DI at Kent State
Design Innovation (DI) at Kent State is a university-wide initiative with representation across the eight-campus system. DI at Kent State is a dynamic continuum of spaces, events and people dedicated to ideas, innovation and creation through interdisciplinary collaboration. It’s a meeting of bright minds and dynamic people seeking challenges and solving real world problems.
DI at Kent State is also fun, engaging students, faculty and staff to team up, interact and brilliantly create in exciting, new ways.
A grass-roots initiative – began 5 years ago with the ‘Group of Eight’:
- Julie Messing
- J.R. Campbell
- Ken Burhanna
- John West
- Bob Walker
- William Willoughby
- Benjamin Tipton
- Stephen Roberts
Pioneers creating a networked ecosystem and glue between disciplines bridging the intelligence gaps the ART and SCIENCE of design and innovation; bringing diverse resources to bear on problems through project-based learning / discovery.
Dedicated to:
- Nurturing creativity
- Critical thinking
- Thinking and doing
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Networking resources
Now the DI TEAM has grown to a group of 22 of 6 colleges and 3 units
- Meets biweekly
- Received a VentureWell grant
- Piloted a course – Smarter than your Smartphone
- Held a retreat with entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman – test concepts and ideas
- Put together a big-idea proposal as part of Kent State’s Strategic Planning – Center for Design Innovation
- Put together a startup proposal to give the project legs
- $115K internal commitments from colleges and units
The Design Innovation Initiative leads to:
A Communicating Campus
- Cross-Disciplinary Awareness and Engagement
- Interdisciplinary Research
- A Robust Shared Infrastructure (existing + new assets) that Supports Design Innovation
- Maker Spaces
- Research Labs
- Interdisciplinary Studio Spaces
- Collaboration Labs (Co-Labs)
- Network with Industry Partners
- Network with Regional and Global Stakeholders
- Outcomes Reached for Generations to Come (through graduates)
- Future Innovators
- Future Leaders
Three Approaches Help Us to Build the Design Innovation Initiative:
- Interdisciplinary Course Offerings
- Co-Taught w/ Faculty and Students from Different disciplines
- Taken Individually or Collectively (to earn a certificate or degree distinction)
- Belonging to no College
- Co-Curricular Initiatives
- Socializing Awareness and Engagement Across Disciplines / Sectors
- Engaging with Stakeholders and Industry, such as ?
- Design Challenges
- Traveling Workshops
- Creating (assembling) an Innovation Infrastructure
- Network of Existing and New Shared Resources
- Creating a Hub Facility – The Center for Design Innovation