Designing a Better Campus: IPF-Sponsored Projects Shine at MSU Design Day

Each year, Michigan State University’s Design Day showcases the creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills of graduating undergraduate students as they present real-world solutions to complex challenges. This spring, Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) proudly sponsored several student teams whose projects reflect a shared commitment to accessibility, sustainability and campus safety. 

From inclusive design to global impact and environmental stewardship, these projects highlight how collaboration between students and campus partners can drive meaningful change. 

Co-sponsored by IPF’s Adam Lawver and Assistant Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures Casey McArdle, one student team focused on improving accessible signage for visually impaired users by designing restroom floor plans with braille and tactile elements. The team developed the layouts by replicating restroom configurations in AutoCAD, which were then sent to IPF’s Sign Shop for manufacturing. There, a rotary engraver was used to carve the raised text and tactile map, and holes were drilled for braille dots, which were inserted by hand using a braille pen. The signage will be installed at Bessey Hall this summer to conduct a pilot and measure impact from users over the next year. This project was completed in collaboration with campus partners, including the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) and Institutional Space Planning and Management (ISPM). 

The designs incorporate raised text, braille, high-contrast visuals, standardized placement, and tactile elements to better support individuals with visual impairments. As an added feature, the team also integrated a QR code into the signage that plays an audio message describing the restroom layout when scanned, providing an additionallayer of accessibility beyond braille. Through user interviews, research, conversations with IPF’s Sign Shop, and testing, the team produced a durable and inclusive solution, along with comprehensive documentation to support future implementation across campus. 

Two Mechanical Engineering project teams co-sponsored by MSU Bikes and Mary Free Bed explored an innovative way to repurpose abandoned bicycles, an abundant campus resource and one that’s readily available globally, into functional prosthetic devices. Each year, hundreds of bikes are left behind at MSU, many of which are impounded by the MSU Parking Department staff. Rather than allowing these materials to go to waste, these student teams worked to give them new purpose. Reuse is a core part of the mission of MSU Bikes and its parent department, MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center.  

Building on a partnership with certified prosthetist Ben Hogan, one of the first student mechanics for MSU Bikes, and MSU Bikes’ Sustainable Transportation Manager Tim Potter, the students refined Ben’s design for an above-the-knee prosthetic made entirely from bicycle components. With a focus on affordability, durability, and ease of production, the project aims to address a critical global need; nearly 90% of individuals in developing countries lack access and the financial resources to afford modernprosthetic care. 

Through its support of Design Day, IPF continues to invest in innovative ideas that align with its mission to build and maintain a campus that is accessible, sustainable and safe for all. These student projects not only address immediate challenges but also offer scalable solutions with the potential for long-term positive impact for society. 

To explore more student projects from this year’s event, view the full Design Day booklet online.  

IPF Sponsored projects can be found on the following pages: