Check out this awesome event!

As a term project for my Architecture and Ecology course (a requirement for the architecture minor), our class was assigned to work in pairs and conduct a comprehensive energy investigation on a building of our choice - the only limitation was that it had to be one which designed and built using strategic sustainable and energy-saving strategies.

My team partner and I looked no farther than across the lawn from our classroom in Rapson Hall, to the Civil Engineering Building less than ten meters away. After some initial research and a stroll in and around the building itself, we quickly learned that the Civil Engineering was no ordinary structure and that it still stands as a revolutionary landmark in underground design implementation .

Constructed in response to the 1970s OPEC Energy Crisis, the Civil Engineering Building used the most modern technologies and engineering practices of its day to produce a building that descended seven stories (110 feet) underground. Aside from these revolutionary geological engineering feats, the building's design itself also brought about a whole new method of spatial design for its users inside.

Solar technologies were used to beam natural light to the depths of the building whose exterior features comprise of about 5% of the building itself. It is almost entirely underground, but many places within the building are still naturally lit using these unique design practices.

During my research I found a great book in the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library was written by two U of M alum who set up the Underground Space Research Center in the bottom floor of the Civil Engineering Building in the 1980s and studied its space alongside worldwide examples that existed at the time. Very interesting! It's amazing how subsurface buildings are so dramatically different in so many ways than conventional structures, and we have a famous example right on campus!

Have a good week!

Jesse LaMack - Housing Studies, B.S.

We received a lot of questions in preparation for the Dean's Reception this year, and I think that the Graphic Design Major Session answered quite a few! The purpose of this post, though, is to revisit a couple of big ones for people that weren't there/wrap up details.

1: I would like to hear about some of the software/computer programs that are used for course work and does the university help with the cost of those?

Absolutely! First of all, I just want to say how JEALOUS I am that your computer purchase will be tax exempt (since it's required). I also wanted to note some other software we use and where you typically get it from. First of all, we use the Adobe Creative Suite of programs. You can buy Design Standard or Design Premium, with the difference being that Premium has the web stuff in it like Flash and Dreamweaver. You're gonna want that. Go to http://bookstores.umn.edu/viewCategory.cgi?categoryID=3527 to check out the MTech page on the Bookstore site to see more information--unfortunately, you have to log in as a student to purchase it. That being said, you don't really need it until you take GDes 1315. Try to hold out as long as possible--Adobe updates fairly often.

Secondly, DO NOT purchase Microsoft Office in a store. Buy it from the U at http://www.oit.umn.edu/umart/ because it's about $40 instead of $100.

Also, don't buy your own antivirus software. It's available for free from the U at http://www.oit.umn.edu/utools/all-software/symantec-antivirus-125184.html

This next one is a favorite of mine....

2: Can students outside of a music major participate in groups like choir?

Students outside of music majors can participate in choir AND band! There is a difference between auditioned groups and non-auditioned groups on campus, though. An auditioned group doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a music major either; you just have to earn your spot. Learn more on the School of Music's Ensembles site at https://music.umn.edu/ensembles and make sure to JOIN MARCHING BAND! Kidding. Kind of.

This post got really long really fast, but my goal is to answer YOUR questions, so feel free to leave me comments for the remainder of the semester. It's almost spring break!

Patrick
Graphic Design B.F.A.

So this past weekend, I was helping out at the Dean's Reception and had the opportunity to talk to many future/potential students, and their parents, about the school and the Retail Major. There were many questions that both students and parents asked about both the school and major; so I thought that for this blog it would be fun and helpful to go over a few of the main questions asked.

"Because the retail major is located in St. Paul, would it be impractical for me to live in the dorms that are located on East or West bank?"
Nope, not at all, we have Campus Connectors (campus buses) that take from west bank to east bank to the St. Paul Campus in a fairly short amount of time. Also as a retail major you will be taking class on all three parts of campus; design and retail classes will be in St. Paul, Business classes will be on the west bank, and most likely you will have to take some Liberal Ed. Requirements on the east bank. You will be experiencing every part of campus regardless; which is awesome☺

"Why Retail Merchandising?"
This major is very practical; it's a great mix of design and business. We take a variety of classes that shape us make us well round for this field. We gain design, retail, and business experience, all which provide us with the knowledge to work in both a store and corporate setting with creative, analytical, and business skils.

