E-news letter for Archtecture

OCTOBER 2016

Bob Segner reacts during the roast.

Retiring CoSci prof Segner roasted by former classmates, students

Tales were spun and tributes made during a roast honoring legendary Texas A&M construction science professor Bob Segner, who retired at the end of the 2016 semester after a stellar 46-year teaching career.

College to honor outstanding alumni at Oct. 14 ceremony

Seven former students from the Texas A&M College of Architecture who have risen to the top of their respective fields while making significant public service contributions will be honored as outstanding alumni Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 at Traditions Club in Bryan.

Annual college symposium showcases faculty research

Faculty will talk about their scholarly and artistic work at the college's 18th annual research symposium, "Natural, Built, Virtual," scheduled Oct. 24, 2016 at the Langford Architecture Center on the Texas A&M College Station campus.

Texas A&M listed among best animation schools in nation

For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M was recognized as one of the nation’s top animation schools, placing third among public institutions and second in the Southwest in new lists created by Animation Career Review, an online career resource for aspiring game designers.

RESEARCH

HRRC researchers are part of a four-university project to identify critical links of the food distribution system most likely to be affected by a natural disaster.

Hazard researchers eye disaster effects on food distribution links

Texas A&M University researchers are collaborating with three other universities on a National Science Foundation initiative aimed at identifying links between the U.S. food distribution system and the nation’s energy, water and transportation networks that are most likely to be disrupted in a natural disaster.

Smithsonian showcases
HRRC housing program

in an exhibit of exemplary design models, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is featuring RAPIDO, a pilot housing recovery program developed in part by Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center researchers.

The Atlantic interviews LAND prof about shrinking U.S. cities

Once-vibrant Rust Belt cities are using scattershot approaches to grapple with growing areas of vacancy caused by population decline, said Galen Newman, assistant professor of urban planning at Texas A&M, in a July 20, 2016 article in The Atlantic.

Transdisciplinary education getting boost from Viz prof

A National Academies' study investigating the value of integrating arts and humanities into science and technology education is a milestone in the global transdisciplinary education movement championed by Carol LaFayette, a visualization professor at Texas A&M University.

Healthcare design expert tapped to lead research center

Ray Pentecost, one of the nation’s foremost advocates and practitioners of evidence-based design, is the new director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, home to the world's largest group of researchers committed to healthcare facility environment research and education.

CoSci prof proposes app to rate 3-D building models

An application proposed in part by Eric Du, Texas A&M assistant professor of construction science, will help construction companies improve their 3-D immersive building models by comparing their development and performance with models throughout the industry.

IN THE STUDIO

Mark Cuban and Garrett Barker at a design review.

Dallas Mavericks’ owner guides grad students’ designs of team facility

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, met with graduate Texas A&M architecture students May 2, 2016 to review their design concepts for the NBA team’s planned multipurpose practice facility.

Design students create new concepts for senior living

In a spring 2016 studio, Texas A&M environmental design students imagined a new generation of residential facilities for senior citizens in designs that feature walkability and emphasize community and connections with nature.

Students present concepts for Kenyan healthcare facilities

Students presented design concepts for next-generation Kenyan healthcare facilities at a conference in the College Station Hilton aimed at improving healthcare for Africans by creating business relationships and partnerships between people in the U.S. and Africa.

Students’ design influences new TAMU teaching garden

A seven-acre Texas A&M outdoor horticulture laboratory and demonstration space, a major addition to Texas A&M’s West Campus, was realized with the aid of a master plan developed by graduate landscape architecture students.

Shelter for farmers’ market designed, built by students

For the green of thumb who gather under tents in downtown Bryan, Texas, every Saturday morning to sell their locally grown fruits and vegetables at the Brazos Valley Farmers Market, a group of Texas A&M students have designed and built an alternative, more stylish and permanent vending space.

LAND students’ plans turn historic block near downtown Bryan into destination

Three master plans by graduate landscape architecture students at Texas A&M turn a historic but mostly empty block near downtown Bryan, Texas into a new Brazos Valley destination.

ACADEMICS

Chillennium contestants develop video games.

Contestants create video games in 48 hours at Chillennium 2016

More than 200 students from 12 universities created video games from scratch in just 48 hours at Chillennium 2016, a game-building competition, or “game jam,” Sept. 23-25, 2016 hosted by the Texas A&M Department of Visualization.

