Dr. Lisa Hix
Dr. Lisa Hix joined the Keene State College faculty in 2002 with a highly successful career as product designer and engineer for several major manufacturing corporations. Her professional background in product visualization from concept to detailed design includes end-user research, design for manufacturability and costing.
Her professional and research interests include integrating 3-Dimensional CAD applications and additive manufacturing technology into the design and prototype development process. She has applied this research in the design and creation of adaptive devices. She has developed the illustrated Material Life Cycle educational tool to assess the sustainability impacts of material choices throughout a product's life cycle.
Dr. Hix synthesized her extensive professional product design and business management education and experience with her recent dissertation research in sustainable product design to bring broader meaning and connection in all the courses she teaches. Her goal is to have every graduate confident and competent in design thinking practices with a framework of sustainability principles to guide their decision-making.
She co-created the Sustainable Product Design and Innovation curriculum to use leading methodologies and technologies and project-based, hands-on, engaging learning experiences.
Having designed many different types of products using a wide-array of materials and manufacturing methods, Dr. Hix mentors students through their various client- and student-inspired product design and prototyping projects.
As a co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grant, Virtual Ideation Platform, her work has emphasized promoting communications and collaboration between the product design and manufacturing functions.
Dr. Hix completed a transatlantic crossing on the maiden voyage of a 40-foot sailing yacht, of which she was a crew chief and the lead project manager for the yacht’s design and construction.
She designed and built her current, net-zero-energy ready residence with her husband and partner using sustainability principles, including useability, durability, high quality, order, balance and a connection to nature. Her home was built by local subcontractors with locally-sourced, non-toxic materials and embodies the values of renewal, inclusiveness, accessibility, and connection with place.
Education:
Sc.D. Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Masters of Business Administration, Plymouth State University with a Concentration in Small Business Venture and Entrepreneurship
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design
Courses Taught: Product Design 1 & Essentials, Product Design II, Product Design III, Materials-A Life Cycle View, 3D CAD, Design Visualization for Product Designers and Engineers