"What opportunities do I have at this university?"
Many top business, Target, Best Buy, General Mills, to name a few, are stationed here in Minneapolis; they, along with other business come to career fairs to recruit and reach students for both internships and job opportunities. These businesss also come to some classes and speak; currently I am in a class in which Target has kicked off a visual merchandising display competition.

Got more question? Please ask away! :)

(http://algebra-i-core-40-eca-review.avon-hs.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/gwp/119846/949098/Image/question.JPG)

-Sasenka - Retail Merchandising

Another College of Design Dean's Reception has come and gone. This year was a great success. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet with three incoming students and their parents to talk about both my work in the undergrad and graduate programs here at the U of M, and give them a personal tour of all that Rapson Hall has to offer them as design students!
Towards the end I also met a young man who was mostly interested in Architecture, but also wanted to know more about the Landscape Architecture side of things (if that was you, please email me with any questions you might have!). You would be very surprised to hear just how often this happens. I have two friends from undergrad that started as Architecture Majors and switched over to Landscape Design & Planning after learning the large array of jobs it prepares you for. Also, Architecture Majors often get a minor in Landscape Design & Planning or end up pursing a Masters in Landscape Architecture later on in graduate school. In fact, in my Masters of Landscape Architecture class I have two classmates that got bachelor degrees in Architecture, but elected for Landscape Architecture as a Masters...

Now i'm not trying to recruit students away for the Architecture Department, but rather letting you all know that the two majors are VERY interconnected and often students have dual interests so do not be afraid to explore them! You're coming here to learn and trust me, there is much to learn!

Lastly, here's a link to another sweet blog about Project for Public Space. Really begins to shed light on all the possibilities Landscape Design and Planning/Landscape Architecture has to offer!

Till next week,

Eric

Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Masters of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

In this week's blog, I will be addressing some important questions I received at the Dean's Reception. A common question was about the different architecture degrees the University of Minnesota offers (Bachelor of Arts, Design in Architecture, Science). "Why did you pick the Bachelor of Science?" I decided to go with the B.S. degree because of the studio structure, courses, and admission. Due to my personality, I am always seeking opportunities to excel, which is why I applied to the B.S. The B.S. admits about sixty students after their second year. The degree contains four studio courses, technical courses, and three to four elective courses. The structure and rigor of the degree allows for the development of relationships unlike other college degrees.

If you're not sure which degree is right for you now, don't worry: there are many courses prior to applying to the B.S. to help you decide. Design Fundamentals I & II will help you decide which course is right for you.

Another question: "Why did you pick the pre-professional degree over a five-year master's degree from a different university?" Besides having a great architecture program, the University of Minnesota is an amazing school with an assortment of amenities including a myriad of student groups, quality medical services, free legal assistance etc. Beyond the campus, we have a great metropolitan community that cares about education and the success of students by creating opportunities. The professional community and school realize the importance of creating a strong connection.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to comment on my blog.

Thanks!
Holly
Architecture - Bachelor of Science

More Examples of Work:

It was great meeting some of you this past weekend at the University of Minnesota College of Design's Dean's Reception! I had a wonderful time and most importantly, met lots of great people and possibly new classmates!

I had the opportunity to meet informally with perspective students and their families before the formal activities of the day started, which was a great time to speak freely with them and get some of their questions answered. I focused on why the College of Design and the University of Minnesota is the perfect fit for me, and hopefully them. The design community surrounding the encompassing the college in the Twin Cities, MNFashion, is growing and welcomes students to design, volunteer and attend their shows and events. The second reason I focused on is the great combination of the big ten college experience on the University side, and the small college feel of the College of Design. You get the best of both worlds!

We then proceeded on to our major sessions, where I more formally presented two of my pieces to the perspective students and their families. I talked about portfolio review and my experiences with blogging and was able to answer questions as well.