Educational game created by Viz prof-led firm debuts June 1

Guests learned how the Italian Renaissance produced some of the world’s greatest art by playing a new video game, "ARTé Mecenas," at a reception hosted by Triseum, the game's developer, led by founding CEO André Thomas, a visualization faculty member at Texas A&M.

CoSci students in UK build skyscraper replica in 4 days

Turning construction theory into practice, Texas A&M construction science students studying abroad in the United Kingdom in summer 2016 built a scaled-down version of The Gherkin, an iconic London skyscraper, in four days on a 15-acre site.

HONORS

Ming-Han Li, professor of landscape architecture, is on a list of the most admired educators in the U.S.

Li named top educator; LAND programs ranked among nation's best

A global network of design, product and construction leaders named Ming-Han Li, professor of landscape architecture, one of the 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016-17 and ranked Texas A&M’s landscape architecture programs among the nation’s elite.

Celebration honors best of
best in TAMU architecture

“The Celebration of Excellence,” an annual Department of Architecture event spotlighting outstanding student and faculty achievements, included a juried evaluation of the year’s top five graduate final study projects, culminating with the presentation of a “Best of the Best Award.”

National group honors paper by graduate planning student

A new planning tool developed by Rachel Prelog, a Texas A&M graduate urban planning student, helps municipal transportation planners determine whether current or planned bicycle lanes in their community enhance the mobility of residents who may not have ready access to automobiles.

LAND students’ plans all but sweep Texas ASLA awards

Designs and master plans by Texas A&M landscape architecture students earned their makers most of the student awards presented at the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects’ Texas Chapter convention.

Student creates tools to
assess healing gardens

With funding from an AIA fellowship grant, Naomi Sachs, a Texas A&M Ph.D. architecture student, is developing the first set of standardized, tested set of tools to evaluate the effects hospital healing gardens have on patients’ health.

Profs Rodiek, Ndubisi garner honors at 2016 CELA confab

Jon Rodiek, longtime landscape architecture professor, was inducted into the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture's Academy of Fellows and Forster Ndubisi, former head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, earned the group's Outstanding Educator Award.

Student wins contest by reimagining iconic museum

Texas A&M Master of Architecture student Jaechang Ko reimagined Fort Worth’s iconic Kimbell Art Museum in Eastern White Pine to capture first place honors in a design competition sponsored by the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.

Prof named 'Changemaker' for professional, academic efforts

For his many achievements as a healthcare facility designer and educator, Kirk Hamilton, professor of architecture at Texas A&M and founding principal emeritus of WHR Architects, earned the Changemaker award from the Center for Health Design, a group of designers and healthcare professionals.

EVENTS

Students look at a drawing in "At the Edge," the Wright Gallery's first fall 2016 exhibit.

Wright Gallery's 2016-17 season showcases eight artists

Exhibits featuring work by eight accomplished artists working in a variety of media will be on display in 2016-17 at the Wright Gallery, located in the College of Architecture on the second floor of Building A in the Langford Architecture Center.

RSVP for Nov. 3 Aggie TSA reception in San Antonio

Former students and friends of the Texas A&M Department of Architecture are invited to the annual Aggie TSA reception Nov. 3 at the 77th annual Texas Society of Architects Convention and Design Expo in San Antonio.

'True Believers' exhibit opens Oct. 24 in Wright Gallery

Sculptures by Ohio-based artist Mark Schatz depicting people's attempts to make sense of an indifferent universe will be featured in “True Believers,” an exhibit opening Oct. 24 in the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Wright Gallery, located in Langford A.

Ph.D. student’s team pitches idea on innovator TV show

In front of a national TV audience and a panel of celebrity judges, Kai Wu, an Urban and Regional Sciences Ph.D. student, demonstrated SwimART, a tiny submersible computer she and a team of entrepreneurs developed to enable competitive swimmers to monitor their statistics in real time.

CLASS ACTS

Class Acts: Former students share news with classmates

The College of Architecture encourages former students to submit news for its Class Acts reports featuring professional achievements, marriages, retirements, bucket list accomplishments or whatever else they care to share. See what others have been up to and share your own news.

A PEOPLE PLACE

Landscape architecture students turn a parking space into a public place

Students lounge in lot 54 during PARKing Day, a Sept. 16 event calling attention to the need for more urban open spaces. The landscape architecture students, who handed out free water and ice pops to visitors and discussed how to improve the quality of humans' urban habitats, joined people throughout the world who temporarily turned parking spots into human-friendly areas.