CDes MEMO Archives

A bi-weekly electronic newsletter for the faculty and staff of the College of Design.

The deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday prior to Thursday of publication. Send submissions to Michael Fraase <mfraase@umn.edu>. The next issue comes out September 28.

Read CDes Memo online on the College of Design Web site.

February 8 , 2007

Editor: Michael Fraase, mfraase@umn.edu

Next two weeks

February 8, 7 p.m., 33 McNeal Hall
Design Redux: Eames as Paper
Eames Demetrios, director, Eames Office and grandson of Charles and Ray Eames.
Goldstein Museum exhibit continues through April 1.
Demetrios will speak about how the Eames Office collaborated with Design Guys on the new line of specialty graphic design printing papers for Neenah Paper (the subject of the new exhibit on view at the Goldstein), and more broadly about how the Eames Office collaborates with other groups to advance the legacy of the Eameses.

February 9, 6-8 p.m., La Bodega Tapas Bar (Lake and Lyndale, Minneapolis)
El Amor en los tiempos de Guerra (Love in a time of War)
Barbara Porwit (Goldstein Museum) has several pieces in this art show opening.

Ends February 9, Rapson Hall
All-Student Exhibition
Student designs, done in and outside of class, were judged on representation, concept, innovation, and process. Cash prizes were awarded for the best of show, students' choice award, and in each of the four judging categories. The winners were announced on February 5.

February 12, 10:00-11:30 a.m., 225 Rapson Hall
Dalibor Vesely and David Leatherbarrow, "Architecture and the Latent World."
Dalibor Vesely, fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, is director emeritus of the graduate program in history and philosophy of architecture at the University of Cambridge, and the author of Architecture in the Age of Divided Representation (MIT, 2004). David Leatherbarrow is professor of architecture and chairman of the graduate group in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of Topographical Stories: Studies in Landscape and Architecture (University of Pennsylvania, 2004).

February 14, Design @ Noon, 225 Rapson Hall
Prior Art > Art
Alex Terzich, adjunct lecturer, School of Architecture, and fellow, Design Institute.

February 14, 12:15-1:00 p.m., 56 Rapson Hall
American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) meeting
The student group will be discussing the AIAS Forum 2009 and proposing a bid for AIAS Minneapolis to host the national forum conference for 2009. CDes staff is invited.

Ends February 17, HGA Gallery, Rapson Hall
Architecture+Graphic Design exhibit
A look from different directions at the common ground of architecture and graphic design. Designed by wpa, Seattle, Washington.

February 17, 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center
Clothing Design students senior fashion show
Eleven senior clothing design students will showcase their final senior lines -- in development during the last year -- at the annual senior fashion show. This year's show, "Noise!," also features pieces from the junior and sophomore clothing design students. Each student develops a focused concept, ideates sketches, and constructs the garments to create a clothing line. The class develops, plans, and coordinates the show.

February 19, 5:45 p.m., 100 Rapson Hall
Making Waves Along the Big Muddy: Pursuing Equity Planning in New Orleans
Ken Reardon, associate professor and chair, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University.
Collaborating with ACORN, Columbia, Cornell, and the University of Illinois, Reardon is leading the team that has produced a peoples' plan for New Orleans' ninth ward. The event is sponsored by the Metropolitan Design Center. The Career and Community Learning Center will also hold a faculty seminar led by Reardon on Feb. 19 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Watch for more information on the Career and Community Learning Center Web site.

February 19, 2:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center
What is the purpose of the university?
Join distinguished scholars Richard Bernstein (New School for Social Research), Mark Bauerlein (Emory University), and Nicholas Wolterstorff (Yale University) as they consider why civic engagement should be as important as career development in the university’s commitment to its students. They will also discuss philosophical assumptions behind the call for civic engagement. Respondents will be Petra Duecker (senior, English, philosophy, and political science), Liz Beaumont (assistant professor, political science), and Vic Bloomfield (associate vice president, Office of Public Engagement). For further information, please contact Matt Kaul at kaul0038@umn.edu, 612-378-1935.

February 21, Design @ Noon, 225 Rapson Hall
SPACE / CRAFT PERFORMANCE / ART
Garret Finney, senior architect, Habitability Design Center of the Johnson Space Center, Houston.

Future events

February 24-March 11, HGA Gallery, Rapson Hall
Fall 2006 Design Excellence Awards

March 28, 5-8 p.m., Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union
Architecture, Environmental Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture Career Fair
More information about the fair is available on the CDes Web site.

April 29-May 1, Minneapolis Convention Center
Fifth Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, and Trade Show
The conference will consist of plenary and specialized sessions focused on three green roof topic areas: Policies and programs; design and implementation; and research and technical papers on performance. Those planning to attend are also encouraged to check out the various training courses and workshops offered, as well as the conference trade show. Information is available at the Greening Rooftops conference Web site. Nina Ebbinghausen, Peter MacDonagh, and Virajita Singh (Center for Sustainable Building Research) serve on the "Green Roofs Meet Minneapolis" host committee.

News and announcements

Want to stay in touch with important CDes announcements? Consider setting your Web browser's home page to the College of Design Announcements page. It's updated frequently between issues of CDes MEMO.

Commencement
The very first CDes commencement ceremony will be on Saturday, May 12, at 3 p.m. in Northrop Auditorium, with a reception for students immediately following in the Rapson courtyard. More details will be coming within the next few weeks. Richard Koshalek, (B.A. architecture '65) and president of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadenia, CA is the commencement speaker.

Educational technology grants
Grants of up to $1,000 are still available for faculty (full and part-time) and instructional staff to attend conferences on educational technology and to undertake professional development training for the use of educational technology. While both programs have due dates of March 27, 2007, applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Positive and necessary changes needed to advance technology-enhanced scholarship are cultural, and that change must be systemic in our college. Application of new technologies also helps drive change through new capabilities; advancement occurs through a re-examination and re-planning of our current efforts. Learn more at the College of Design E-Scholarship Task Force Wiki. Please contact Brad Hokanson, brad@umn.edu, for additional information about these programs.

Reorganization of the University's tech transfer program
Patents and Technology Marketing (PTM) and the Office of Business Development (OBD) have been reorganized into the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC). OTC oversees all aspects of technology commercialization at the U through its twin centers: the Licensing Center (formerly PTM), which manages patent and licensing functions, and the Venture Center (formerly OBD), which assists in the creation of U-based startups. Both functions have been consolidated at OTC's new location in University Enterprise Laboratories in St. Paul. For more information, contact umotc@umn.edu or 612-624-0550 or see the Office for Technology Commercialization Web site.

Sustainable Innovation 07
Global Building and Construction: Systems, Technologies, Products and Services 12th International Conference, October 29-30, 2007, Farnham Castle Conference Centre Farnham, Surrey, UK. Part of the "Towards Sustainable Product Design" series of conferences, this meeting will provide a platform to discuss "state of the thinking" in sustainable innovation, technology, product and service design, and development. Delegates will come globally from large companies, entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as academia, government, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). For more information, contact Martin Charter, mcharter@ucreative.ac.uk or visit The Centre for Sustainable Design Web site.

President's Emerging Leaders Program (PEL)
Are you ready to learn how to fulfill your potential as a leader at the University of Minnesota? The President¿s Emerging Leaders Program (PEL) is currently accepting applications for its 2007-08 cohort. This program is designed to identify and further develop the leadership skills of talented P&A, civil service, and bargaining unit staff. The 2007-08 cohort will include a new element -- training sessions devoted to the DMAIC project management model. The application deadline for this cohort is March 9, 2007. For more information and application instructions, see the Office of Human Resources Web site.

Faculty publication and exhibition event
Thanks to those who attended the February 1 reception focused on faculty work. An exhibition of book covers representing faculty work from 2005-06, will remain on view in the Metropolitan Design Center Gallery (outside 1 Rapson Hall) during February.

Sustainability efforts
Laura Weber and Virajita Singh are working to create a fact sheet that documents the ongoing efforts of the College of Design in the area of sustainability. If your work in teaching, research, operations, or any other area has a sustainable focus or outcome please let us know at cdescomm@umn.edu.

Greening the College advisory team
The College of Design is starting a Greening the College advisory team with membership from students, faculty, and staff who are interested in advising the college's efforts to green itself. Meetings will be held every 3-4 weeks in the semester although input and suggestions are sought on an ongoing basis. If interested please contact Virajita Singh at singh023@umn.edu.

Design Redux: Eames as Paper
On January 26, the Goldstein Museum of Design held an opening reception for its current exhibition, Design Redux: Eames as Paper. In an informal gallery talk, designers Kelly Munson and Steve Sikora from Design Guys explained how they developed a new paper line for Neenah Paper based on the design aesthetics and inspired by the design process of Charles and Ray Eames. Tonight (February 8), the Eameses' grandson, Eames Demetrios will speak about the Design Guys' collaboration with the Eames Office. The lecture and reception will be held in 33 McNeal at 7 p.m. Free paper samples will be available.

CDes in the media

The following CDes activities and expertise have been featured in the media. Contact Laura Weber, communications director, at l-webe@umn.edu if you have news to promote through the media.

The College of Design factors heavily in Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) feature package, "Life by design." Articles in the package source various individuals in the College of Design including extensive quotes from Dean Fisher, Daniel Jasper (DHA), and lots of CDes students. The series aired Monday through Thursday, February 5-8, on MPR's Morning Edition (91.1 FM). MPR has added an interactive aspect to the package, asking listeners to "refine the design" of everything from a coffee maker to a shopping mall.

