10/26/2026
💙💛 How does this place make you feel?
That's the question behind "Lost in Campus," an interdisciplinary student project exploring how Kent State students experience the spaces around them... and we're excited to celebrate the team behind it!
Last weekend, Ayna Tazhiyeva and Varuni Sanitha Baiju Chellamma represented Kent State at the 2026 a2ru National Conference at the University of Memphis, sharing their work with a national community of artists, researchers, and educators.
The project began after DI Fellow Roshan Renney attended the 2026 a2ru Emerging Creatives Student Summit, where new ideas and interdisciplinary connections helped inspire what would become Lost in Campus. Working with Ayna, also a DI Fellow, and Varuni, the team developed a project that combines art, design, communication, and data collection to better understand students' sense of connection, comfort, and belonging on campus.
Supported by an a2ru Emerging Creatives Challenge Grant, the team has been installing interactive boards across Kent State, inviting students to anonymously share how different campus spaces make them feel. Over time, their responses will help create a collective emotional portrait of campus life.
👏 Congratulations to Ayna, Varuni, and Roshan on this recognition and on bringing their work to a national audience!
Projects like this demonstrate what can happen when students from different disciplines come together, explore meaningful questions, and turn creative ideas into opportunities for real-world impact.
📍 See a Lost in Campus board? Add your voice!
Learn more at lostincampus.org.
