Design Innovation News Center
Linda Ohrn-McDaniel is a Professor in the School of Fashion, where she focuses her teaching and creative practice in the development of knits. She conducts collaborative and interdisciplinary research within areas of advanced material development, medical prototypes, and architectural structures. Her foundational skills in material development, patternmaking and construction have informed her experience in shaping and creating knitted textiles. Linda has led the Kent State KnitLAB from the start and enjoys the intersection of education, research, and commercialization opportunities textiles bring.
Dr. Robert Pettys-Baker graduated with a Ph.D. in Human Factors and Ergonomics from the University of Minnesota. He previously received a B.S. in Apparel Design and M.S. in Apparel Studies from the University of Minnesota. Robert’s research interests center on the design of wearable technologies from a soft goods perspective, with an emphasis on creating devices that consider both the functional and psychological/emotional impact devices have on users.
Krissi Riewe Stevenson holds an M.F.A. and a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the University of North Texas, where she began her applied research on the use of both traditional craft methods and emerging digital tools to bring innovation into the design process. In her design work, she embraces value of physical, material knowledge as a critical component to incorporating and using new technologies for creative innovation.
Dr. Hughes-Riley is an Associate Professor in Electronic Textiles at Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom) where their research focuses on the design and development of novel electronic textile (E-textile) devices. Their research has a particular emphasis on sensor technologies and the creation of E-textiles for wellbeing, healthcare, and workwear applications. Dr. Hughes-Riley has published over 40 publications in top peer-reviewed journals including Chemical Society Reviews, Science Bulletin, Progress in Photovoltaics, and Scientific Reports. As an investigator they have secured more than £2M in external research funding from funding agencies and industry.
As part of Hawken School’s annual FAB Play Maker Educators Institute, Integrated Mathematics major and future math teacher, Anna Leitson, led a hands-on workshop titled Integrating Sewing Arts into the Classroom.
A group of school administrators from Brazil recently completed the 10-day Design Innovation Change Agent Workshop at Kent State University’s Design Innovation Hub, where they immersed themselves in design innovation techniques as they endeavor to innovate their school system at home.
The Design Innovation Initiative is pleased to welcome the third cohort of The John and Fonda Elliot DI Faculty Fellows Program and first to participate in the six-week summer fellowship. Based in the Design Innovation Hub and generously supported through an endowed gift from John and Fonda Elliot, the program creates space and time for faculty members from any academic unit to engage in collaborative, cross or trans-disciplinary projects utilizing human-centered design and innovation strategies.
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. Thanks to her creative vision and access to Kent State’s Design Innovation (DI) Hub, Stauffer is redefining what’s possible in contemporary fashion.
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.
In this week's DI news article, DI Student Fellow DeAnte Bernard shares his experience at the 2025 a2ru Emerging Creatives Student Summit, where a group of DI Fellows explored this year’s theme, Resonate: Making Waves.