The College of Design's Department of Landscape Architecture is partnering with Cliffs Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lands & Minerals Division on reshaping an overburden stockpile near Virginia. Overburden is material removed during taconite surface mining. Reshaping the stockpile improves the appearance and improves its environmental impact.

A second overburden stockpile reshaping project is planned for next year near Keewatin.

Both projects are part of the Laurentian Vision Partnership to turn "pits and piles into lakes and landscape" according to Lee Bloomquist's RangeViews.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HaeWon Ju (MS Apparel Design, 2008), a current graduate student in the Apparel Studies track of the Doctoral Program in Design has received the outstanding research award from the International Textiles and Apparel Association for her MS thesis research. Ju's thesis was entitled, "Young women's visual processing of fashion advertisements using eye tracking."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

College of Design Dean's Advisory Board member, Richard Murphy, Jr.'s Murphy Warehouse Company has received the Community Commitment Special Recognition Award in Minnesota Business magazine's second annual Minnesota Family Business Awards.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sue Danielson Bretheim (Development) has been named an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minnesota 2009 Special Award recipient for her nearly 20 years of development work. "Bretheim has created a strong relationship between the college and the architectural profession, proving to be mutually beneficial, and has been instrumental in developing the strong relationship between the College of Design and AIA Minnesota," writes AIA Minnesota in a media release. "Bretheim has maintained these critical relationships and provided the University many resources and opportunities for both students and professionals to expand the facilities at the College of Design."

Ozayr Saloojee (Architecture) was also recognized with an AIA Minnesota 2009 Special Award for his extraordinary teaching efforts. AIA Minnesota notes that Saloojee received the 2008 MArch Student Choice Award for graduate faculty.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stephen Streng and Dewey Thorbeck (both Center for Rural Design) have been awarded a Minnesota Futures Symposium Grant by the Office of the Vice President for Research for the first International Symposium on Rural Design to be held January 15-16, 2010 on the Saint Paul campus. Streng was also awarded a travel grant from the University's Office of International Partnerships to support the attendance of Canadian scholars at the symposium. For more information about the symposium see the center's Web site or contact Stephen Streng at stre0185@umn.edu.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Twin Cities Public Television will premier Daniel Pierce Bergin's Parks for the People on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 7 p.m., on TPT2. The documentary focuses on the creation of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul parks. Lance Neckar (Landscape Architecture) appears in the production to discuss the visionary and practical roles of landscape architect H. W. S. Cleveland. The documentary will be rebroadcast Sunday, October 11, 2009, 6 p.m. (TPT2) and 8 p.m. (TPTMN).

Neckar along with Daniel Nadenicek (MLA, 1991; currently dean of the University of Georgia's School of Environmental Design) were the authors of the introduction to the reprint of Cleveland's seminal book on the field, Landscape Architecture as Applied to the Wants of the West.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Virajita Singh (Center for Sustainable Building Research) has been awarded two fellowships for 2009-10: the Buckman Fellowship in Leadership and a Philanthropy and the Multicultural Teaching and Learning Fellowship. Singh is currently involved in developing a program within the Center for Sustainable Building Research that engages students from the College of Design to help communities, non-profits, and local governments interested in implementing sustainable goals.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University Alumni Association will name Amanda Lange (BS Graphic Design, 2009) as its 2009 Student Volunteer of the Year at an event at the McNamara Alumni Center on October 8, 2009. Lange has served as a member of the Design Institute Student Board (DISB) and was elected to the College of Design Student and Alumni Board (DSAB) from 2007 to 2009. She also helped develop the college's "Dirty Laundry" program which showcases designers from various disciplines, sharing candid and often hilarious stories of their best and worst professional experiences.

The University Alumni Association will also honor Janice Linster (BS Interior Design, 1983) with the University's Alumni Service Award. Linster served on the college's DSAB.

The College of Design Alumni Society will receive a University of Minnesota Alumni Association 2009 Program Extraordinaire Award, in part for the "Dirty Laundry" program.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Twin Cities Twitter, a Twitter aggregator that keeps tabs on Twin Cities tweeps, is the brainchild of Michael Fraase (Communications) and Dave Winer, a fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

The aggregation of local Twitterers is valuable to users who often find it hard to follow those with something to say and to politicians, advertisers, and marketers, Fraase told City Pages blog The Blotter.

Local Twitterers who would like their tweets to show up on Twin Cities Twitter can send a Twitter @reply message to @mfraase requesting to be added to the list.

Posted by Laura Weber at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On September 21, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for stronger action against indoor radon, the leading cause of lung cancer among US and Canadian non-smokers. The WHO recommendation calls for lowering radon levels by one-third below current US guidance.

"The WHO recommendations more strongly emphasize the importance of radon testing by all home owners and home buyers and reduction of high concentrations of the radioactive gas," says Bill Angell (Housing Studies), president of the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST), in the WHO media release. "The World
Health Organization's strong stand is based upon new evidence of the risk
posed by toxic radon," added Angell from the 2009 International Radon Symposium.

• INFORUM: "U of M faculty member plays crucial role in designing new World Health Organization radon gas level recommendations"
• KARE-11: "WHO lowers radon level recommendations; 'U' expert helps"
• Emerging Spring 2009: "Radon mitigation needed for healthy homes"
• UMNews: "U of M faculty member plays crucial role in designing new World Health Organization radon gas level recommendations"
• MinnPost.com: "New radon guidelines apply to many Minnesota homes"

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Renee Cheng (Architecture) has been named to the executive editorial board of the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Guide. A revised and expanded edition of the guide will be released later this year.

Cheng gave a presentation to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) national board on the "Culture of Practice: Educating the Next Generation" as part of an initiative to support a rich dialog between practice and academy. The presentation included an update on the professional curriculum that won the 2008 AIA Education Honor and explanation of how a robust professional practice stream fits in the program.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nina Ebbighausen's (Architecture) Minneapolis Central Library project won a 2009 American Institute of Architects and American Library Association Library Building Award.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Billy Weber (Center for Sustainable Building Research) is the principal investigator on a contract from the Southwest Minnesota Housing Project for a project of the Center for Sustainable Building Research entitled "Cherry Ridge Energy Efficiency Evaluation."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ignacio San Martin (Architecture; Metropolitan Design Center) is the principal investigator on a grant from the McKnight Foundation to support the Metropolitan Design Center's Direct Design Assistance program.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thomas Meyer (Architecture) and his firm, MS&R, Ltd., received a Preservation Alliance Award for "City House," a 2009 Federal Energy and Water Management Award for Sustainable Design/High Performance Buildings for the Rapids Lake Visitor Center, and an International Interior Design Association Northland Chapter FAB Award for the Saint Cloud Library building.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Comazzi (Architecture) has received an Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (2009) for the support of two Design Camps for Educators, to be held in the Summer of 2010, working with elementary school students and educators to develop and implement design-based teaching modules as a catalyst for integrated learning.

Comazzi has also curated an exhibition entitled "Inflected Modernism: The Architecture Photography of Balthazar Korab" that reexamines canonical works of mid-century Modern architecture through the interpretive lens of Balthazar Korab. The exhibition will open at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in January 2010 and will include a public lecture that will examine Korab's life, career, and body of work. This exhibition will be partially funded by an Imagine Fund Grant for the Arts & Humanities and plans are in the works for additional venues.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steven Dwyer (Architecture) was recently awarded one of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA), Minnesota's 2009 Young Architect Awards.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

School of Architecture graduate students Darin Duch, Peter Portilla, and Ben Delwiche have received an honorable mention in the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge. The trio's project, "Modular Adaptability," called for the design of a modular, portable classroom that is adaptable to a variety of educational requirements. "When the structure itself is thus integrated into the curriculum, the portable classroom becomes more than just an enclosure to hold class, it becomes a tool for learning," write the students in their project description. The classroom was designed for the Northrop School in Minneapolis. The students' advisor for the project was John Comazzi (Architecture).

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Julio Fesser (BArch, 1988) and Ken Potts (MArch, 1989) recently teamed up to deliver the first LEED-Existing Building Certification in the city of Saint Paul, the Securian headquarters building. Fesser is the director of facilities for Securian; Potts is the director of sustainability for McGough Companies (LEED administrators for the project).

