Laura Murphy, PhD (City and Regional Planning) is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health Systems and Development here at Tulane. She teaches subjects ranging from population, development, and environment classes for School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine to Design Thinking for the Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (SISE) program.
Professor Murphy calls the most important role model in her life her mother. Her mother traveled the world and even joined the Peace Corps at age 63. Murphy was inspired most by her mother’s ability to “never stop reinventing herself.” As a professor, she enjoys research and the knowledge about the world it can bring. Her interests in traveling lead her to pursue International Development and her research on Technology Change in Rural Africa. Professor Murphy’s involvement with the SISE program stemmed from her appreciation of the social innovations she saw coming from rural communities to address social issues, ranging from HIV and Aids impacts to food security issues. She is currently researching how rural Kenyans, without any electricity, can charge their cell phones, while also hoping to cultivate change that brings value to them.
On campus, Professor Murphy also inspires change. Within the SISE program she helped develop the Design Thinking core course (SISE 3010) for undergraduates at Tulane, and offers other workshops for graduate students and professionals. The SISE program is unique because it is the only undergraduate minor in the world that can serve any undergraduate, in any area of study at the university. The program builds human-centered design right into the curriculum, focusing on giving everyone the tools necessary to make change. Human-centered design is a way to bring creativity and collaboration to solve problems. In our Design Thinking class, students meet once a week and really get their hands dirty. You will rarely see the Design Thinking students sitting down for a PowerPoint lecture, but rather working together to empathize with users about a problem and brainstorming and prototyping real world solutions. Students do everything from prototyping to going out to collect field research. Tulane students are given the opportunity to explore their creativity and find their passions to hopefully create their own jobs. Murphy believes New Orleans provides an ideal setting for the program due to the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. She also believes that the post-Katrina city, with its colorful and lively culture, makes engaging our campus with the community a little bit easier. Murphy even teaches workshops and courses for graduates and professionals in design thinking, as the goal is “to bring a human-centered design mind set to everybody”.
Professor Murphy is very excited to be involved with bringing the Taylor Center and the spirit of social innovation and design to Tulane’s campus and to New Orleans. She wants everyone to know that there is a place for students of all ages even if they are not a part of the minor program; think of it not as a chance to get a degree, but rather to learn mindsets and skills that you can use to design your life. She encourages everyone to get involved, because the Taylor Center might have something for you.
By Madeline Dell