Danielle Wood

Professor Wood’s group (called Space Enabled) includes researchers and staff who bring together “multiple, seemingly unrelated interests. Some of the skill sets relevant to the projects she plan to pursue include engineering, design, technology policy, law, social science, geography, earth science, public health, history, art, and data analytics.” The Space Enabled team will not work in isolation: Wood hopes to collaborate with other research groups at the Media Lab and also contribute to its Space Exploration initiative.

The mission of the Space Enabled research group is to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. The message is that six types of space technology are supporting societal needs, as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These six technologies include satellite earth observation, satellite communication, satellite positioning, microgravity research, technology transfer, and the inspiration we derive from space research and education. The Space Enabled research group works to increase the opportunities to apply space technology in support of the Sustainable Development Goals using six methods, including design thinking, art, social science, complex systems, satellite engineering, and data science.