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Denise Guerin (Interior Design) and Caren Martin (Interior Design) were inducted on July 17, 2009 as fellows of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The title of fellow is the highest honor bestowed on a member of ASID and is given in recognition of outstanding service and contributions to the organization, the profession, and the interior design industry.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

William Conway's (Architecture) practice, Conway+Schulte Architects, has received a 2009 Professional Design Award from the Society of American Registered Architects for work on the MacArthur Park Connections Master Plan. The firm's work on the project was also recognized with a 2009 Achievement Award in Urban Design from the Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Todd Wichman (BLA, 1984) has been selected to join the American Society of Landscape Architects' (ASLA) Council of Fellows. Wichman is one of 33 landscape architects selected to join the council this year. The induction ceremony will take place in Chicago on Saturday, September 19, 2009 during the 2009 Annual ASLA meeting.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 2003, Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture) received a Fulbright Research Grant in Prague to research the work of architect Adolf Loos in the Czech Lands, an extensive but poorly documented body of work. She spent six months conducting intensive archival research and visiting project sites with her local collaborator, Maria Szadkowska. In fall 2008, museum curator Szadkowska opened an exhibition on the research at the City of Prague Museum and in spring 2009, a 391-page catalog was published in Czech and English. The book is already being translated into Italian and the exhibition is scheduled to travel to Plzen and Brno in the Czech Republic, Italy, and likely London. This exhaustive presentation is the first major survey of Loos's Czech work and the only survey in more than 20 years. It represents a significant contribution to Loos scholarship.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Musacchio (Landscape Architecture) was an invited attendee at the Workshop on Land Use/Land Cover Change and the Carbon Cycle at the University of Michigan in June. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a research agenda for the US Climate Change Science Program, which is the national interagency program integrating federal research on climate and global change.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lois Cutler, (BS Housing, 1993; MA Housing, 1996; PhD Housing, 1997), has been named director of graduate studies for the University's multidisciplinary gerontology minor. Cutler, a research associate with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and Management succeeds Rosalie Kane. Her research expertise is in the evaluation of the quality of life in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and exploring how environments are used in long-term care settings. She is currently comparing small-house nursing homes with traditional nursing homes for older adults with memory loss in Ohio retirement communities.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparel Design doctoral candidate Monica Sklar's weblog, Worn Through, is mentioned in a new book by Nina Garcia (Project Runway, Elle, Marie Claire). The book is entitled The Style Strategy and features illustrations by Ruben Toledo. It goes on sale August 25, 2009.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On June 5, 2009, some 250 friends, colleagues, and family members gathered at the Weisman Art Museum for a retirement party in honor of Clint Hewitt (Landscape Architecture). Sara Grothe, Amanda Smoot, and Jan Sickbert helped make the event a success.

David M. Lilly speaks about working with Hewitt and the campus planning process at the party.

Hewitt embraces singer Greta Oglesby after her performance.

Mort Mortenson, CEO of Mortenson Construction, addresses the crowd as Hewitt looks on.

Continue reading "Images from Clint Hewitt's retirement party" »

Posted by epringle at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lonnie Broden (DHA) and her artwork are profiled by Karlee Weinmann in the Star Tribune. Broden will participate in the Uptown Art Fair for the first time this year and one of her pieces has been selected as this year's commemorative print.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Goldstein Museum of Design has received a $150,000 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant. The grant in the collections stewardship category is for the "Design for Everyone: Increasing Access to Collections" project. It will be used to develop a new collections database with digital photographs for an online resource.

The Goldstein also received the 2010 Institutional Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB).

• Star Tribune: "Snap-happy"

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Architecture has been re-accredited. At the July 2009 meeting of the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the directors reviewed the visiting team report and as a result, the school has been formally granted a six-year term of accreditation effective January 1, 2009.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bill Angell (Housing Studies) was elected to the board of directors of the United Kingdom's Radon Council at the organization's July meeting held at the Royal Society for Public Health's headquarters in London.

The Radon Council was established in 1990 after the Parliamentary Select Committee on Indoor Pollution called upon industry to provide a solution to the radon problem.

"I am pleased to build cooperative partnerships between the Radon Council, the UK's Health Protection Agency, the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST), the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Radon Project, and others who are dedicated to reduction of the risk of indoor radon exposure," Angell, chair of the WHO Project's Prevention and Mitigation and Working Group and president of AARST, said.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several College of Design faculty members are recipients of 2009 Imagine Fund awards:

• Ritu Bhatt (Architecture) Everyday aesthetics and cognition: An exploration of Tibetan Buddhist spatial practices


• Blaine Brownell (Architecture) Matter in the floating world


• Elizabeth Bye (Apparel Design) The integration of ultrasonic welder technology into apparel design practice


• Renee Cheng (Architecture) Next generation practice: Documenting innovation in architectural and design practices


• John Comazzi (Architecture) Balthazar Korab: Architect of photography -- a traveling exhibition


• Lucy Dunne (Apparel Design) Wired aesthetics: New frontiers in clothing design


• Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla (Architecture) Studies in fabrorum geometry: Stone cutting and its application in architecture


• Cynthia Jara (Architecture) Archival travel for the forest hills experiment


• Barbara Martinson (Graphic Design) Sustainable surface design: Reducing the use of hazardous substances in dyeing and printing


• Steven McCarthy (Graphic Design) Intense ruby red: From irish blood to french wine, and back again


• Andrzej Piotrowski (Architecture) Publication of the Architecture of Thought book


• Julia Williams Robinson (Architecture) What is so extraordinary about Dutch housing and urbanism? An american perspective


• Ozayr Saloojee (Architecture) (in)Formal architecture: Race, identity, and belonging in South Africa's minority communities


• Leon Satkowski (Architecture) Minnesota buildings and landscapes: Field research for book


• Marc Swackhamer (Architecture) Open source wall application


• Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture) Beautiful misconceptions


• Stephen Weeks (Architecture) Building the extra-ordinary ordinarily


• Juanjuan Wu (Retail Merchandising) From the imperial to the modern: 20th century chinese fashion and design

The Imagine Fund, created with a major McKnight Foundation gift with additional support from the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research, is an annual $1.3 million program supporting faculty in the arts, humanities, and design, regardless of rank or tenure status. The fund provides up to 250 awards of $3,000, which recipients can use to enhance their research or teaching.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Student speaker Yeshi Shrestha (BS Architecture) delivers her speech while Dean Fisher and faculty look on.

Continue reading "Images from the College of Design 2009 commencement" »

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Minnesota Foundation has produced a video profile of architect Bill Pedersen (BArch, 1961), including an interview with Dean Tom Fisher (Architecture). Pedersen is designing the University's Science Teaching and Student Services building currently under construction overlooking the Mississippi River on the East Bank.

Other notable Pedersen designs include the Shanghai World Financial Center, 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago, the Procter & Gamble World Headquarters, the World Bank in Washington, DC, and the Gannet/USA Today Headquarters in Virginia.

The Foundation has also published the Pedersen profile in Legacy, it's print magazine for University donors and friends.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Heba Amin (MFA Interactive Design, 2009) has received a Rhizome commission grant. Amin was one of 10 recipients out of 800 applicants.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has recognized William Angell (Housing Studies; Midwest Universities Radon Consortium) with its 2009 Excellence in Extension Award for the North Central Region. The award, for Angell's work in radon mitigation will be presented at the association's annual meeting on Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Washington, DC.

"On behalf of Extension, the department and the colleges, I am grateful for the support I have been given to translate research in the field to reducing the loss of life due to elevated radon in buildings," Angell said in response to an e-mail query. "This award is as much a recognition of the support extended to me as it is to the opportunity I have been given. I am totally committed to the challenge of design, construction, and maintenance of healthy buildings; a commitment shared many in this department and college and in Extension."

• Angell's award is also covered in the Brief

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR) staff and fellows Kerry Haglund, Dan Handeen, Rolf Jacobson, Garrett Mosiman, Rachel O'Malley, and Patrick Smith have all received LEED accreditation.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steven McCarthy's (Graphic Design) artist's book, entitled House Echo Home, has been selected for HOME: Origins, Places and Connections, a national juried exhibit at the Attleboro Arts Museum in Attleboro, Pennsylvania.

