Design Nexus Summit

The Design Nexus Summit kicks off our fall semester with speakers, workshops, and studio tours. Designed to inspire and connect, the Summit takes place over multiple days and includes both formal presentations and informal opportunities for students to connect with speakers, sponsors and alumni. 2025 speaker Sundar Raman (CTO of PRESENT) summed up the event best: “ CMU’s Nexus Symposium 2025 was, in a word, alchemy. It was inspiring, enlightening, and soulful… because it was as much about the students educating the us (the “experts”), as the other way round. I found myself not wanting to leave classrooms because the conversations with the students were so engaging. And the depth of real-world anecdotes from the panelists was affirmation that Experience Design is the funnest and most satisfying discipline you can spend your time on. I came as a speaker and left with a wonderful community!” Summit Vision: We inspire and equip forward-thinking designers and creatives with new perspectives, while fostering meaningful connections between students and industry leaders. Summit Mission: We convene designers and students from across the broad spectrum of the field to have engaging, thought-provoking discussions that spark innovation and shape the future of design and technology. The 2026 Design Nexus Summit Schedule September 16-18, 2026 Theme: Designing the Designer Wednesday, 9/16 Kick-off & Featured Speaker Presentations Open to all 4:30pm-7pm, CFA Kresge Theater Thursday, 9/17 Career Accelerator #1 Open to students, advanced registration necessary 9:30-11:20am, Highmark Center Meeting Rooms Fireside Chat with Sundar Raman, Co-founder, PRESENT Open to all 11:30-12:30pm, CUC Studio Theater School of Design Studio Tours Invited guests to visit studios in session 2:00-4pm, 5 studios across MM Welcome & Featured Speaker Presentations Open to all 4:30-7pm, CFA Kresge Theater Community Reception Open to all 7-8:30pm, Legacy Plaza (between CUC and MM) Friday, 9/18 Career Acceler