‘MTSU On the Record’ focuses on ‘design for living’ with interior design students

Managing one’s living space as the COVID-19 pandemic continues was the topic of a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Kristi Julian, director and coordinator of MTSU’s interior design program and an associate professor in the Department of Human Sciences, first aired Feb. 23 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

Dr. Kristi Julian

You can listen to their conversation via the Soundcloud link above.

Julian and three of her students attended the ProGlobe Virtual Conference last November with students from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in Sankt Augustin, Germany; Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; and Politécnico de Viseu in Viseu, Portugal.

MTSU seniors Aubree Davis from Christiana, Tennessee; Lauren Minster from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; and Lauren Schrimsher from Fayetteville, Tennessee, also added their insights during the radio program.

After completing an initial survey on the coronavirus and a baseline cultural “getting-to-know-you” interview during the virtual conference, the students and their partners pursued various research topics related to sustainable goals, best practices and cultural diversity in the pursuit of better interior design.

“This year, we did relationships, socialization, work environment and education related to COVID and the impact of COVID,” Julian said.

“They (students) set up the interviews. They set up the schedule. They set up the teams.”

Solutions presented by students from all four nations included introducing soothing colors in workspaces to reduce stress, adding proper lighting to minimize fatigue and headaches and incorporating washable materials to help keep surfaces clean, such as linoleum floors, copper hardware and polyester.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Dr. Kristi Julian, center, director and coordinator of MTSU’s interior design program and an associate professor in the Department of Human Sciences, is the guest on the Feb. 23 edition of “MTSU On the Record,” which airs on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5. (Interior photo by Max Vakhtbovych/Pexels)