As if the familiar smell of Adriadico’s pizza wafting through Hayes Hall wasn’t enough to entice design students to enter the newly redesigned “210” student space, the allure of learning a bit more from students who had recently returned from trips abroad and to New York brought more than 20 people together for this past Wednesday’s lunch-and-learn. Sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Student Chapter at Ohio State, the event featured five student presenters and three recent voyages.

Hannah King (pictured below) presented about her Spring 2025 experience studying abroad at the University of Montreal alongside fellow 4th-year industrial design student Mica Bendezu, as well as her own trip to Italy as part of an History of Art summer experience. Her presentation highlighted design projects and cultural excursions alongside the trials and tribulations encountered while studying abroad. Hannah had plenty of thoughtful advice for would-be exchange students, and highly recommends that all students consider how an exchange experience might fit into their time at Ohio State. 

Paul Goss, 3rd-year industrial design major, Aliina Lange, 4th-year industrial design major, and Sohpia Foster, 3rd-year industrial design major presented about their May 2025 trip to New York with Associate Professor Amanda Huynh for the Wanted Design Global Design Workshop. Goss, Lange, and Foster (pictured below, left to right) highlighted their own design work, their interactions with students from other design programs around the country, and credited their design education at Ohio State for preparing them to shine during the competition.

It was inspiring to hear their stories about studying and workshopping in completely different environments. The presenters’ unique insights and hands-on experiences sparked curiosity and excitement across our design cohorts.

A big thanks to the students who presented and made this session so special!

The IDSA student chapter is excited to host similar lunch-and-learn events in the coming months, including featuring students who held design internships, recent grads and other design program alumni. 

Authors: Assistant Professor William Nickley, Grace Kim (3rd-year industrial design)

Note: Not a single drop of AI was used to author this post!