McCarthy has published a series of Artist's books.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lonnie Broden, (DHA), has been selected as the 2009 Commemorative Print Artist for the Uptown Art Fair.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joanne Eicher, (Regents professor emerita, DHA) was named a fellow of The Costume Society of America on May 27, 2009.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tasoulla Hadjiyanni (Interior Design) has been named a fellow of the Children, Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC). Her project is entitled "Toward Culturally Sensitive Housing -- Translating Research into Practice."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA/AIA) has recognized Conway+Schulte Architects' MacArthur Park Connections master plan with a 2009 Design Citation. This is a biennial national award program sponsored by the BSA/AIA and New York AIA for urban design projects anywhere in the US. William Conway (Architecture), principal in Conway+Schulte, headed the Connections project.

The Connections master plan describes a vision of the park -- the oldest municipal park in Little Rock, AK -- as the anchor for an urban landscape network including transit, bike, and pedestrian paths connecting the park to local schools, recreation areas, and citywide arts and tourist attractions.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Robert Fraher (MFA Interactive Design candidate) was awarded first place of the screen-based works section of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) SpaceTime Works Student Competition for his entry, "Type Space v.1."

The piece is an exploration of typography in three-dimensional space and comprises 10 discreet compositions that create a progression of increased complexity. These compositions are featured in an interactive environment that allows users to experiment with alignments of tension and resolution.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kate Daly (Retail Merchandising) has received a congratulatory letter from the members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, and has earned a President's Volunteer Service Award for her volunteer work in Kyrgyzstan. Daly's work focused on teaching village women economically sustainable practices through their textile craft economies by introducing methods of natural dyeing, feltmaking designs, and marketing techniques for a tourist economy.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ignacio San Martin (Architecture, Metropolitan Design Center) is the principal investigator on a grant from the McKnight Foundation to support the Metropolitan Design Center's Direct Design Assistance program.

Eunice Haugen (Goldstein Museum of Design) is the principal investigator on a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in support of the Goldstein Museum of Design's project entitled "Preserving Heritage through Environmental Monitoring."

Billy Weber (Center for Sustainable Building Research) is the principal investigator on a contract from the Southwest Minnesota Housing Project for a project of the Center for Sustainable Building Research entitled "Cherry Ridge Energy Efficiency Evaluation."

The Center for Sustainable Building Research received a grant from the McKnight Foundation for work on "Performance Outcomes and Knowledge Base for Affordable Housing" and a new round of funding from the Minnesota Office for Energy Security for its "Sustainable Buildings 2030" project.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lin Nelson-Mayson (Goldstein Museum of Design) has been selected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to attend a national forum, entitled "Stewardship of America's Legacy: Answering the Call to Action." The forum takes place June 16-17, 2009, in Buffalo, New York. Nelson-Mayson is one of more than 70 representatives of small- and medium-sized museums and libraries nationwide invited to participate based on their leadership in the profession and in their communities.

IMLS's Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, is a multi-year, multi-faceted national program. The Buffalo event is the final of a series of four national forums held in 2008-09. The meetings have been designed to raise awareness among leaders of small- and mid-sized museums, libraries, and archives about the importance of collections care and to give them practical information, tools, and resources to inspire action nationwide.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently the College of Design held elections for a representative to the University's Council of Academic Professionals & Administrators (CAPA). Jodie Double (Academic Resources) was elected representative; Zahra Khorasani (Student Services) was elected alternate.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Boyd-Brent (Graphic Design), Brad Hokanson (Graphic Design), and Assistant Dean, Student Services, Kate Maple, are representing graphic design in the University's participation in the Tuning Project. The Tuning Project is funded by the Lumina Foundation of Indianapolis, and is patterned after the Bologna Project, an effort by European Education ministers to enable and encourage common learner outcomes in each discipline. The State of Minnesota was selected to receive funding for the project and is one of three states to participate; the others are Indiana -- with faculty participating from education and biology -- and Utah -- with faculty participating from history and physics. Biology is also participating from the State of Minnesota.

Other participants from the State of Minnesota include Bemidji State University, Alexandria Technical College, and South-Central College.

Tuning Project meeting in Alexandria, MN.

Recent activities included meetings in Chicago and Alexandria, MN, and will eventually culminate in a meeting open to all faculty in graphic design that will be sponsored by the University.

The effort has been profiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education, National Public Radio, and the New York Times.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marc Swackhamer (Architecture) and his HouMinn practice partner Blair Satterfield have entered their design for Draft House to Hometta. Hometta is a company founded by a Houston real estate developer and builder that commissions and sells plans for "compact, sustainable homes designed by leading modern architects," according to Dwell magazine.

The home plans will cost up to a few thousand dollars -- structure sizes are capped at 2,500 square feet -- and Hometta will pay the original designer a royalty for each plan sold. According to Dwell, that represents a significant savings over the customary 10%-15% of construction cost fees for an original design.

Hometta will be at Dwell on Design 09 in Los Angeles, June 26-28, 2009.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Architecture BS undergraduate student Andrew Sundal is the first College of Design student to complete the Community Engagement Scholars Program (CESP). Students completing the program have completed at least nine credits of service-learning coursework, at least 400 hours of community service, and a series of reflective pieces. They have also completed an integrative community project that results in the creation of a sustainable project for a community organization. Sundal worked with the Wilder Foundation on a Center for Healthy Aging Program initiative with Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture). More information about CESP is available on the University's Service Learning Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ten graduate and professional degree students were awarded fellowships in 2009 through the Walter H. Judd International Graduate & Professional Fellowships. One of the recipients, Jessica McClurg (MArch, Architecture & Historical Preservation) is from the College of Design. McClurg will study preservation practices in Japan to combat the stress of tourism on heritage sites. Her study will document the physical, economic, and cultural impacts that tourism has had on different heritage sites in Japan through physical measurements and documentation using photographs and detailed drawings. To gain a more rounded view of what is happening at these sites, she will also meet with local heritage experts to discuss the impact of tourism on the more intangible issues like economy and culture. A final photo essay will describe the findings of this exploration using both images and captions to present broader implications.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year, Chris Schlichting's (Student Services) dance, "Love Things," was part of the Momentum series, a co-commission with the Southern Theater and the Walker Art Center. This year, Schlichting's choreographic work has been picked up by the SCUBA Touring Network, a partnership between Velocity Dance Center of Seattle, ODC Theater in San Francisco, Philadelphia Dance Projects, and the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. The partnership introduces emerging choreographers to new audiences. Camille LeFevre breaks the news of Schlichting's dance getting picked up by SCUBA for MinnPost.com.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Landscape Architecture graduate student Karthikeyan Bharath Kumar is part of a team, named Reach Out Water Solutions, that won an award from the Acara Institute for a project they developed to provide clean water to the slums of Mumbai. The team's Slum Water Program combines source water storage with UV water treatment and a novel distribution system to supply 50 liters of clean, low-cost water to community participants and 10 liters of potable water to pay-per-use customers at a reasonable rate.

The Reach Out Water Solutions team will travel to India on May 26, 2009 for two weeks.

• UMNews media release announcing Acara Institute award


• KSTP-TV story: "'U' students to bring clean water plan to India"


• Eureakalert picks up UMNews media release


• WCCO-TV story: "U of M Grads To Bring Clean Water To Mumbai, India"


• WCCO-TV story: "U of M Grads To Bring Clean Water To Mumbai, India" (video)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A total of 14 University students have received Fulbright grants for 2009-10 to pursue graduate study, research, or creative work in a foreign country. Two of the Fulbright recipients are College of Design undergraduate alumni

Evan Hall (BS Arch, 2008), will spend the coming academic year in South Korea with the support of a Fulbright Full Grant. Hall will study Korean language, city planning, and urban architecture at the Korea National University, and will conduct research on how modern professionals are remolding the urban environment in Seoul.

Vivian Mui (BS Graphic Design, cum laude 2008), will be a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Hong Kong. Mui will help to teach English classes at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, a public university dedicated to the preparation and professional development of teachers. She intends to use and expand her knowledge of international cross-cultural design in the classroom and act as a volunteer for several art and design organizations in Hong Kong.