Here are a few shots of my dress that went through portfolio review:

It was great meeting with new students and talking with them. When I brought up my blog here quite a few of them asked me about it and how to access it, so I hope to start getting more comments! Feel free to ask any questions you like!

Lucie, Apparel Design

If you were, then you finally got to meet me! And if you weren't, well then, you didn't, haha. The Dean's Reception was so so so much fun! I had a blast talking and hanging out with high school seniors (and their families) who are considering the College of Design at the U of M for college next year!

First we started off with the multicultural information session which was very informative and interesting. Fredrick, the new director of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence gave a presentation on all that MCAE has to offer. It was delightful meeting him and learning about various resources the university has to offer for multicultural students.

After that I got a chance to mingle a little and talk with different students and their families over lunch. What I loved about the Dean's Reception most was how casual it was! It made it really easy to get to know people and have some good conversation without feeling nervous or awkward.

The next thing we did was set up for major sessions! Basically, each discipline went to their section of the Design building and displayed work, etc. We heard from the Interior Design department head, Dr. Tasoulla Hadjiyanni! She was so nice and knowledgeable, it was certainly a treat hearing from her!

After major sessions, I chatted with design professionals, prospectives students and their families and answered any questions they had about their admitted programs.

If you didn't catch my drift, Saturday was super fun! If you were at the Reception, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

best,
Ashley
Interior Design

Well, it just so happens that the Dean's Reception and the culmination of 13 days of tweeting for an internship are this Saturday! I'm coming down to crunch time, as I HAVE to have my website up so I can share my portfolio with this company--but I also need it up so I can show you all the work that I'm most proud of!

I'm also scrambling because the Student Ad Summit (visit them at http://www.ad2sas.org) is next Friday, March 2! I'm supposed to go through a portfolio review...and...I'm not nearly ready. YIKES!

I know I'm kind of jumping all over the place, but there are a lot of little things going on that I'm excited about right now. For this Twitter competition, I knew I needed to come up with something creative and off the wall to capture the agency's attention, so tomorrow morning in ice skating class I will be doing color guard choreography while ice skating. If I don't kill myself, I'll post the YouTube video next week.

We learned who the presenters were for the NSAC Regionals on Sunday and voila, I'm a presenter. I'm super excited about it, and I hope that some professional notices me and is wowed by my presentation skills. Ha!

Also this Friday, I will be attending an open house for an internship program at the agency that I REALLY want to work at, Martin Williams (http://www.martinwilliams.com).

Basically, the gist: Be creative, be yourself, think outside the box, and network while you're out there!

Finally, I wanted to note again that the Dean's Reception is THIS SATURDAY and I hope to meet all of my readers there! I'm very excited to present some work, and hopefully you'll all be impressed as well...or at least fake it. Haha!

Until then,

Patrick
Graphic Design B.F.A.

PS you can check the beginnings of my site out at http://patrickrpuckett.com.

Click here to see my finalized business cards, complete with handmade icons!

If you've been keeping up with my blog, then you know I work in the College of Design's Student Services. At the beginning of the semester, my boss (Lucy Reile) gave me a pretty interesting assignment - plan an internship panel. Yup! Those were my instructions, the rest was up in the air! But I wasn't on my own entirely, instead I teamed up with another student worker from Career & Internship Services, Rah Riley. (FYI- She's awesome!)

Over the past few weeks, Rah and I have been meeting about 2-3 times a week to plan the panel. We had to do things like research current College of Design students to find potential panelists, order catering, reserve a location, and work with the Student Services graphic designer, Patrick Puckett. (A fellow blogger and my cubicle mate who is also very awesome!) It was such a good experience getting to plan an event from start to finish, especially being that I'm still just a student worker! I got to learn first hand what kinds of things work when planning events, what things won't fly, and overall I got a feeling for if I like event planning overall!

The event is this Wednesday and I am super excited! I can't wait to see everyone's handwork payoff!

And speaking of events, I hope you know about the Dean's Reception! If you don't, check out this link. It's this Saturday, and I'm actually presenting which I am very excited about! It's open to prospective students and their families, so worth checking out! :)

Until the next,

Ashley
Interior Design