Design Innovation

students using virtual reality equipment

Design Innovation at Kent State University

Design Innovation (DI) at Kent State University is a university-wide initiative that unites people, ideas, and resources to help our community solve real-world problems through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Learn more about DI

Spring/Summer 2026 Events

Become a Fearless Collaborator

Discover endless opportunities for innovation and collaboration at the DI Hub, Kent State's largest makerspace and innovation accelerator.

DI Hub Member Portal

Our Stories

photo of two women posing in front of a door

Biomimicry in Motion

Isabella “Bella” Rudy, a junior fashion design major with a minor in marketing, transformed nature into wearable art through an ambitious biomimicry project at the Design Innovation Hub. For her Junior Studio final project, Rudy designed an avant garde garment inspired by the King Bird of Paradise.

23 Jan, 2026

‘I’m Not Going to Stop Until There’s a “Ph.D.” Next to My Name’

Delonte Goodman is a graduate student in Kent State's College of Aeronautics and Engineering. He will complete his master's program in mechatronics in December, before moving on to his doctoral program in the spring semester. He is active in multiple student and professional organizations at Kent State that enhance and complement his studies and also allow him to assist and mentor undergraduate students.

21 Oct, 2025

David E. Silva adjusts a volumetric camera

Creating a Paradigm Shift

David E. Silva participated in The John and Fonda Elliot Design Innovation Faculty Fellows Program, a six-week intensive fellowship with the Design Innovation Initiative that embodies DI's core mission of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting design, innovation and technology while serving as an incubator for cross-university projects.

12 Sep, 2025

photo of neighborhood of 3d printed houses

Bringing Neighborhoods to Life

Jennifer Mapes, an assistant professor of geography at Kent State University, developed an interactive mapping project that reimagines how people connect with the places they live. Using 3D printing, data visualization and storytelling, Mapes's work explores the South End neighborhood in Kent, Ohio.

10 Oct, 2025

photo of Stauffer and one of her designs

Designing for the Planet

Rachel Stauffer, a senior at Kent State University double majoring in Fashion Design and Business Marketing, is using fashion as a vehicle for environmental change. Her latest project, a seven-look biodegradable collection titled "Bury Me," blends technical innovation with bold sustainability goals.

28 Apr, 2025

Exploring Structure and Vulnerability

Kent State University MFA candidate and DI Hub Collaborator Atoosa Fadaei recently unveiled her thesis installation "Paradox," a sculptural work that merges traditional materials with digital fabrication to explore themes of displacement, war, and cultural memory.

17 Apr, 2025

Faculty from Kent State's School of Fashion, Daniel Fladung with students at an E-Textiles workshop.

Form and Function Merge in Creating Wearable Technology

Creating e-textiles is the topic of a hands-on, maker workshop and a lecture in Kent State University’s Design Innovation (DI) Hub in collaboration with Kent State’s School of Fashion.

07 Oct, 2025

Design Innovation at Kent State University

Spring/Summer 2026 Events

The John & Fonda Elliot DI Faculty Fellows Event Series >>

Fix-It Kent >>

DI Day: Showcase + Celebration >>

EduMakers Summer Educators Institute >>

Become a Fearless Collaborator

Our Stories

Biomimicry in Motion

‘I’m Not Going to Stop Until There’s a “Ph.D.” Next to My Name’

Creating a Paradigm Shift

Bringing Neighborhoods to Life

Designing for the Planet

Exploring Structure and Vulnerability

Form and Function Merge in Creating Wearable Technology

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