Anirudh Mepperla knows that as a college student, sometimes you need a place to relax during a day full of classes and work.
This month, in collaboration with one of his professors, Meppella’s efforts culminated in the installation of four nap pods on campus. One was installed in the Commons and three were installed on the fifth floor of Grace E. Harris Hall. Students, faculty, and staff can reserve pods online in half-hour or hour increments.
“I noticed during class that my classmates were always tired,” said Meperla, a sophomore majoring in health, physical education, and exercise science in the College of Humanities. “As a commuter student myself, I know that it can be demoralizing to come to campus and not have a reliable place to take a 30-minute break and relax. It’s really great to be able to offer a place.”
Last year, as a freshman, in a research project related to her UNIV 111 and UNIV 112 Intensive Inquiry courses, Meppella decided to study sleep in college students and explore ways to improve their health. With the help of his mentor, Assistant Professor Kirk Richardson of the Department of Concentrated Research, they began laying the groundwork for a proposal called Project Z that would eventually bring nap pods to the Monroe Park campus. .
“It was great to watch it unfold,” Richardson said. “This is what we, as university professors, do all the time with our students: take the lessons learned in the classroom and apply them to the outside world to make a difference.”
He and Meppala found widespread campus-wide support for the idea and received direct support from the VCU da Vinci Innovation Center’s Shelfie Program. The program allows entrepreneurs to test their ideas through customer and peer feedback in a retail environment. Their points of contact included VCU President Dr. Michael Rao and Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor. Project Z received financial support from VCU Student Affairs and Student Government through student activity fees.
“The Commons is always looking for ways to meet the needs of our students and improve the well-being and academic success of all VCU Rams,” said Commons Director Carol Dowell. “This student-led initiative to install nap pods in The Commons and Harris will allow students to take moments of relaxation and rejuvenation, whether it’s power naps during the day or naps between classes and studies.”
Anirudh Meppala (seated) and Kirk Richardson with the recently installed nap pods in the Commons. (Thomas Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
Dowell added that The Commons is building a “relaxation corner.” This corner will be anchored to nap pods that will be installed in The Commons.
This project doesn’t end with just installing the nappod. The final stage will be collecting data from student users in the coming months to develop a pod design tailored to college students. The goal is to work with design engineers on campus to develop a prototype and eventually produce a model that other universities can purchase, Richardson said.
“There’s been years of research on the health benefits of sleep,” he says. “We know that Project Z helps improve academic success and student well-being, and it is also a great way to collaborate and create with our campus community.”
Meppella hopes Project Z will help students long after graduation and hopefully establish a career in the medical field.
“I’ve always wanted to help others, and that’s what I want to do with my career,” he said. “I want to help my students succeed in the classroom, and I think giving them a place to reset and relax helps them both mentally and physically. ”
Meppella is excited to see Project Z come to fruition in its new phase.
“I wish I could have used the pod today,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll be on campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.”
Nap pods in Grace E. Harris Hall can be reserved at vcufillnappods.youcanbook.me, while nap pods in the Commons are first-come, first-served.
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