Finding time to step away during a busy day can be difficult. On Lehigh’s hilly, sprawling campus, even a short walk can feel easier to skip than to plan.
A Campus Social Impact Fellowship project is helping make that choice simpler.
Mindful Steps into the Forest recently launched “Mindful Steps,” an online platform (https://forestmood-walking.vercel.app/) that helps students, faculty and staff find safe, accessible, and healthy walking routes across Lehigh’s large, sprawling campus. The platform is designed for everyday use, offering short walking options that can fit into a busy schedule while encouraging people to slow down, spend time outdoors and engage with their surroundings.
For a campus community whose residents and employees balance full schedules and daily pressures, the platform offers a simple way to step away, reset and reconnect with nature, said Jong Shin, assistant professor of population health and the project’s faculty mentor.
Now in its second year, Mindful Steps into the Forest began in 2025 with Impact Fellows Kamoi Davis ’27, a community and global health major; Jack Filius ’26, a marketing major; and Swetcha Reddy Tukkani M’26, a computer science major. That team assessed the walkability and accessibility of Lehigh’s Asa Packer campus using a spatial assessment tool and street audits. They then developed a preliminary campus walkability map and integrated the findings into the Mindful Steps website, which generates enhanced walking routes around campus. Their work laid the foundation for the platform’s continued development.
The project continues in 2026 with Impact Fellows Jessica Lee ’28, a community and global health major; Krina Niravkumar Shukal, a graduate student majoring in data science; Sungwon Yu ’29, a computer science and business major; and Filius, who is continuing his work on the team as a superfellow.
On the Mindful Steps platform, users can choose a walking duration, either 10 or 20 minutes, and select how hilly they want the route to be. The platform then recommends a route designed to match those preferences. All currently available routes are on Lehigh’s campus.
The project grew from a question the team saw in daily campus life: How can students make time for self-care when their schedules are already full? Rather than creating another program that requires a major time commitment, the team focused on a familiar activity: walking. By connecting brief walks with nature engagement and mindfulness, Mindful Steps offers a practical way to encourage movement, reflection and stress relief during the school day.
Studies have shown that daily walking and engagement with nature are linked to stress management. By integrating these practices into thoughtfully designed campus walking routes, the team offers the Lehigh community a simple tool to support well-being without requiring expensive or time-consuming interventions.
The team is simultaneously developing an immersive virtual reality experience to bring elements of nature indoors. The VR component is intended for people who may not be able to walk outside because of physical ability, mobility limitations, weather conditions or other barriers, extending the project’s focus on accessibility beyond physical walking routes.
For Shin, the project reflects a broader commitment to improving health through walkability, accessibility and emerging technology.
“This app is one component of a broader effort,” Shin said. “The team is also exploring expanded route design, interactive campus mapping and immersive experiences to better support engagement with nature and walking across campus spaces. As we move forward, our focus will be on learning from user feedback, refining the experience and continuing to develop tools that encourage accessible, everyday interaction with outdoor environments.”
With the launch of its online platform, Mindful Steps is turning their research into a practical resource for campus life. Whether someone has 10 minutes between meetings, needs a quiet reset after class or wants to make walking part of a daily wellness routine, the platform offers a simple invitation: step outside, choose a route and let the campus become part of the care.
Ready to try it? Visit Mindful Steps: https://forestmood-walking.vercel.app/