• UMNews media release announcing Fulbright Scholars

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2009 College of Design awards:

• Outstanding teaching award: Tasoulla Hadjianni (Interior Design)


• Outstanding research award: Karen LaBat (Apparel Design)


• Outstanding outreach award: John Carmody (Center for Sustainable Building Research)


• Outstanding P&A award: Jodie Double (Digital Collections + Archives)


• Outstanding CS/BU award: Kevin Groenke (W. L. Hall Workshop)


• Outstanding undergraduate student award: Elyse Olson (Apparel Design)


• Outstanding graduate student award: Ange Tank (Graphic Design)

Posted by Laura Weber at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two of Kerry Haglund's (Center for Sustainable Building Research) abstracts -- "Window Optimization in High-performance Commercial Buildings" and "Decision-making Methodology & Selection Tools for High-performance Window Systems in US Climates" -- have been accepted for the Building Enclosure Science and Technology (BEST2) conference taking place in Portland, OR in April 2010.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marcy Schulte (Architecture) was recognized as an Outstanding Partner in Engagement during the 2008-09 year-end open house celebration of Community-University Partnerships. The open house took place on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The event was sponsored by the University's Office for Public Engagement, hosted by the Campus Community Coordinators Alliance, and coordinated by the Career and Community Learning Center.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Koepke (Landscape Architecture) was recognized by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MASLA) with the Lob Pine Award. Landscape Architecture graduate students Kathryn Skelton, Matthew Kocian, Kristin Raab, and Cynthia Lapp were recognized with Outstanding Student Awards.

Additionally, Scott Bradley (BLA, 1978) was recognized with the Public Service Award and Anna Claussen (Landscape Architecture; MLA, 2007) received the HWS Cleveland Award.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iowa State University's College of Design has purchased a limited use license for the CDesk desk design. A furniture committee at Iowa State considered numerous furnishing solutions and came to the conclusion that the UMod desk (CDesk v2.0) met their needs better than any commercially available product. The 300 desks that Iowa State is having manufactured will be located in the College of Design's new addition, the King Pavilion. Kevin Groenke (W.L. Hall Workshop), CDesk designer, will be working with Iowa State and their chosen manufacturer's personnel as part of the licensing agreement.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

William Conway's (Architecture) firm, Conway+Schulte Architects, has received a 2009 Minnesota chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MASLA) Merit Award for its work on the MacArthur Park Connections master plan.

Conway served as the principal in charge on the project.

The master plan describes a vision of Macarthur Park, the oldest municipal park in Little Rock, AK, not as an autonomous landscape but as the anchor for a larger urban landscape network.

• Download Conway+Schulte Architects media release (.pdf; 2.8Mb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University's $1.3 million Imagine Fund for the arts, humanities, and design -- available to tenured faculty at the University -- arose out of the recognition that the arts, humanities, and design have many fewer sources of funding than the sciences to support our research. The Imagine Fund was created from a major McKnight Foundation gift, with added support from funds within the Graduate School and Office of the Vice President for Research.

A total of 20 College of Design faculty members are Imagine Fund $3,000 Annual Award winners:

• Lucy Dunne (Apparel Design); "Wired aesthetics: new frontiers in clothing design"


• Ozayer Saloojee (Architecture); "(in)formal architecture: Race, identity and belonging in South Africa's minority communities"


• Marc Swackhamer (Architecture); "Open source wall application"


• John Comazzi (Architecture); "Balthazar Korab: Architect of photography -- a traveling exhibition"


• Juanjuan Wu (Retail Merchandising); "From the imperial to the modern: 20th century Chinese fashion and design"


• Blaine Brownell (Architecture); "Matter in the floating world"


• Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla (Architecture); "Studies in fabrorum geometry: Stone cutting and its application in architecture"


• Andrzej Piotrowski (Architecture); "Publication of the Architecture of Thought book"


• Missy Bye (Apparel Design); "The integration of ultrasonic welder technology into apparel design practice"


• Barbara Martinson (Graphic Design); "Sustainable surface design: reducing the use of hazardous substances in dyeing and printing"


• Cynthia Jara (Architecture); "Archival travel for the Forest Hills experiment"


• Stephen Weeks (Architecture); "Building the extra-ordinary ordinarily"


• Leon Statkowski (Architecture); "Minnesota buildings and landscapes: Field research for book"


• Renee Cheng (Architecture); "Next generation practice: Documenting innovation in architectural and design practices"


• Steven McCarthy (Graphic Design); "Intense ruby red: From Irish blood to French wine, and back again"


• Julia Robinson (Architecture); "What is so extraordinary about Dutch housing and urbanism? An American perspective"


• Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture); "Beautiful misconceptions"


• Ritu Bhatt (Architecture); "Everyday aesthetics and cognition: An exploration of Tibetan Buddhist spatial practices"


• Kristine Miller (Landscape Architecture); "Almost home: The public work of Gertrude Jekyll"


• Lance LaVine (Architecture); "Place-empathetic architecture"

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roger Martin (Landscape Architecture, emeritus) has been awarded a professional development grant through the University Retirees Association (UMRA) for his "Illusion in Exterior Space: Perception Manipulation and Place Making on the Land" project.

The $3,500 grants are intended "to support retirees who require financial assistance to pursue projects related to their research,instructional or other work history, and that contribute to the educational, scholarly, and academic missions of the University." The grants are open to faculty, P&A, and civil service retirees.

"In my teaching and research, I have given special focus to the ways in which designers have manipulated physical space to enhance the experiences of their users," Martin says. "In the process, I have developed a theory of what I call 'Illusion in Place Making,' a theory that grows out of detailed analyses of how humans perceive physical spaces. After the careful study of over 1000 significant settings, I have discovered more than 20 design devices that have been utilized by creative designers in different cultures and eras as they have manipulated human perceptions of physical settings. The work results from over 50 years of observing characteristics of gathering places and asking what makes these places truly memorable. I have shared my discoveries of these design devices with graduate students in Landscape Architecture. I now plan to make my lecture notes and handouts, along with images of some of these special places in sketch, diagram and photographic form more accessible by organizing my materials into a digital format suitable for publication. The document is intended to provide a resource for designers in their quest to create memorable gathering places."

Martin requested $3,500 to support a research fellow.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Weber (Communications) was elected president of the board of directors of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH) at the group's annual meeting on March 18. Nancy Miller (CWHS, Architecture) was elected to the board as well. Robert Ferguson (Landscape Architecture) and Todd Grover (Architecture) also serve on the MNSAH board.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Metropolitan Design Center is pleased to announce the 2009 MDC Undergraduate Travel Scholarship winners. Woody Hanson will research division in urban landscapes in Nicosia, Cyprus, and Saint Paul, MN. Austin Lukes will travel to Dublin, Amsterdam, and France to investigate lightrail public transportation systems. The scholarships are sponsored by the Metropolitan Design Center with the conviction that exposure to other cultures is essential for reflecting on our own.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Comazzi (Architecture), Lance Neckar (Landscape Architecture), and Vince deBritto (Landscape Architecture) have received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Education Honor Award for excellence in course development and architectural teaching. The College of Design trio were recognized for their collaborative M.Arch and MLA graduate design studios in Fall 2007 and Fall 2008.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A collaborative teaching project involving William Conway (Architecture) while he was a visiting professor at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture has received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant to publish a book documenting the project. The book, Visioning Rail Transit in Northwest Arkansas: Lifestyles and Ecologies, describes sustainable development possibilities along a proposed rail line linking cities in northwest Arkansas.

The project has won numerous awards including a 2007 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Education Honor Award, 2008 NCARB Prize, and most recently a 2008 Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design by the AIA, and has been exhibited in Boston, San Antonio, Cincinnati, and Seattle.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture) was recently named chair of the Friends of Christ Church Lutheran board of directors, a secular non-profit established to preserve Eliel and Eero Saarinen's landmark church in south Minneapolis. Ozayer Saloojee (Architecture) is also a board member of the organization. Saloojee lectured on the church in the Eero Saarinen symposium and created a photo exhibition on the subject with Vincent James's office. He is also working on the first monograph on the building.

Christ Church Lutheran was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009. A building's designation as a National Historic Landmark is more significant than being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the National Historic Landmarks Web site, only three percent of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places are designated as National Historic Landmarks. Within Minnesota, only 23 properties are National Historic Landmarks and Christ Church Lutheran is the only sacred structure.

The National Park Service, the official sponsor of the project, selected Rolf Anderson (B.A. Arch., 1983) to prepare the National Historic Landmark nomination. Anderson presented the nomination to the National Historic Landmarks Committee in Washington, DC in October 2008.

