Melanie Gowen, a senior interior design student in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, has won the top award in the M2L Genuine Design Scholarship competition for her essay "To Make a Difference By Design."

In the essay, Gowen constructed a hypothetical dialogue between client and designer about issues of design ethics, integrity and intellectual property. She received her first-place, $3,500 award at the opening ceremony of the NY Eleven Design Exhibit in New York City on April 13.

"Melanie's essay went far beyond informing clients of the ethical implications of their choices," said Sheila Danko, design professor and adviser for the entry. "She created a dialogue that connected consumer decision-making to social impact including issues of social justice and sustainability. Her goal was to help people see that the designed world around them has implications for cultures a continent away -- and future generations yet unborn. She truly demonstrated what a Cornell design education is about."

To enter the statewide contest, students had to write a two- to four-page essay focused on ethical design practice related to design authenticity. Finalist essays were reviewed by a jury of top design journalists who are editors of Metropolis, Interior Design, Hospitality Design and Contract.

Genuine Design is a nonprofit effort to inform consumers and designers about plagiarism and how it threatens the design industry.

To read Gowen's essay: http://blog.genuinedesign.com/?p=34.

Sheri Hall is assistant director of communications at the College of Human Ecology.