Designathon 2026
Freshwater Futures
OSU–Njala University Aquaculture Designathon
July 9–16, 2026
Oklahoma State University Mixed Reality Lab × Njala University
The OSU–Njala University Aquaculture Designathon is a one-week international student collaboration focused on envisioning the future of inland aquaculture facilities in Sierra Leone. The project brings together students from Njala University and Oklahoma State University's Mixed Reality Lab to explore how freshwater fish production sites can become integrated spaces for food security, education, hospitality, tourism, research, and community enterprise.
This collaboration builds on the emerging OSU–NU aquaculture partnership, which is centered on enhancing food security through freshwater aquaculture. The project asks how existing fish tank sites at Njala University can be developed not only as productive aquaculture infrastructure, but also as public-facing destinations that support learning, commercial development, local culture, and sustainable economic growth.
The preliminary design work has already explored Sierra Leonean cultural and environmental design principles, including local materials, passive cooling, natural ventilation, shaded gathering spaces, indoor-outdoor connections, and climate-responsive design strategies.
To develop design concepts that transform Njala University's inland fish tank sites into sustainable aquaculture-centered destinations that support food security, education, research, commercial development, and community engagement.
The immediate objective of the Designathon is to create conceptual development proposals for facilities around Njala University's inland fish tanks. Student teams will explore how aquaculture can become the foundation for hospitality, education, research, cultural enterprise, and visitor experiences.
The long-term objectives of the OSU–NU aquaculture partnership are to:
Freshwater aquaculture has the potential to support food security, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable regional development. By reimagining fish tank sites as integrated environments for production, education, tourism, and community enterprise, this project explores how aquaculture infrastructure can become a catalyst for long-term economic and social impact.
The Designathon will focus on two inland aquaculture sites associated with Njala University. These inland aquaculture areas will serve as the foundation for student proposals exploring hospitality, education, research, commercial activity, and cultural development.
This site offers opportunities to explore how a smaller aquaculture area can support visitor education, food production, research demonstration, and hospitality-related programming.
This larger site provides opportunities to explore a more comprehensive aquaculture destination, potentially including education centers, restaurants, markets, lodging, research spaces, and public interpretation.
Student teams are challenged to develop design concepts that transform inland aquaculture sites into multifunctional destinations. Proposals should address food security, fish production, education, visitor experience, commercial opportunity, cultural identity, environmental sustainability, and long-term feasibility.
Teams will consider how buildings, outdoor spaces, pathways, visitor experiences, and interpretive environments can be organized around the fish tanks while respecting local climate, culture, materials, maintenance realities, and community needs.
Team structure: There will be 3 student teams, each with 2 OSU students and 2–3 NU students. Each team selects one of the three development clusters below and develops a conceptual design for a facility. By the end of the Designathon, at least one project must represent each of the three broader areas: Hospitality, Education, and Commercial/Cultural Development.
Choose one of the three development clusters and add your name under that column in the shared sign-up sheet. Anyone with the link can edit — no account needed.
✏️ Open the Team Sign-Up SheetEach team selects one cluster as the foundation for its conceptual design.
This cluster focuses on aquaculture-based tourism and visitor experience. Possible building types include:
Emphasis: fresh fish, local food culture, environmental design, and visitor immersion in the aquaculture landscape.
This cluster focuses on learning, research, and public understanding of aquaculture. Possible building types include:
This cluster should explain how freshwater aquaculture works, how fish are raised, how water quality is monitored, and how aquaculture contributes to food security and economic development. The existing SAFE Design work already identifies pond and tank management, fertilization, liming, water quality monitoring, biophilic design, and aeration as important sustainability considerations.
This cluster focuses on entrepreneurship, community participation, and cultural identity. Possible building types include:
This cluster should connect aquaculture to local livelihoods, cultural expression, entrepreneurship, and community-based economic development. The preliminary SAFE Design work already identifies cultural motifs, handmade and woven elements, cultural art, welcoming signage, and attracting spaces as part of the design language.
Bringing expertise from areas including aquaculture and fisheries management, community development, sociology, business administration, agricultural education, banking and finance, computer science, and home economics/community development.
Bringing experience in interior design, graduate design research, digital visualization, spatial planning, and mixed-reality design communication.
Kickoff meeting, introductions, project overview, site/context briefing, and team formation.
Discussion on design development.
Zoom · 10 AM Central / 3 PM Sierra LeoneTeams create concept boards, diagrams, plans, renderings, or visual narratives.
Zoom · 10 AM Central / 3 PM Sierra LeoneTeams prepare final presentation slides and refine design concepts.
Zoom · 10 AM Central / 3 PM Sierra LeoneTeams present design proposals to OSU and Njala University faculty and students.
Zoom · 10 AM Central / 3 PM Sierra LeoneEach student team should produce a concise concept package that includes:
Tutorials and tools to help your team design, model, and present.
3D modeling basics for your site and building concepts.
Real-time rendering and visualization.
Editing techniques for presentation videos.
Getting started with Unity for interactive experiences.
Guide to AR app development in Unity 3D (PDF).
The OSU Mixed Reality Lab has organized international collaborative design events since 2018.
VR+AR hackathon focusing on issues in retail, held in January 2018. Over 70 students across OSU participated, from different colleges and departments.
More info →Interior Design and Fashion Design students from OSU worked with Product Design students from Icesi University in Colombia, focusing on issues such as immigration.
More info →Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Fashion Design students worked on projects to redesign the Oklahoma City Zoo and its branding.
More info →Interior Design students from OSU and Product Design students from Icesi University in Colombia worked on solving problems related to COVID-19.
More info →Student groups from UPAEP and OSU worked in collaborative groups focusing on diversity-related UN Sustainability Goals.
More info →80 students from 5 universities in 4 countries participated in this Designathon that OSU organized in collaboration with NASA.
More info →