The Friends of Christ Church Lutheran are in the planning stage for a capital campaign. "As we head into our capital campaign, this [National Historic Landmark] designation will be a very useful endorsement," said board chair Van Duzer. "It demonstrates the significance of the building at a national level and will help us raise funds for its preservation."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lance Neckar and David Pitt, both of the Department of Landscape Architecture, have been named co-editors of Landscape Journal, published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

The publication's portfolio will be expanded to include a moderated weblog, genius loci, intended to promote expanded discourse across academic and professional realms, enlarged opportunities for critical exchange, networking and mentorship, and expanded publication of color imagery. The top submissions to genius loci will be further developed in manuscript form and presented in moderated sessions at Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) meetings, into peer review, and finally into the pages of the Journal.

The editorial team also includes Vince deBritto (Landscape Architecture), managing editor and editor of genius loci, and Sara Grothe (Landscape Architecture), editorial assistant.

• UMNews coverage

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Morgan Hertzfeld (Architecture undergraduate student)'s model chair has been named one of the winners in the Design Within Reach Champagne Chair Contest (Hertzfeld's entry is labeled "Desk Chair Extraordinaire." Contestants were required to create an original miniature chair using only the foil, label, cage, and cork from no more than two champagne bottles. The chair must fit within a four-inch square box.

"The influence of need for my design came from the average and dreary desk chairs this country is so often stuck with," Hertzfeld said of his entry. "I think with a bit of good design and a bit of time something as common as a desk chair or waiting room chair or even a lounger could become something so much more appealing and satisfying. This Desk Chair Extraordinaire is my attempt to fulfill said need."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced Matthew Kreilich (B.A. Arch and American Indian Studies, 1995; M.Arch, 1998) as one of eight recipients of the 2009 AIA Young Architects Award.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2009 education rankings from Design Intelligence have been published. The College of Design's School of Architecture was recognized with high distinction as one of the world-class architecture schools in the US in new listing of architecture programs that have distinguished themselves over the past 10 years by virtue of several criteria.

Additionally, Dean Tom Fisher, Denise Guerin (Interior Design), and Marvin Malecha (B.Arch 1973) were all recognized as most admired educators of 2009. Malecha is currently dean of the College of Design at North Carolina State University. The disciplines of architecture, interior design, industrial design, and landscape architecture were included.

Other annual recognitions include:

• 100% of our architecture students passed the materials and methods division of the architect registration examination (ARE).


• 82% of our architecture students passed the mechanical and electrical systems division of the ARE.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom Thao (Data Manager) has been selected as a poster presenter for the 2009 University of Minnesota Quality Fair. Thao will present his work developing the Enterprise Receipting System (ERS), a database-driven web application. ERS was developed in 2007 in partnership with the college's former computer lab manager Jenny Switala, Web and multimedia technical support manager Theresa Tichich, and accounting staff led by Rose Blixt.

Prior to the development of ERS, computer lab staff created paper receipts for every plotting transaction. These paper receipts were batched monthly and sent to the accounting department who input them, one at a time, into the student financial system. There were literally hundreds of these transactions each month during the academic year.

The result was a web form and a database to track each transaction electronically. Lab attendants log in to the system with their internet ID and password and record each plotting transaction. Students have the option of getting an e-mail receipt from the system. With ERS, students on both campuses get faster and more accurate billing for their plotting. In addition, the accounting department no longer has to manually process receipts. Instead, each month a report is submitted electronically to the student financial office.

Since the system was first developed, it has been expanded to include the work shop which was using paper receipts for supplies purchased by students and for laser cutting and 3D printing services. Between the computer lab and the work shop the system is now responsible for over $15,000 a month in student fees.

The College of Design is once again hosting the online registration system (which Thao developed) for the Quality Fair this year.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jodie Double (Digital Collections and Archives) has been elected chair of the midwest chapter of the Visual Resources Association and organized a fall training meeting in Chicago. Double also co-wrote -- with Rebecca Moss from the College of Liberal Arts -- a paper about the digital library that will be published in the organization's VRA Bulletin.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ed. note: This is an expanded version of an article that was published November 3, 2008.

Rapson Hall has been equipped for about 20 years with 72 solar photovoltaic panels on its roof. In addition to electricity, those solar panels can also provide the power for a device that splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen, the most abundant element on the planet, is clean and holds tremendous promise as a green substitute for fossil fuels in many applications, including generating electricity and powering vehicles.

The solar-generated hydrogen is presently being used to provide electrical power to Rapson Hall during those times when the solar array is not producing power. Louise Goldberg (Building Physics and Foundations Research Programs), the project's principal investigator, has proposed using the hydrogen to fuel a passenger vehicle, initially a hydrogen/gasoline or hydrogen/ethanol hybrid automobile, and eventually, a vehicle that uses solely hydrogen as its fuel.

Hydrogen by volume is very large compared with gasoline. "One gallon of gasoline is roughly equivalent to 10 gallons of hydrogen under average automotive operating conditions," said Goldberg. "So a Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell car gets a combined 72-mile-per-gallon (of gasoline) EPA estimate and a 280-mile driving range with a 144-liter [38 gallon] storage tank."

Tom Fisher, dean of the College of Design, stressed the larger importance of Goldberg's solar hydrogen fuel cell demonstration project. "In the future, we will be powering our houses and fueling our cars with hydrogen generated from solar power collected on our roofs," said Fisher. "The greatest challenge we have in transitioning to a hydrogen-fueled economy lies not in the fuel-cell technology itself, but in the lack of infrastructure needed to create and deliver hydrogen. This project shows how one building, with rooftop solar equipment, can produce enough hydrogen fuel to meet a diversity of needs."

Continue reading "Rapson generates hydrogen from rooftop solar array" »

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kerry Haglund (Center for Sustainable Building Research) has been named treasurer on the National Fenestration Rating Council's (NFRC) board of directors executive committee. The NFRC is a non-profit organization that administers the only uniform, independent rating and labeling system for the energy performance of windows, doors, skylights, and attachment products.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daniel Jasper's (Graphic Design) mailer/poster for his Products of Our Time (.pdf; 60Kb) exhibition was juried into the Tenth International Biennial of the Poster in Mexico.

Products of Our Time promotional mailer/poster. Daniel Jasper, 2008.

The poster will be on exhibit in Mexico City at the Museo Franz Mayer through February 1, 2009 and will be published in the Tenth Edition's Catalog of the International Biennial of the Poster in Mexico, 2008.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tasoulla Hadjiyanni's (Interior Design) work on culturally sensitive housing was featured in the University's 2008 equity and diversity update. The design of an eating area, by interior design student Alyssa Ludwig, was highlighted as an example of culturally sensitive housing design that encourages family togetherness and healthy eating habits for Ojibwe families.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hye-Young Kim (Retail Merchandising) has been awarded a Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship from the Graduate School, effective January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Boyd-Brent (Graphic Design) has four watercolor paintings in "Waterborne, a regional exhibition of watercolor" running at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery November 10-December 12. An opening reception takes place Friday, November 14, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

The opening reception for the "Twenty Views of Dundas" portfolio will be held November 6, 3-7 p.m. at Northfield's ArtOrg Gallery. Boyd-Brent will be talking about the series and his print, "The Archibald Mill, Dundas."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lin Nelson-Mayson, director of the Goldstein Museum of Design, was elected president of the Association of Midwest Museums' (AMM) board in October and the organization's annual conference in Kansas City.

Founded in 1927, AMM is a non-profit membership organization that provides resources to museums and cultural institutions and services to museum professionals in an eight-state region in the midwest. During her two-year term, Nelson-Mayson will preside over the organizations board, represent the region in Washington, DC at the American Association of Museums' Council of Regional Associations, and assist in organizing AMM's 2009 conference, to be held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre September 27-30.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hye-Young Kim (Retail Merchandising) has won the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Best Paper Award in the consumer behavior track. Kim formally presented the paper, entitled "Soul mates, best friends, and casual buddies: College students' relationships with retailer brands," today. Yoo Jin Kwon (Washington State University) is Kim's co-author.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marc Swackhamer (Architecture) and his Houston-based partner, Blair Satterfield, have been named the Michael Owen Jones Memorial Lecturers at the University of Virginia's School of Architecture. The Swackhamer-Satterfield lecture will be given Friday, January 30, 2009.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Design Institute's DIGIFAB map, a guide to digital fabrication processes and facilities at the University of Minnesota and around the Twin Cities, has won a 2008 Print magazine Regional Design Annual Award. The award is featured in the December issue.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roger Martin (Landscape Architecture) was asked in late 2002 to serve as a juror in the selection of the design of the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. The jurors met over several days and narrowed more than 1,100 proposals down to five finalists selected for refinement. In February 2003, the jurors selected the final design.

