In searching for a first design problem for the semester, the MFA Designer As Author students looked no further than their garbage cans. MFAD faculty member Allan Chochinov asked them to "redesign the next item of garbage they threw away"--and the topics ranged from a broken umbrella and coffee filter to cigarette packages and banana peels. The results were impressive in their breadth: A credit card statement transformed into a visual diary, a sticker system illuminating the water content of fruit, a children's skirt made of paper towel material (For kids to wipe their hands on!), and more.