Disruptive Stimuli

Disruptive Stimuli is a design research project that proposes an alternative management strategy for invasive plant species and challenges existing methods of classification. It asks how a management strategy can bring together multiple stakeholders to transform biomass that is currently considered waste into a valued resource that supports ongoing management efforts? The CGII grant will help support material studies to test the range of possibilities for converting local biomass generated from invasive species into usable fibers that could potentially be used for the production of textiles, paper or landscape fabrics. It also supports consultative research trips to meet with material science researchers and leaders in the fashion industry to learn about the sourcing process and the development of new materials.