The winning design was developed by two young Columbia University architects -- Keith Kaseman and Julie Beckman -- and after $28 million in private funds were raised, the memorial was completed earlier this year.

Photograph by Roger Martin.

"The design is constructed on an acre plus of land immediately in front of the facade of the Pentagon where American Airlines flight 93 crashed into the building," writes Martin. "The design pays respect to each of the 184 lost with cantilevered stainless steel benches under a grove of maple trees. The benches are organized in the direction the plane crashed into the building by rows according to the ages of the individuals. If one reads the name at the end of the bench and looks up at the Pentagon facade that individual died in the Pentagon. If one reads the name at the end of the bench and looks up to see the sky that individual died on the airplane. A pool of moving water and a light under each bench provide 184 lights at night to view the Memorial which is open 24 hours, seven days a week."

Martin attended the dedication of the memorial on September 11, 2008.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The College of Design Alumni Society will be recognized by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association as the Alumni Society of the Year during its annual awards event on October 29, 2008. The group is being recognized for their efforts to enhance the student experience by supporting the transition from college to career. Membership in the alumni society supports annual programs including the College of Design mentor program, which matches more than 200 students each year, college to career activities like employer and project site tours and portfolio reviews, career fairs, and other activities that connect students with alumni and professionals.

To join the society and support these programs, or submit an application to become a member of the student and alumni board, visit the alumni society's section on the College of Design Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ozayr Saloojee (Architecture) was awarded a McKnight grant by the University's McKnight Arts and Humanities endowment. The award will be used to develop an exhibition on Eliel Saarinen's last built work, Christ Church Lutheran, in Minneapolis. Saloojee’s exhibit will open at the conclusion of a symposium focused on the work of Eero Saarinen, entitled "Eero Saarinen: Beyond the Measly ABC." Dean Tom Fisher will speak at the symposium on Eero Saarinen's legacy in contemporary architecture; Nancy Miller (Center for World Heritage Studies) on Saarinen’s corporate campuses; Saloojee on Eliel Saarinen and Christ Church Lutheran; and John Comazzi (Architecture) in conversation with Balthazar Korab.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Renee Cheng (Architecture) and Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture) have been promoted to full professor. Van Duzer has been awarded a faculty fellowship with the Institute for Advanced Study, and will continue her research with a project entitled "The Art of Deception."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dean Tom Fisher was elected Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) president for 2009-10.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeff Crump (Housing Studies) spent the summer working on home foreclosure issues:

• He spoke at the California state capitol in a session comparing foreclosure related legislative initiatives in Minnesota and California.


• He was appointed to head the System Design Committee, Electronic Foreclosure Data Committee, with Minnesota's Secretary of State Mark Ritchie presiding.


• He edited a special forum on foreclosure for the journal Urban Geography.


• He is a listed home foreclosure expert on the University's media resource for the Republican National Convention.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HouMinn Practice, the architectural office of Marc Swackhamer (Architecture) and his Houston-based partner, Blair Satterfield, has won the Architect magazine R&D award. The award was given for the partnership's "Drape Wall/Cloak Wall" project.

The August issue of Architect magazine is the award issue and should be available in mid-August. Swackhamer and Satterfield appear on both the cover and the inside back cover of the issue and in the monthly Q&A feature. The two were also interviewed for a podcast, which will be published on the magazine's Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2008 College of Design awards:

• Outstanding teaching award: Brad Hokanson (Graphic Design)


• Outstanding research award: Marc Swackhamer (Architecture)


• Outstanding outreach award: Barbara Martinson (Graphic Design), David Pitt (Landscape Architecture), Marilyn Bruin (Housing Studies), Adrienne Hannert (graduate student), and Sherri Gahring (Clothing Design)


• Outstanding P&A award: Julie VanSteenbergen (DHA)


• Outstanding student award: Jodi Wilson


• Outstanding CS/BU award: Kathy Guiney (DHA)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leslie Van Duzer (Architecture) is joining the board of directors of Mill City Commons, a new non-profit organization that is studying the issue of aging-in-place in the Minneapolis Riverfront District.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kristine Miller (Landscape Architecture) was awarded a Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship from the Graduate School for her work entitled, "Almost home: Gertrude Jekyll, Gardens, and Graves."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Five College of Design undergraduates participated in the April 18, 2008 University Undergraduate Symposium celebrating student creativity, performance, public engagement, research, and scholarship.

Daniel Carlson, Architecture BDA
To Whom Does it Concern?
Faculty sponsor: Leslie Van Duzer

Fran Doherty, Architecture BDA
Transit Oriented Development in Spain and Portugal

Evan Douglas Hall, Architecture BS
Making the Urban Fiber Visible: A Travel Fellowship Analyzing Japanese Urban Planning Techniques and Architecture
Faculty sponsor: Ann Forsyth

Michael Janicki, Architecture BS
The Menomonee River Valley Redevelopment Initiative: Milwaukee's Green Heart of New Industry & Recreation
Faculty sponsor: Lance Neckar

Dane Steinlicht, Architecture BDA
The Ice Museum: Built to Last
Faculty sponsor: Billy Weber

Posted by Michael Fraase at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

William Conway's (Architecture) collaborative project, Visioning Rail Transit in Northwest Arkansas, has received two awards.

The project will be presented with the 2008 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Regional and Urban Design Award, a national award, at the AIA annual convention in Boston, May 14-18, 2008.

The project also received one of six 2008 National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) Prizes, announced last week. This award "supports practice and education projects at the university level." Dean Tom Fisher was a juror for the NCARPB prize.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mary Guzowski (Architecture) is featured in the 2007 issue of Research (.pdf; 3.8Mb), the annual publication of the University's Office of the Vice President for Research.

Hard copies of the publication are available from Anne Schultz in the College of Design's McNeal Hall office.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daniel Jasper's (Graphic Design) poster for the Products of Our Time exhibition was selected as one of the best direct mail pieces for the AIGA Minnesota Design Show 2008 competition.

The Design Institute's Digifab map, a guide to the digital fabrication processes and facilities at the University and around the Twin Cities, was selected as one of the best brochures.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Design's Center for Changing Landscapes has received the Minnesota chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MASLA) award of excellence for the center's work on the Minnesota River State Trail. The award of excellence is the highest award given. The award will be presented to the Center for Changing Landscapes at the MASLA annual awards dinner on Friday, April 18 at the Como Park Zoo Visitors Center, 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Caren Martin (Interior Design) has received the Interior Design Educators Council Presidential Award "in appreciation for significant contributions to the interior design profession." The award was presented at the council's international conference in Montreal on March 8, 2008. Martin's Rebuttal to the Institute for Justice's "Designing Cartels: How Industry Insiders Cut Out Competition" was cited and has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Interior Design, for May 2008 (Vol. 33, Issue 3).

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sarah Wolbert (MArch student) has received a President's Student Leadership and Service Award (PSLSA). The award will be presented at the President's Award Banquet taking place on May 5, 2008 in the Great Hall of Coffman Union.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Architecture has won one of six 2008 education honor awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). "An Incomplete Curriculum for Transformation," directed by Ritu Bhatt, Renee Cheng, John Comazzi, Ozayr Saloojee, and Marc Swackhamer, explores an "evolving curricular structure" that builds on tradition, embraces challenges, and expects change.

Notice of the award was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education's architecture weblog, Buildings & Grounds.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

College of Design alumnus Dan Nepp (B.Arch 1987), principal of Tea2, has received the Midwest Home magazine architect of distinction award.

