In this episode of The State of Inquiry: Design in Service of Humanity, Silvia Acosta and Beth Huffman discuss how architecture and design education can extend beyond the studio to engage communities across cultures. Acosta reflects on collaborative design-build projects she has undertaken from Japan to Mexico that treat architecture as something made collectively and given back to the world. Huffman shares how global, service-oriented projects in such places as Eswatini and Thailand create hands-on learning experiences that connect students to real-world impact. Together, they consider how teaching, travel, and making can shape designers who see their work as both creative practice and civic responsibility.
Silvia Acosta is the inaugural McRobbie Bicentennial Professor in Modern Architecture Professor at the Eskenazi School’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program in Columbus, Indiana. Her work maintains linkages between architecture and the arts and is dedicated to the craft of making at multiple scales. Her path through the creative process is informed by the intelligence of the hands and the role of imagination as a generator of ideas to be enacted. Acosta is a registered architect and was a longtime faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design before being appointed to the McRobbie Professorship in 2023.
A Lecturer of Comprehensive Design in the Eskenazi School, Beth Huffman is an educator, architect and designer focused on community-engaged projects both inside and outside of the classroom. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture and a doctorate in education, Dr. Huffman focuses on student experiences and project-based learning that aims to bolster students’ career readiness. Her research interests include international learning and project-based learning. She recently received the Trustees Teaching Award in 2026, and a student-nominated award through the Walter Center for Career Advocacy in 2025.
Yaël Ksander is director of communications and marketing for the Indiana University Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. Previously, she served as director of communications and the mayor's spokesperson for the City of Bloomington, Indiana. Yaël is a regular host, producer, and narrator at Indiana Public Media and serves on the board of the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation.