What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 7pm Wednesday 10am - 7pm Thursday 10am - 7pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Kent State Design Innovation

Home
United States
Kent, OH
Kent State Design Innovation

Kent State University's home for makers, innovators, and fearless collaborators. Get started today! ✨

09/23/2026

🎉 Meet the 2026–2027 John & Fonda Elliot Design Innovation Student Fellows!

On Friday, we welcomed a new cohort of DI Student Fellows representing disciplines from across Kent State—from design, communication, and technology to engineering, computing, and the sciences.

And they got right to work.

This year's DI Fellows will spend the academic year working in interdisciplinary teams on challenges pitched by the Kent State University Bicycle Advisory Committee, exploring how we might create a more sustainable, accessible, safe, and connected mobility experience across campus.

Along the way, they'll use the Design Innovation Toolkit to investigate complex systems, learn from the people who experience them, generate and test ideas, prototype possibilities, and turn their different disciplinary perspectives into collaborative solutions.

Friday's launch was only the beginning. We can't wait to see where these teams take their challenges over the year ahead. 🚲💡⚡

Welcome to the DI Fellows!

09/21/2026

⚡ NEW: Learn a skill in just 30 minutes with our How To sessions!

We’re launching a new series of free, quick, hands-on sessions led by our DI Crew. Each How To session gives DI members an introduction to a tool, technique, or piece of equipment—making it easy to try something new and add another skill to your maker toolkit.

First up: How To: Solder 🔧⚡

Learn the basics of soldering and de-soldering using our Hakko stations, from safely setting up the equipment to creating clean electrical connections and removing components.

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 23 | 12–12:30 PM
📍 Reactor Makerspace | DI Hub, Room 150
💰 FREE | Beginner friendly
🎟️ Only 5 spots available!

Registration is open to active DI Hub members, so grab your spot quickly! And keep an eye on our workshops page as we roll out more 30-minute How To sessions throughout the semester.

🔗 Register through our member portal at di.kent.edu!

09/17/2026

When Simon Met Ralph: from workshop to DI Gallery Exhibit! 👕✨

After three days of printing, experimenting, layering, and transforming garments, When Simon Met Ralph has made its way from the Reactor Makerspace to the DI Gallery!

Led by designer and printmaker Simon Ungless, alongside Jody Niederkohr, Kent State students explored silk screen surface design while giving new life to existing garments. The workshops were part of Simon and Jody’s residency with the 2026–2027 Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series - a collaboration between the Kent State University College of the Arts and Kent State College of Architecture + Environmental Design - CAED D - bringing together fashion, printmaking, making, and sustainable design right here at the DI Hub.

Now you can see what they created. 👀

WHEN SIMON MET RALPH
📍 DI Gallery, 1st Floor
Featuring garments created by Kent State students during this week’s workshops.

And join us TODAY at 3 p.m. in the DI Hub Auditorium as Simon and Jody discuss their work and the intersection of fashion, printmaking, and sustainable design, followed by a Q&A. The event is free and open to the public.

A huge thank you to Simon, Jody, our student makers, and everyone across Kent State who helped make this collaboration possible. 💙💛

09/01/2026

🤖 WHY ARE ROBOTS NAKED?

As humanoid robots become part of our world, they bring new questions, needs, and opportunities.

Join us for the Humanoid Robot Fashion Challenge, Oct. 16–18 at the DI Hub! Spend the weekend getting hands-on with humanoid robots, working across disciplines, and imagining what comes next: from fashion and wearable solutions to new products, experiences, services, and business ideas.

🎓 OPEN TO ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS 18+
Any university. Any college. Any major. Any experience level. No fashion or robotics experience required.

🏆 $3,500+ in awards
🗽 Opportunities to showcase winning designs during NYC Fashion Week
🍕 Meals + materials included
💸 FREE to participate

Bring your perspective. Meet the robots. Find an opportunity. Make something we haven’t thought of yet.

📅 Oct. 16–18, 2026
📍 Design Innovation Hub | Kent State University
🔗 Register + learn more at: tinyurl.com/RobotFashionChallenge

Brought to you by KSU Design Innovation, the School of Fashion's KnitLAB, and the ATR Lab.

08/21/2026

Welcome back, Golden Flashes! ⚡💙💛

A new semester means new ideas, new skills, new collaborators, and plenty of opportunities to make something happen at Design Innovation!

