Date: January 2, 2026

The Laboratory for Cybernetics is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural #NewMacy Cybernetics Prize. In an unprecedented outcome, two outstanding projects tied for first place and will share the prize equally.

2025 Winners

Africa Mineral Pulse: Designing Agency in Africa's Extractive Economies

Fas Lebbie

This research builds upon doctoral work in Transition Design to explore how mineral transitions in Africa can increase data access and enhance choices for sustainable mineral futures. The pulse model proposes three categories: de-risking investment for sustainable mining practices, developing local beneficiation infrastructure, and redistributing mineral wealth to local communities.

IntraNote: Prototyping an AI-Driven Design Rationale System Supporting Participatory Conversations

Franklin Xu, Yixi (Chris) Wu, Yuhan (Max) Wu, Minghao Xu

IntraNote is an AI-assisted Design Rationale System that supports participatory design in complex, multi-stakeholder settings. By making the structure of conversation visible, the system helps participants reflect, identify shared values, and engage with the perspectives of others.

2025 Runners-Up

The RIF Impact Framework: Language, Legibility, and Design for Government Capacity

Liv Schaefer, Amy Kang, Jaimie An, David Fuentes

A cybernetic intervention designed to address workforce disruptions across the U.S. federal government, enabling documentation of lost capacity through structured data and reflexive practice.

Fisherwomen of Mumbai: Rethinking the Cycles of Work & Wealth

Sagarika Kulkarni

Research exploring how formalizing Mumbai fisherwomen's existing informal networks through cooperative models can strengthen their economic security and ensure year-round functioning of fishing value chains.

Inaugural Year Success

In its first year, the Prize received 30 submissions from across CMU departments, demonstrating widespread student interest in addressing wicked challenges through cybernetic and systemic approaches.

Judging Panel

For more information about the Prize, visit the #NewMacy Cybernetics Prize Page.