Honors College showcases innovation, collaborative discovery at prestigious architecture event

The opening of the Biennale Architettura 2025 this spring marked the beginning of a six-month period during which the Virginia Tech Honors College “unEarthed/Second Nature/PolliNATION” exhibition will be showcased in Venice, Italy.

Student projects are featured in two installations that present the pedagogical framework for transdisciplinary collaboration pioneered by the Honors College.

Twenty-five students traveled overseas to attend the opening events of this prestigious showcase, presenting their projects to an international audience as part of the exhibition. A smaller group of students from an Honors College transdisciplinary studio course assisted with the conceptualization, setup, and construction of the installations, collaborating on-site with partners from several industries and working closely with representatives from the European Cultural Center (ECC) in the lead-up to the opening.

The ECC extended the invitation for the Honors College to participate in the Biennale Architettura in December 2023. Now, more than a year later, members of the organization were able to meet the students who contributed to the project and Virginia Tech’s place in the international exhibition.

“This collaboration has been a successful example of what academic partnerships with cultural institutions can achieve. The students gained first-hand insight into the cultural sector, and we, as an institution, benefited from their fresh perspectives and commitment. Their reflections and contributions are a testament to the value of such international engagements,” said Lucia Pedrana, ECC Italy director and head of university relations.

Working on the exhibition provided students with hands-on experience in a high-stakes professional setting. Alongside the designer and one of the co-curators, the students participated in the on-site decision-making, dynamic troubleshooting, and fast-paced strategizing that often characterizes the lead-up to global events like this.

One of the core team members helping to create the exhibition was Javier Mico-Crump. As a communication major, Mico-Crump never thought that he would participate in an architecture exhibition, but because he's enrolled in the Honors College's transdisciplinary studio, that’s exactly what happened.

“As a communication major, I learn and expand my knowledge by working with biology students who have in-depth knowledge of plants, detail-oriented computer science students who code, and architects who can see the big picture and provide constructive feedback. I also learn by seeing how the ECC operates and being in a professional environment. Being in Venice was a great example of how learning and working in a transdisciplinary setting – creating a collective intelligence – strengthens individual knowledge while also creating more comprehensive products,” said Mico-Crump.

The collaboration that the Honors College enables is the impetus behind its inclusion in this year’s Biennale Architettura, the theme of which is “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.” Emphasizing human collective intelligence, the exhibition underscores the need to address global problems with international collaboration. Bringing together students with different disciplines and giving them the opportunity to work together results in new ways of thinking.

“The Honors College installations at this prestigious event showcase Virginia Tech’s commitment to transdisciplinary study, creativity and global identity and is surpassed only by the exemplary knowledge, passion and professionalism of our students and faculty mentors,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke, who joined the students and faculty in Venice for the opening of the exhibition.

Having the opportunity to travel to Venice and see the contributions of the other exhibitors side-by-side with their own work hammered home this lesson for the students who attended.  

“I realized that in this environment, knowledge isn’t only passed down through lectures or text, but through proximity to place, storytelling, and collaborative making. Conversations happened in courtyards, boats, and alleyways, and insights came as much from observing how people interacted with the work and the city as from the works themselves,” said biomedical engineering major Taylor Leaman.

Graphic designer Lauren Sartori, who graduated in May, said, “The curiosity displayed not only through the Honors College's exhibition but throughout the Biennale re-ignited a sense of childlike wonder, a wonder that I hope to maintain through my post-Virginia Tech experience.”

The exhibition will be open to the public until closing events in November. Attendees will be able to visit the installations, experience the projects and structures on display, and participate in workshops, talks, and demonstrations hosted by the Honors College.

“unEarthed/Second Nature/PolliNATION” features co-exhibitors Cloud 9 and the Honors College with co-curators Anne-Lise Velez, collegiate professor, and Enric Ruiz Geli, professor of practice. It was designed by Kevin Jones, professor of practice, and Joba Studio. It is a collateral event of La Biennale Archittetura 2025, curated by Carlo Ratti. The project committee includes Lefter Daku, Ruiz Geli, Paul Heilker, Mary Helm, Jones, Christina McIntyre, Sara Vandyke, and Velez.