VCU students have a new on-campus perk to help them get through the day: nap pods.
Why it matters: Everyone deserves a midday nap .
The big picture: VCU installed four futuristic-looking nap pods on campus last month, one in the student commons and three in Grace Hall.
- The idea was borne out of student sleep study research project that health major Anirudh Mepperla and his professor, Kirk Richardson, did last year, according to VCU News .
- Once the duo had the data on college students’ sleep habits — or lack thereof — they started brainstorming ways to help.
- They worked with school’s entrepreneur and innovation-focused da Vinci Center to refine the concept and VCU’s Student Affairs and SGA kicked in financial support.
Students, faculty and staff can reserve the pods online for 45-minutes or an hour-and-15 intervals for a quick snooze, study break or just a few moments of quiet.
Of note: On-campus napping nooks aren’t new. Universities, including JMU, started adding them about a decade ago .