Gibbs College of Architecture Monthly Newsletter

March 2024

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Upcoming Neuroscience Design Workshop and Symposium! 

Join us on Wednesday, Mar. 27 for a Vision Training for Designers Workshop, followed by a Symposium on Neuroscience for Architecture. The workshop will take place from 11:30 - 1 PM in Gould Hall room 390. The symposium will take place from 3 - 4:30 PM in the Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery. For more information, contact Tiziana Proietti (tiziana.proietti@ou.edu).

Atlanta Beltline CEO to Visit Gibbs College!

The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities is proud to announce the visit of Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc, on Thursday, April 11th to share stories and lessons learned from the iconic Atlanta BeltLine project. The event will take place at Gould Hall’s Buskuhl Gallery from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. RSVP is required to attend.

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Gibbs College Hall of Fame Nominations Now Open!

The goal of the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame is to recognize a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact over time to Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence and/or advancement and financial support. Nominations are to be submitted online by May 10, 2024.

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Architecture Student Selected for SOM Global Shadowship 

Architecture student Trey London recently participated in the 2024 Winter Shadowship program with the award-winning global design firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. This program offers an immersive professional experience to students planning a career in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry.

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OU Eco-Sooners Team Selected as 2024 Solar Decathlon Finalists  

An interdisciplinary team of OU students from the Gibbs College of Architecture, Gallogly College of Engineering and Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was recently selected as a finalist for the 2024 Solar Decathlon Competition. The team is competing in this year’s Design Challenge in the Single-Family Housing Category.

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Students Visit Taft, OK for Institute for Quality Communities Project 

In collaboration with the Institute for Quality Communities, OU Interior Design and Environmental Design students are working on an adaptive reuse project in Taft, Oklahoma. Taft is a small town located in Muskogee County and is one of Oklahoma’s thirteen remaining Black townships. In 2023, the community reached out to the IQC for assistance in revitalizing the town’s community spaces.

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Gibbs Graduate Students Win Second Place at TEXO Design Build Competition 

An interdisciplinary team of Gibbs graduate students recently competed in the TEXO Foundation Region 5 Student Competition in Hurst, Texas. The team of six competed in the Design-Build division in the Graduate category and won second place with their design proposal. 

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Gibbs Ph.D. Student Wins Second Place in Graduate College Poster Competition 

Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. student in Gibbs College’s Planning, Design and Construction program, recently won second place in the Graduate & Postdoc Research and Scholarly Activity Day Poster Competition. Each year, the OU Graduate College sponsors this event to offer graduate students and postdocs from all disciplines the opportunity to exhibit their research. 

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University of Oklahoma Architecture Program Earns Re-Accreditation 

 The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the successful re-accreditation of the Division of Architecture degree programs. Gibbs College’s Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs met 100% of the National Architectural Accrediting Board’s program and student criteria.

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Gibbs Faculty Awarded EPA Environmental Justice Grant 

Open Design Collective, a non-profit organization founded by Gibbs College Professors Vanessa Morrison and Deborah Richards, was recently awarded an Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s EJG2G program funds community-based organizations to support government activities that involve environmental or public health issues. 

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PLAD Faculty and Former PLAD Colleague Publish Paper in APA Journal 

John Harris, director of the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, and C. Aujean Lee, former faculty in the Gibbs PLAD division, recently published a paper in the Journal of the American Planning Association. The paper examines local practitioner perceptions of a commonly used subcontracting arrangement using nonprofit subcontractors. 

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Upcoming Events/Opportunities



Please save the date for the following Gibbs College and OU events and opportunities!

Mar. 27

Vision Training for Designers Workshop (11:30 - 1 p.m., Gould Hall Room 390)

For more information, contact Tiziana Proietti (tiziana.proietti@ou.edu).

Mar. 27

Symposium on Neuroscience for Architecture (3 - 4:30 p.m., Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery)

For more information, contact Tiziana Proietti (tiziana.proietti@ou.edu).

Apr. 11

Atlanta BeltLine CEO to Visit Gibbs College (10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery)

Join us on Thursday, Apr. 11 to hear from Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. Higgs will share stories and lessons learned from the iconic Atlanta BeltLine project. RSVP is required to attend. For more information, contact Vanessa Morrison (vanessa@ou.edu). | Learn more 

Apr. 12

Gibbs Design Activism Awards Applications Due (Online submission)

For more information, contact Wanda Liebermann (wkliebermann@ou.edu). | Learn more

Apr. 25

Brown Bag Seminar: Practitioner Focus (12-1:15 p.m., Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery) 

For more information, contact Amy Leveno (amyleveno@ou.edu). 

May 10

Hall of Fame Nominations Due (Online Submission)

The goal of the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame is to recognize a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact over time to Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. | Learn More

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