Design Innovation News Center
Design Innovation is proud to announce the newest cohort of John and Fonda Elliot Design Innovation Faculty Fellows, an interdisciplinary group of scholars, makers, and educators whose projects explore the intersections of technology, research, and human-centered problem solving.
The Design Innovation Initiative at ӰƵ welcomes the second cohort of the DI Creatives‑in‑Residence (CIR) Program for the spring 2026 semester. This program is a semester-long residency that supports visionary creatives in the ӰƵ community and beyond working at the intersection of art, design and technology.
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.
Kayon Hall, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Higher Education Administration program, is one of six faculty members selected to be a Summer 2025 Elliot DI Faculty Fellow.
Delonte Goodman is a graduate student in ӰƵ'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 ӰƵ that enhance and complement his studies and also allow him to assist and mentor undergraduate students.
Jennifer Mapes, an assistant professor of geography at ӰƵ, 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.
Creating e-textiles is the topic of a hands-on, maker workshop and a lecture in ӰƵ’s DI Hub in collaboration with ӰƵ’s School of Fashion.
The Design Innovation Initiative at ӰƵ is excited to announce the selected participants for the inaugural cohort of the DI Creatives‑in‑Residence (CIR) Program, a semester-long residency that supports visionary creatives in the ӰƵ community and beyond working at the intersection of art, design and technology.
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.
As part of the John and Fonda Elliot Design Innovation Faculty Fellowship, VCD professor Hadi Rahmati partnered with Computer Science assistant professor Raiful Hasan to improve how self-driving cars communicate with pedestrians.