College of Architecture
promotes 10 educators

For outstanding teaching and research-based contributions to their respective disciplines, 10 Texas A&M College of Architecture faculty members have earned promotions.

“They have empowered and emboldened students through their dedication,” said Lou Tassinary, executive associate dean at the college. “They have developed innovative teaching techniques, partnered with industry, published books and generated many new research ideas, securing private and public funding to pursue them.”

Charles Culp and Kirk Hamilton earned promotions to professors of architecture.
 
New associate professors with tenure are Cecilia Giusti in urban planning, Weiling He in architecture, Sarel Lavy in construction science, Shannon van Zandt in urban planning and Wei Yan in architecture.

Anne Nichols was promoted to associate professor of the practice in architecture; new senior lecturers are Kimberly Carlson in construction science and Shelley Holliday in architecture.

“These educators have made significant contributions to the fields of architectural history, applied technology, health and well being, urban planning, land development, simulation, energy conservation, housing and facility management,” said Tassinary. “This group has also engaged with the larger community through committee work, mentoring, editorial work and peer review of papers and proposals.”

Charles Culp’s interests include technology education, involving students in research, combining architecture with affordable technology to achieve high performance residential and commercial buildings, measurement and verification technology, airflow technology and human comfort in building spaces.

Kirk Hamilton is interested in evidence-based design for healthcare and the relationship of facility design to organizational performance. He co-authored his latest book, "Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach," with Mardelle Shepley, professor and architecture and director of the university's Center for Health Systems & Design, where he is a faculty Fellow.

Cecilia Giusti’s interests include land development, urban and regional economic development and planning and economic development and planning in developing countries, especially in Latin America. She joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2001.

Weiling He, a faculty member since 2005, researches design theory with particular focuses on translations across different forms of art, formal descriptions of space, metaphors of making, diagramming and visual thinking.

Sarel Lavy is interested in facilities management in the health care and education sectors, construction engineering, maintenance, performance, life cycle costs techniques, and quantitative methods in facilities management. He’s been a member of the Department of Construction Science faculty since 2005.

Shannon van Zandt’s areas of interest include housing policy, sustainable community development and social vulnerability following disasters. Her research examines ways to improve neighborhood stability and produce positive outcomes for households, particularly those with lower incomes. She joined the landscape architecture and urban planning faculty in 2005.

Wei Yan, a architecture faculty member since 2005, is interested in design computing, visualization, building technologies, building information modeling and applications of computer graphics and computer vision in design.

Anne Nichols’ scholarly interests include masonry and concrete materials, computer modeling and fracture mechanics. She joined the construction science faculty in 2002.

Kimberly Carlson, a member of the construction science faculty since 2002, is interested in energy efficiency in residential construction, mechanical systems and materials and methods.

Shelley Holliday's areas of interest include structural steel, bridging the architecture/engineering gap, and interdisciplinary design. She’s taught architecture at Texas A&M since 2000.

 

- Posted: Apr. 20, 2011 -

— the end —

Contact:   Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.