Former architecture faculty member, Todd Hansen, principal of Albertsson Hansen, has received the Midwest Home magazine emerging talent award.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Carlson (B.S. '07 Housing Studies) accepted a position with Opus North Corporation in February 2008. A member of The Opus Group, Opus North is a full-service design-build development firm headquartered in Chicago, serving the north central portion of the United States with an emphasis on office, industrial, retail, multifamily, government, and institutional projects.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) offers financial awards each semester to full-time undergraduates for research, scholarly, or creative projects undertaken in partnership with a faculty member outside of their regular coursework. The Spring 2008 UROP recipients are:

Daniel Carlson, Architecture BDA
"To Whom Does it Concern?"
Faculty sponsor: Leslie Van Duzer

Fran Doherty, Architecture BDA
Transit Oriented Development in Spain and Portugal

Andrea Erickson, Graphic Design
"A Synergy of Design and Video"
Faculty sponsor: Brad Hokanson

Evan Douglas Hall, Architecture BS
Making the Urban Fiber Visible:  A Travel Fellowship Analyzing Japanese Urban Planning Techniques and Architecture
Faculty sponsor: Ann Forsyth

Michael Janicki, Architecture BS Arch
"A Case Study on Sustainable Suburban Infill Development"
Faculty sponsor: Lance Neckar

Alicia Liebel, Architecture BA
"Affordable Housing Initiatives: How Cultural Considerations Can Inform Design Innovation"
Faculty sponsor: Tasoulla Hadjiyanni

Shannon Meza, Housing Studies
"Affordable Housing and Development and Employer Involvement Survey"
Faculty sponsor: Ann Ziebarth

Micheal Michalak, Architecture BDA
"Photorealistic Imagery for Enhanced Perception in Virtual Reality"
Faculty sponsor: Lee Anderson

Melissa Norton, Architecture BDA
"Using Virtual Reality to Simulate Building Construction"
Faculty sponsor: Lee Anderson

Dane Steinlicht Architecture BDA
"The Ice Museum: Built to Last"
Faculty sponsor: William Weber

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The 2008 education rankings from Design Intelligence have been published. The College of Design's School of Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture, and interior design program all improved in the rankings.

Nationally, the College of Design is tied for second place with Kansas State and Oregon in sustainable design practices and principles.

Design Intelligence named Dean Tom Fisher one of the country's 25 most admired and respected educators, as seen by professional practice firm presidents and managing directors.

The School of Architecture was cited as having "a strong tradition of design with world class leadership" and known for "bringing together multiple design studios in innovative ways.

The rankings:

Architecture:

• Tied for fifth place -- along with Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Berkeley, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee -- among national graduate programs in the view of Midwest practitioners.


• Tied for first place -- with Yale and Clemson -- in the pass rate of graduates in the pre-design portion of the Architectural Registration Exam.


• Tied for first place -- with Harvard and Georgia Tech -- in the pass rate of graduates in the mechanical and electrical systems portion of the exam.


• Placed sixth in the construction documents portion of the exam.

Landscape Architecture:

• Tied for 18th place nationally among graduate programs with Cal Poly Pomona, Utah State, Colorado-Denver, and SUNY.


• Placed ninth among national graduate programs, in the view of Midwest practitioners, and in fifth place among graduate programs in the Midwest.

Interior Design:

• Tied for seventh place nationally among graduate programs with Arizona State, Florida, and Virgina Tech.


• Tied with Arizona State, Drexel, and Tennessee for 10th place among undergraduate programs nationally.


• Among Midwest schools, the graduate program is ranked fourth after Purdue, Iowa State, and Kansas State.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Denise A. Guerin, Morse-Alumni Distinguished Professor, has been awarded the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Distinguished Educator Award for 2007. There is only one of these given each year.

Dr. Guerin's award is for her significant contribution to defining and documenting the interior design profession's body of knowledge, her coordination of the only searchable database of research on design and human behavior (InformeDesign), her work with legal regulation of interior design practice, and her research on sustainable design.

Posted by Laura Weber at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Driven to do it better" is the theme of this year's Quality Fair, January 31, 2008. Like last year, the Quality Fair will showcase quality improvement poster sessions connected to the University's Strategic Positioning Action Strategies: exceptional students, exceptional faculty and staff, exceptional organization, and exceptional innovation. New this year is a summary of written best practice or success stories about ideas, big and small, that work in units and that we think should be shared with the rest of the University.

Three College of Design posters have been accepted for the Quality Fair:

• CDesK: The design, engineering, manufacture, and marketing of a unique furnishing solution -- Kevin Groenke


• The Digital Content Library -- Jodie Walz


• Greening the College of Design -- 2007-09 -- Virajita Singh

Additionally, a best practices written summary has been accepted for the Quality Fair: Janet Abrams' Digifab: A guide to digital fabrication processes and facilities.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Musacchio (Landscape Architecture) has been invited to join the editorial board of the international scientific journal Landscape Ecology. As an editorial board member, she will serve as a coordinating editor for manuscript reviews.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparel faculty and students received several awards at the International Textiles and Apparel Conference in Los Angeles:

• Lectra Innovation Award for Faculty Research: Elizabeth Bye (Clothing Design), Karen LaBat (Clothing Design), Ellen McKinney (2007 Ph.D. graduate), and Dong-Eun Kim (graduate student)


• Consumer Behavior Best Paper for “The role of shame and guilt on consumer's decision making concerning illicit productsâ€?: Jae-Eun Kim (graduate student), Hueon Jeong Cho (graduate student), and Kim Johnson (Retail Merchandising)


• Lois Dickey Fellowship: Juyeon Park (graduate student)


• Oris Glisson Fellowship: Hyeon Jeong Cho (graduate student)


• Award for Best Sustainable Design presented by the Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business: Wesley Martin (Clothing Design undergraduate student)


• Undergraduate Best Paper: Ashley Lademann (Retail Merchandising undergraduate student)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kate Solomonson (associate dean for academic affairs and Architecture) will lead the design and architecture collaborative portion of Quadrant, a program formed under a $672,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation award to the University of Minnesota Press and the Institute for Advanced Study.

"Interdisciplinarity has become intensely important in higher education in general," Solomonson told The Chronicle of Higher Education. "I look at the Quadrant project as an opportunity to think about what it actually means." Solomonson told the publication that Quadrant may offer a chance "to take a look at design and sustainability in cultural terms."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grant Eull (B.S. 2001 Graphic Design) will be honored with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association Rising Star Award on Tuesday, October 30, for outstanding volunteer leadership in support of mentoring, college to career programs, and community building among graphic design students and alumni.

Eull has served as a mentor to CDes students since 2004 and began taking a larger leadership role in recruiting mentors and matching students in 2005. Since that time, he has also established a blog for graphic design mentors and students, and facilitated a host of experiential learning and community building activities including annual studio gatherings, social events, graphic design firm tours, and portfolio review nights.

Eull was a founding member of the College of Design Student and Alumni Board, which sponsors the college mentor program and serves as an advisory group for CDes student services college to career program.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arthur Chen (CWHS, Architecture) and Benjamin Ibarra Sevilla (Architecture, CWHS) recently returned from a trip to the Philippines, where they advised the state party on the development of a world heritage site nomination. The Philippines hopes to have the Batanes province -- a sparsely populated, ten-island archipelago of historic significance and natural beauty -- added to UNESCO's list of world heritage sites, as a cultural landscape. After the Philippine state party's nomination failed to be inscribed in 2007, UNESCO asked the Center for World Heritage Studies to consult on the revision of the nomination dossier, to be resubmitted in 2008.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dean Bev Durgan of the Minnesota Extension Service has presented William Angell (Housing Studies) with a dean's award as a distinguished extension campus-based faculty member. Angell received the award for his exemplary work in the field of indoor air quality.

"Bill’s distinguished work in the field of indoor air quality personifies Extension’s mission to connect community needs with University resources. During the past 17 years, he has delivered more than 750 courses to over 10,000 participants in 22 states and eight Indian nations while creating a consortium of four institutions of higher education that provide interdisciplinary training on ways to measure and mitigate radon -- a health risk in households that kills approximately 22,000 Americans each year."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Design was a partner in a Project Homeless Connect Minneapolis/Hennepin event that took place at the Minneapolis Convention Center on October 1.

Several CDes employees participated in the event: Lori Gilbertson (Student Services), Char Klarquist (DHA), and Virajita Singh (CSBR).

