Student wins design awards for stove
Idea conceived in SJSU classroom
Mandie Mohsenzadegan
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: News
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Henning said that it is important to emphasize that the Phoenix is a design, and not an invention. "I was using technology that already existed, and the work I did was the design," he said.
BraunPrize, a biannual competition that was created in Germany in 1968, describes its purpose as promoting the work of young designers, according to its Web site. Henning was the only finalist from the United States to have his design in the BraunPrize exhibition, a ceremony held in Kronberg, Germany on Sept. 12.
Red Dot, which is also an international competition, groups its recipients into three different award selections: product design, communication design and design concept. Henning won two awards under "design concept," for his stove, along with another design project he created at SJSU called the Grasshopper, which is a tractor that uses grass as fuel and is designed for rural villages in Africa.
His stove won in the "Best of the Best" category, which is the most prestigious Red Dot award, and is given to only 18 members in the competition.
Red Dot Award 2006 received almost 6,000 submissions from 52 countries, according to its Web site.
Henning said that he suffered many sleepless nights while working on his project, but that the end result made it all worth it.
"He put a lot of pressure on himself," McClusky said. "His biggest concern was that the most revolutionary backpack stoves on the market were developed over a ten-year period by multiple people, and he was looking at 15 weeks as one individual."
Eduardo Solis, another former industrial design graduate and a close friend of Henning, described him as "very studious" and said, "Russ was very well known for his hard work, successful projects and great personality."
Despite the large amount of recognition he received, Henning said he believes the stove "has to serve a purpose."
"If I can use the exposure to push the idea that designers have a responsibility to the environment, to shaping trends and the higher cause, that would be what I would want to convey," he said.
To current industrial design majors at SJSU, he offers the following advice: "Listen to McClusky. He knows what he's talking about."
BraunPrize, a biannual competition that was created in Germany in 1968, describes its purpose as promoting the work of young designers, according to its Web site. Henning was the only finalist from the United States to have his design in the BraunPrize exhibition, a ceremony held in Kronberg, Germany on Sept. 12.
Red Dot, which is also an international competition, groups its recipients into three different award selections: product design, communication design and design concept. Henning won two awards under "design concept," for his stove, along with another design project he created at SJSU called the Grasshopper, which is a tractor that uses grass as fuel and is designed for rural villages in Africa.
His stove won in the "Best of the Best" category, which is the most prestigious Red Dot award, and is given to only 18 members in the competition.
Red Dot Award 2006 received almost 6,000 submissions from 52 countries, according to its Web site.
Henning said that he suffered many sleepless nights while working on his project, but that the end result made it all worth it.
"He put a lot of pressure on himself," McClusky said. "His biggest concern was that the most revolutionary backpack stoves on the market were developed over a ten-year period by multiple people, and he was looking at 15 weeks as one individual."
Eduardo Solis, another former industrial design graduate and a close friend of Henning, described him as "very studious" and said, "Russ was very well known for his hard work, successful projects and great personality."
Despite the large amount of recognition he received, Henning said he believes the stove "has to serve a purpose."
"If I can use the exposure to push the idea that designers have a responsibility to the environment, to shaping trends and the higher cause, that would be what I would want to convey," he said.
To current industrial design majors at SJSU, he offers the following advice: "Listen to McClusky. He knows what he's talking about."
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