Whether you want to explore emerging technologies, learn to use makerspace equipment, build a project, collaborate across disciplines, or simply try something you’ve never done before, the DI Hub is here for you.

🔹 Explore tools + technologies
🔹 Learn new skills
🔹 Make + prototype
🔹 Find collaborators
🔹 Turn your ideas into action

New to DI? Start with a DI Orientation to become a member, explore the DI Hub, and learn how to access our spaces and resources. Sign up through the link in our bio.

All majors. All skill levels. All ideas welcome.

Your next project, collaboration, or big idea could start here. 🚀

07/29/2026

Innovation starts with people. 🌍💡

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming participants in the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program to the Design Innovation Hub for an introduction to Design Innovation.

Through our LEGO Duck Challenge and Superpowers activity, participants explored how creativity, collaboration, and diverse perspectives help teams tackle complex challenges. Together, we discovered that innovation isn't just about having great ideas—it's about understanding one another, embracing different strengths, and building solutions together.

A big thank you to the Gerald H. Read Center for International & Intercultural Education (Gerald Read Center for Intl Ed ) for partnering with us to welcome this incredible group of future scholars to Kent State. We wish them the very best as they begin their graduate studies across the United States!

07/23/2026

🚀 Applications are now open for the 2026–2027 Elliot DI Student Fellows Cohort!

The Elliot DI Student Fellows Program brings together students from across Kent State University to tackle meaningful challenges, develop innovative solutions, and build skills that prepare them for future careers.

As a DI Fellow, you will:
✨ Collaborate with students from different majors
✨ Work on real-world projects with community, faculty, and industry partners
✨ Learn human-centered design, research, prototyping, and innovation methods
✨ Gain valuable leadership and teamwork experience
✨ Receive a stipend for your participation

Whether you're studying engineering, business, architecture, fashion, the arts, sciences, healthcare, education, or anything in between, the Elliot DI Student Fellows Program is designed for students who are curious, creative, and ready to make an impact.

📅 Applications are due July 31, 2026.
🔗 Apply today — link in bio.

07/21/2026

Thank You, American Academy Students! 🇧🇷💙

This week, the Design Innovation Hub had the pleasure of welcoming an incredible group of students from Kent State University's American Academy in Brazil, a unique partnership between Kent State University and the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) that gives students the opportunity to begin their Kent State education in Brazil before continuing their academic journey on our Kent Campus.

During their visit, students participated in our Collaborative Leadership for Positive Change workshop, an immersive, challenge-based experience grounded in the principles of Design Innovation. Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams, they explored how empathy, collaboration, creative problem-solving, rapid ideation, prototyping, storytelling, and iterative thinking can be used to address complex real-world challenges.

It was inspiring to watch this talented group embrace new ideas, challenge assumptions, and work together with curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm. Thank you for sharing your perspectives, energy, and passion with us throughout the week—you made the experience just as meaningful for our team as we hope it was for you.

We wish you continued success as you pursue your studies, and we look forward to seeing many of you back at Kent State in the future.

Até logo! 🇧🇷

05/08/2026

Thank you to all who joined us last week for another exciting Design Innovation Day! This annual event gives our community the opportunity to showcase their creative and innovative work as well as celebrate the end of a successful year collaborating with DI 🛠️

Wishing the community a wonderful summer! ☀️

04/29/2026

DI Day is finally here! Join us for our 2026 Design Innovation Day Showcase & Celebration. Experience the creativity and collaboration driving innovation at Kent State, featuring hands-on exhibits, groundbreaking projects, and inspiring work from our DI community. Whether you're a student, faculty member, industry partner, or part of the community, this is your chance to connect, explore, and get inspired!

🗓️ May 1st from 3-6pm
📍 DI Theatre/Auditorium

For more information: https://www.di.kent.edu/Program/GetProgramDetails?courseId=2347fb49-046c-4c14-9445-ed4c7c2248cc

Address

400 Janik Drive
Kent, OH
44242

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 7pm
Wednesday	10am - 7pm
Thursday	10am - 7pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Website

http://www.kent.edu/designinnovation, https://www.kent.edu/designinnovation/john-and-fonda-elliot-design-innovation-stud

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kent State Design Innovation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in Kent?