linda and Prof. Mark Keane and their I-Corps experience:
Professor Linda Keane, FAIA is a Professor of Architecture and Environmental Design at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Passionate about greening public imagination, Linda contributes to sustainable initiatives along the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor. She is the Founder of Architecture at the School of the Art Institute and co-Founder of STUDIO 1032 along with Mark Keane.
Professor Mark Keane is both a Professor at UWM and an Architect. His teaching areas include Design, Drawing, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Digital Video. He is also the Director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Initiative teaching seminars on Wright and creating Historic American Building Surveys of Wright’s work.
Prof. Linda and Prof. Mark Keane participated in the recent Spring NSF I-Corps Cohort as part of the Great Lakes Region Hub. Their goal was to research a hypothesis. Major design corporations are struggling with three key areas: Environment and Sustainability governance, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, and K-12 Design education.
Q: What were your experiences like going through the I-Corps program?
A: “The most difficult part was scheduling Zoom calls with leadership’s tight schedules, and in multiple time zones across the world. All interviews were interesting a provocative and shifted our directions towards next steps in growing NEXT.cc from tens of thousands of users to tens of millions.”
Q: How was your time with I-Corps beneficial to your journey?
A: “It is now time to create a model for rapid expansion, as climate change will not wait, and the future is held by all youth.”
Q: Any updates on your technology or company that would you like to share?
A: “The current goal is to present our pitchdeck for partnership with the Large Firm Roundtable of the 60 largest Architecture firms next Fall, and as partners guide the next 10 years of development of NEXT.cc.”
For more information about NEXT.cc, contact Professor Keane at keane@uwm.edu.
Visit NEXT.cc and start your journey today.
Prof. Linda Keane, FAIA – Curriculum Director – NEXT.cc
