UH program aims keep promising design students in Houston area

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The idea behind a new program at the University of Houston is simple but bold. Make the Bayou City a design hub, where ideas flourish into commercial products.

Mark Kimbrough is a professor with the school's industrial design program. He recently told abc13 talented graduates too often leave for better opportunities outside our city.

Kimbrough said "ID+" hopes to change that trend by connecting students with local companies.

"What's interesting is we have such a great manufacturing base in this city that is really unaware of what they have hidden at the University of Houston," said Kimbrough. "It goes back to the fact that we want to build a design hub here in Houston which really doesn't exist. There's no excuse for it."

Carlyle Yarbough is a recent University of Houston graduate. He helped create bicycles designed for urban commuters.

"It took about 6 months and we did a lot of prototyping, a lot of research. All these elements really went into the product we have here," said Yarbough.

The project is known as "Spur 5" and serves as an example for other industrial design students like Dylan Bailey. Bailey is part of the design project "Pixel."

The goal of the interactive LED lighting system is to illuminate outdoor environments for both recreational and safety purposes.

"I hope more than an entertainment things for the parks ... I see some really strong applications for crosswalks to highlight pedestrians," said Bailey.

For more information, visit www.uh.edu/architecture.

If local company is interested in the program, contact Megan Streete with the College of Architecture and Design at mjstreete@uh.edu.