Ball State interior design students took their classroom experiences and put them to the test by crafting improvements that will benefit those using campus computer labs.

The students presented ideas for improvements on Dec. 6-8 to University Computing Services (UCS), which selected four teams as winners of the three planned projects.

The projects include labs in Whitinger Business, Robert Bell and the Health and Physical Activity buildings.

The students were in studio classes taught by Janet Fick, an interior design instructor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Fick said this is the third year her students have been asked to propose remodeling projects for UCS labs.

"It is a great opportunity for the students to gain professional presentation experience and build portfolios," she said of the month-long project. "It's not just me sitting there critiquing them."

For the presentations, students develop design boards that include photos of the layout, color schemes and samples of fabric and other finishing materials. A few teams included a digital walk-through using advanced technologies.

In determining the best designs, UCS and facility management representatives voted on designs based on layout usability, appearance, quality and durability of finishing materials selected.

Winning teams were:

• Whitinger Business — Seniors Kim Beyer and Jessica Schell and juniors Laura Mason and Jenna Troyer for their design of the lab in room 216
• Robert Bell — Seniors Carly Westfall and Matt DeGeeter and juniors Lee Miller and Amanda Porter for their design of the lab in room 134
• Health and Physical Activity — Seniors Adrienne Campbell and Leah Rexroth, junior Kristin Kroft and sophomore Jill Hortemiller for the finishes portion of their design, and seniors Alicia Hall and Adam Searcy, juniors Carolyn Pike and Tana Steinberger and sophomore Jessica Ehresman for the layout portion of their design of the lab in room 133.

By Jody Kress