Alice Min Soo Chun
Alice Min Soo Chun | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 50–51) South Korea |
| Occupation | CEO |
Alice Min Soo Chun (born 1975) is the founder and CEO of Solight Design and the inventor of the SolarPuff.[1]
Early life
Born in South Korea in 1975, to an architect father and painter mother.[2] Chun and her parents moved to the United States in 1978, settling in Syracuse, New York.[2]
As a teen Chun and her parents moved back to South Korea. Chun later returned to the US attend the University of Pennsylvania.[2]
Work
Chun became a professor of architectural design and material technology at Columbia University and Parsons School of Design.[3] Chun focused her work on solar energy and ways to bring solar energy into everyday living, beginning to prototype an inflatable solar light in 2008.[4] In 2010, following the Haiti earthquake, Chun challenged her class of design students to create a solar light solution that could be used immediately in disaster relief situations.[5]
In 2011, Chun designed the SolarPuff, based on origami techniques to create a cube that inflates on it own, without the requirement to be inflated by mouth, which can pass on germs.[5] By 2015, she launched a company Solar Design and crowdfunded the SolarPuff, raising nearly half a million dollars.[5] At this time Chun stopped teaching to focus full-time on being a social entrepreneur.[5]
As of 2019, the solar puff is available in twenty countries and sold commercially in the United States,[6] with 10% of profits going to Chun's charity Studio Unite, benefiting refugees and people living in the developing world. The solar light has been extremely useful in reducing crime in refugee camps, with a 20% reduction in rape and sexual assault in Syrian camps.[7]
In 2020, in response to COVID-19 and the waste seen in using non-recyclable surgical masks Chun and her team of designers produced the Seeus95 mask.[3] The reusable mask is adhesive and made from clear silicone.[3] As of January 2020, the kickstarter has raised over $380,000.
References
- ^ Born.com. "Alice Min Soo Chun | Solight Design at BORN". born.com. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ a b c Hilary Rodham, Chelsea Clinton (2020). The Book of Gutsy Women. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster UK. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4711-7217-5.
- ^ a b c Meisenzahl, Mary. "This $59 clear silicon face mask on Kickstarter has already raised more than $320,000 from backers and is being tested by labs at MIT — see how it works". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ Hilary Rodham, Chelsea Clinton (2020). The Book of Gutsy Women. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster UK. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-1-4711-7217-5.
- ^ a b c d Hilary Rodham, Chelsea Clinton (2020). The Book of Gutsy Women. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster UK. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4711-7217-5.
- ^ Hilary Rodham, Chelsea Clinton (2020). The Book of Gutsy Women. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster UK. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-4711-7217-5.
- ^ Raphael, Rina (2017-07-17). "How A Small Solar Light Is Saving Refugees' Lives". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-01-10.