Project organizers estimate the event served 1,800 people. The event served as a one-stop shopping model for delivering services to the homeless including housing, employment, medical care, and mental health care.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Weber's (Communications) nomination of the Minneapolis Truckers Strike of 1934 is one of the 150 featured topics in "MN 150: The People, Places, and Things that Shape Our State," which opened Oct. 13 at the Minnesota History Center. The exhibit was created from more than 2,700 nominations provided by Minnesotans and launches the 2008 celebration of 150 years of Minnesota statehood.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Design 2006-07 lecture series posters designed by Jeanne Schacht (CDes graphic designer) were awarded a bronze award for Excellence in Design, Poster Series, by District V of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). CASE is an international association of education advancement officers and professionals who work in the fields of alumni relations, development, and communication.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Elizabeth Bye (Clothing Design), Karen LaBat (Clothing Design), Ellen McKinney (graduate student), and Dong-Eun Kim (research assistant) received the Lectra Innovation award for faculty research for their paper, "Optimized Pattern Grading." The research was conducted in the college's Human Dimensioning Lab. The award will be presented November 8, 2007 at the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) annual meeting in Los Angeles.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Architecture was the subject of a feature story on the Autodesk Web site covering the school's use of Revit Architecture building information modeling software. The school began integrating the software into its curriculum more than four years ago.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ralph Rapson, retired head of the School of Architecture, has been named one of the Metro 100, by Metro magazine.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Musacchio (Landscape Architecture) participated as a member of an international scientific panel at the closing plenary session of the 2007 World Congress of Landscape Ecology that was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands in July. Participants were asked to present their perspective of the most important emerging trends in landscape ecology. Musacchio identified three trends: the importance of translational research as model for collaboration; the emerging importance of urban ecology at the international level; and the need to investigate the scientific basis of design and landscape sustainability. In addition, she co-organized a symposium at the World Congress, the Scientific Basis for the Design of Landscape Sustainability, which will be published as special issue of Landscape Ecology.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marc Swackhamer (Architecture) and partner Blair Satterfield (Rice University) received the best of category award in the environments category of I.D. magazine's 53rd annual design review for their project, "Drape Wall + House." The winning entry can be seen in the July/August issue of I.D. magazine.

Swackhamer's current research -- a collaboration with Gary Meyer (Computer Science and Engineering) -- explores the use of proprietary predictive paint in an architectural context. Their new work will be featured in the upcoming "Here By Design" exhibition at the Goldstein Museum of Design.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tim Larsen, College of Design advisory board member, is being honored by his alma mater, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and the AIGA.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The six Design Democracy fellowship finalists, all M. Arch. students, have been announced: Josh Ehr, Malea Jochim, Amanda Olson, Derek Peterson, Nate Steuerwald, and Shengyin Xu.

The fellowship -- established through gifts from Target Corporation and from individual architecture alumni, firms, and allied professions -- supports professional degree architecture students. Promoting the values of design democracy -- good design, every day, for everyone -- the fellowship recognizes exemplary projects.

Contributors include Ericksen Roed and Associates, Mulvanny G2 Architecture, Michaud Cooley Erickson and Assoc., MBH Architects Inc., RSP Architects, Pickard Chilton Architects Inc., Ryan Companies US, Target Corporation, Scott Berry, Dennis Mulvey, and Rich Varda.

Second-year professional degree architecture students are eligible for the award. Students apply at the end of their second year in the M. Arch. program. From the applicants, finalists are selected and make public presentations to compete for two $5,000 awards.

The fellowships are awarded based on academic achievement, an essay, portfolio review, and presentation. Winning presentations should demonstrate thoughtful, original, dynamic, and timeless solutions to common design problems using forms and materials that represent creative, practical, and cost-effective use of resources. Eligible projects may originate from within or from outside of the studio, but must have been produced in an academic setting from 2007-08.

Jurors for the award are Tom Fisher (Architecture), Jan Abrams (Design Institute), Scott Berry, and Rich Varda (practitioners; Architecture alumni).

• Download the Design Democracy fellowship poster (.pdf; 120Kb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The college election for the faculty senate resulted in the election of Marilyn Bruin (DHA) as the college's new senator. The College of Design faculty senators are:

• Marilyn Bruin, term expires in June 2010


• Kristine Miller, term expires in June 2009


• Stephen Weeks, term expires in June 2008

Posted by Michael Fraase at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steven McCarthy (DHA) was featured in an article in Page, a German design and media culture magazine. The article, entitled "My Home is Your Castle," reproduced 10 images from McCarthy's commercial rhetoric art project.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University is creating a community on 5,000 acres in its UMore Park property in Dakota County. Several CDes faculty members are involved with the project's six academic task forces:

• Marilyn Bruin (DHA) -- Environment
• John Carmody (CSBR) -- Energy
• Louise Goldberg (CSBR) -- Energy
• Kathleen Harder (CTS) -- Transportation
• Lance Neckar (Landscape Architecture) -- Transportation
• Bob Sykes (Landscape Architecture) -- Transportation
• Dewey Thorbeck (CRD) -- Environment

Six public listening sessions are scheduled for September in the Rosemount area as part of the academic mission task force process. Details are available at the UMore Park Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ashley Lademann (DHA undergraduate) received the International Textile and Apparel Association award for outstanding undergradute research. Lademann will present her research at the association's meeting this fall. Brittany Wahlin (DHA undergraduate) will present her honors research in a paper at the association's meeting.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don Wexler (1950, Bachelor of Architecture) is being presented with a lifetime achievement award and a star on the "Walk of Stars" in downtown Palm Springs by the Palm Springs Modern Committee. One of Wexler's Palm Springs houses is shown below.

Photo: Sue Danielson Bretheim.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Virajita Singh (CSBR) and Ozayr Saloojee (Architecture) have received $15,000 in funding from the Graham Foundation for a spring 2008 symposium on sacred sites.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) has approved Marc Swackhamer's (Architecture) conference proposal for a national event to be held in Minnesota during the fall of 2008. Swackhamer, along with partner Blair Satterfield, won a best of category in environments award in I.D. magazine's 2007 annual design review issue for their "Drape Wall/Drape House."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bret Wieseler, 2007 graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture program, is the recipient of an honor award in the general design category in the 2007 ASLA Student Awards Program, for his work: (In)Security: Access and Anxiety in the Wall Street Financial District. Wieseler is the fourth student to win a national graduate level ASLA design/research award since 2003.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Goldstein Museum of Design received a $30,000 McKnight special events funds grant for the exhibition Here by Design III: Process and Prototype. The exhibition, curated by James Boyd-Brent (DHA), runs October 20, 2007-January 20, 2008 in both the Goldstein's gallery in McNeal Hall and the HGA gallery in Rapson Hall. The Goldstein also received a $1,200 grant from the University's Summer Cultural Program for a poster and announcement for the Products of our Time exhibition. The exhibition, curated by Daniel Jasper (DHA), will run July 21-September 30.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lin Nelson-Mayson (Goldstein Museum of Design) was invited to join the nominating committee for the Ninth Annual Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards. The National Design Awards are comprised of six design categories: architecture, communications, fashion, interiors, landscape, and product design. Additionally there are achievement awards -- corporate and lifetime -- and the design mind award.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Goldstein Museum of Design was selected as one of 111 museums to participate in the national Museum Assessment Program (MAP) in 2007-08. The institutional assessment will include a general survey of the museum's operations. The Goldstein participated in its first MAP assessment in 1984. It later received a MAP II survey in 1991 and MAP III survey in 1994. Since it was more than seven years since the original MAP assessment, the Goldstein was selected for participation under the ReMAP program as an opportunity to review changes made in the past 22 years and develop a plan to apply for accreditation in the future.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greening the College of Design (scroll down to the tenth item) won one of ten Service and Process Improvement Fund (SPIF) grants. The long-term impacts of the College of Design's initiative include research in sustainable design, developing a model that can aid other University units achieve economic savings, involving students, staff, and faculty in service improvement, collaborating with Facilities Management staff, and achieving substantial cost reductions while simultaneously helping the environment.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ELSE/WHERE MAPPING -- New Cartographies of Networks and Territories, the ground-breaking book edited by the Design Institute's Jan Abrams and Peter Hall has won a design distinction in the graphics category of I.D. Magazine's 2007 Annual Design Review, published in July. The book was designed by Deb Littlejohn.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura Musacchio (Landscape Architecture) has been invited to be a member of the editorial board of Landscape and Urban Planning, a leading international scientific journal.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amanda Zanski (Interior Design) won the spring semester Architecture and Design Award while studying abroad at the Danish International Study Program in Copenhagen.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Goldstein Museum of Design has loaned two Charles James garments to Kent State Museum for an exhibition entitled Charles James, running through February 17, 2008. Charles James was a brilliant and enigmatic American designer known for his sculptural forms. The Goldstein has loaned a black silk James cocktail dress and a black satin evening coat with bright yellow lining. The dress dates from the early 1950s, while the coat is from 1947.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)