Allen Samuels

Allen Samuels began his career as an industrial Designer in 1966. Over the years, he designed products for 29 corporations to include Corning Glass Works, Bausch and Lomb, Black and Decker, Westinghouse, Owens Illinois, 3M, etc. His designs include glassware, dinnerware, microscopes, ophthalmic instruments, other scientific instruments, public transportation, heavy industrial equipment, furniture and more. While working with 3M for over 10 years, he developed numerous devices that support open-heart surgery to include the exploration of artificial lungs. Microscopes designed for Bausch and Lomb continue to be used by students in many classrooms and museums.

He joined the University of Michigan in 1975, where he was a professor of art and design. He continued to work as a designer concurrent with his teaching and research. He also served as dean of the School of Art and Design from 1993-1999.

Over the years, Samuels’ individual designs won a number of awards and he was awarded a national Endowment for the Arts grant and a National Science Foundation grant. Funded by the University of Michigan, he developed a mobile bathroom designed for individuals with cognitive impairments and those who are bedridden or who cannot get to or use a standard bathroom. This design was awarded a Reddot Award and a United States patent.

Professor Samuels retired in 2008. Currently, he continues to design and develop products that include disaster shelters, mobile devices for aging individuals and other concepts that challenge current technologies.