In April 2017, I was selected as one of 13 designers from San Diego Mesa College to collaborate with a scientist from The Salk Institute to create a gala gown inspired by scientific research. This began an incredible journey that I have been honored to experience.
I was paired with Dr. Pam Maher. As we began to collaborate, she gave me a tour of the lab, let me observe cells through a microscope, showed me the technology used to analyze data and showed me the office where papers, peer reviews and grants were written. We shared ideas over email and in person throughout the course of the design process.