For many students studying technology today, the challenge isn’t access to information; it’s learning how to turn ideas into meaningful, real-world change. In this Q&A, David Ramsay, assistant professor in the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media and director of DePaul’s Idea Realization Lab (IRL), explains how his teaching philosophy emphasizes fearless experimentation, rapid skill building and technology designed around human needs. Ramsay earned his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab and brings industry experience from Bose Research and Google AI into a classroom culture where curiosity, collaboration and action matter more than perfection.

Your journey to DePaul has been an interesting one. How did that shape your approach to teaching?

I did my undergraduate work in electrical engineering and music, then worked as an audio systems engineer at Bose before starting a very long PhD at the MIT Media Lab. The Media Lab is a highly creative, entrepreneurial space. It’s all about breaking rules, playing with new technologies and exploring new territory.

That environment shaped how I think about education. Everyone there knew how to actually build things. They weren’t just fluent in theory. They learned by making, failing and iterating. That’s the culture I’m trying to create here: a little anti-authoritarian, a little fearless, very hands-on. Failure is fine. The real problem is inaction.

What does that philosophy look like in practice for students in your classes?

A big part of it is pressure, in a good way. I teach a multi-quarter class focused on rapid skill building and project development, starting as early as freshman year. Students build something new every week, often using technology they’ve never seen before. They’re forced to figure things out quickly, collaborate and deliver.

What happens is incredible. Students develop confidence in their ability to tackle unknown tools and technologies. That “muscle” turns on, the belief that they can figure things out, even when they don’t have all the answers. By the end of the year, they’re producing real, ambitious projects and presenting them publicly in a showcase.

The work coming out of the Idea Realization Lab is really amazing. Can you share a few examples?

We’re doing projects on a wide range of scales. One student team built a building-sized interactive laser game projected onto the DePaul Center downtown, where people could play using their phones. That project required navigating laser safety training, permits and complex hardware systems, which is exactly the kinds of real-world constraints professionals face.

Other projects include immersive performance platforms for musicians, adaptive computing environments that reduce digital distraction and an interactive robotic flower installed at the Museum of Science and Industry. The robotic flower warms in your hand and blooms and lights up as you speak a memory about a loved one. That memory is recognized and then turned into an AI‑generated memorial experience with visual projections. These projects are technically challenging, emotionally resonant and deeply collaborative, and that’s intentional.

Many students are anxious about career preparation in a rapidly changing job market. How does this model help prepare them?

The job market is evolving quickly, especially with AI reshaping technical roles. I strongly believe that what employers need most is not mastery of one specific tool, but the ability to learn fast, adapt confidently and push the edges of what’s possible.

The portfolios our students build, sometimes as early as sophomore year, are highly competitive with those of graduating seniors elsewhere. More importantly, they demonstrate a mindset: fearlessly adopting new technology, working through ambiguity and delivering something real. That mentality translates across industries.

How do you see this work connecting to DePaul’s mission and values?

There are a few layers to that. First is culture. It’s very important to me that everybody feels they have a seat at the table. Our classes are intentionally accessible: no prerequisites, no assumptions about background. Students can come in with deep expertise or none at all, and both paths are valued. What matters is effort, growth and challenge relative to where you started.

Second is the community. Many of our projects engage directly with Chicago, particularly downtown. We’re working with artists, musicians and cultural institutions to create experiences that help revitalize the city and reimagine public spaces post-pandemic.

Finally, there’s a bigger picture. I want students thinking about how technology shapes people’s lives through attention, connection, memory and identity. We push toward building technology that is human-aligned and ethically grounded, guided by empathy and collaboration with the communities being served.

What do you hope students take with them after working in the Idea Realization Lab?

My goal is for students to leave understanding that they can build things that matter. Not just cool technology, but technology that serves people. That means learning how to listen deeply, engage with real problems and work humbly with others to design meaningful solutions.

If students walk away confident, curious and capable of turning uncertainty into opportunity, then I think we’ve done our job.

Learn more about the Idea Realization Lab (IRL).