hey!

my name is mckenna owens, a current (but almost graduate) design science student here at the university of michigan! my work is centered around bridging the accessibility gap by designing through a feminist lens for those living with disabilities. check out work to see some of my more recent projects, like design justice, research that is focused on exploring how justice is being discussed in engineering and how designers can use design to bring justice towards marginalized groups.

(be sure to check out Dr. Sasha Costanza-Chock's design justice: community-led practices to build the worlds we need or the design justice network for the 10 principles on how to design more equitably)

prior to beginning my journey at michigan, i attended alma college to achieve a degree in physics. here, i worked under victor argueta and explored the field of optics (oh, how i miss you) to redesign a microchip that detects pollutants in low absorption solutions (fancy talk for solutions like water) that required only simple & cheap lab equipment and costed around $1 per device. explore my work page for more information regarding this.

though i am so much more than my work! outside of school, i love to be surrounded by my family and friends. i am a huge foodie and i also still love to create outside of work- cooking is one of my favorite hobbies! when im not cooking, or designing, or reading about some random idea in physics, i'm hanging out with my friends and family!