The January/February 2007 issue of Architecture Minnesota carries an article written by Nancy A. Miller (Architecture) about Dewey Thorbeck (Center for Rural Design) and the Minnesota 2058 Thriving by Design project that will create a regional and state vision for the next 50 years and try to answer the question: what is the design of Minnesota in 2058 and what is the role of the University of Minnesota in helping citizen¿s create and attain that design?

Congratulations and kudos

Marilyn Bruin (DHA) has been invited to participate on the Homelessness Resolution Team for the Presbyterian Church USA. The team is writing a position paper advocating for additional funding for holistic housing and services for homeless individuals and families.

Joanne B. Eicher (DHA) is editor-in-chief for a forthcoming publication of ten volumes, Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, for Berg Publishers, Oxford (UK). Eicher met with the two editors for the East Europe and West Europe volumes at the V&A Museum with editorial staff from Berg. She is also attending a symposium in Oxford on gender and ethnicity. Eicher has also been asked to serve on the advisory board of the Textile Research Center associated with the Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, Netherlands. The center has an extensive collection of ethnic and regional dress and textiles, with an emphasis on Islamic apparel.

Arthur Chen (Architecture) served on an expert panel for UNESCO in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the city's historic district.

Phillip G. Koski's (Architecture) Inland Office for Tomorrow's Architecture (IOTA), is one of six architects to receive the 2007 Young Architects Award for leadership in design and service. Koski was appointed by the Minneapolis City Council to serve on the volunteer Historic Preservation Commission, which he currently chairs.

Ozayr Saloojee (Architecture) served as a juror for the Midwest Home and AIA Minnesota Architect of Distinction and Emerging Talent of the Year Awards. Additionally, Saloojee served as a jury member for the Site/Life Mapping exhibition, which is currently on display at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). He was co-curator of the interdisciplinary exhibit entitled Praxis/Practice at the Nash Gallery.

Saloojee was also awarded a faculty mini-grant from the Metropolitan Design Center.

John Comazzi (Architecture) received a grant-in-aid of research, artistry, and scholarship award for the development of a manuscript on the career and work of Balthazar Korab, one of the most prolific photographers of 20th century architecture.

Comazzi's paper, entitled "Hardly Stable and Never Complete: Detroit's Midway Urbanism," was forwarded by the moderators of the West Regional conference and accepted for presentation and publication at the ACSA National Conference in Philadelphia.

Comazzi presented a lecture as part of a symposium entitled "Designing for Youth and Children." The symposium, held at the Minnesota Children's Museum, was co-sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

The Corridor Housing Initiative won the 2007 National Grassroots Planning Award from the American Planning Association (APA). The project is convened by the Center for Neighborhoods and the Metropolitan Design Center (MDC), under the direction of Ann Forsyth (MDC), who provides design expertise. The project previously won a state award from the APA and was a finalist in the Innovations in American Government Awards, both in 2005.

Publications

Marilyn Bruin (DHA) published "Social capital, housing planning, and rural community vitality" in The International Scope Review, vol. 8, no. 13, pp. 1-15, 2006.

Becky Yust (DHA) and Marilyn Bruin (DHA) published "Housing Needs in Rural Communities" in Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 98(4), 15-19.

Ritu Bhatt's (Architecture) "Aesthetic or Anaesthetic: Competing Symbols on the Las Vegas Strip" will be published in Instruction as Provocation, or Relearning from Las Vegas edited by Aron Vinegar and Michael Golec to be published by the University of Minnesota Press.

"Innovative by Nature," an article in the January/February issue of Architecture Minnesota by William Weber (Center for Sustainable Building Research) highlights Marc Swackhammer's (Architecture) graduate studio which explored the emerging field of biomimicry and its impact on design and the design process. Swackhamer is developing that coursework through a seminar called "bio-inspired systems" co-taught with Vincent James, VJAA Architects.

Presentations

Peter Hall (Design Institute) presented a peer-reviewed paper, "From Mainland to Island: an ongoing experiment in participant-driven education and short-term, intensive research as an alternative to the design conference" at Design Frontier: graphic design education in small programs and non-urban regions, an AIGA design education conference held at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, December 2-3.

Brad Hokanson (DHA) presented a peer-reviewed paper, "By Measure: Creativity in Design" at a conference in sunny Cardiff, Wales, entitled Creativity or Conformity: Building Cultures of Creativity in Higher Education, January 6-10.

Colophon

CDes MEMO is published by the College of Design at the University of Minnesota bi-weekly, every other Thursday, September through May, on the Web. Please send comments, questions, or submissions to Michael Fraase, mfraase@umn.edu.

Submissions are due by noon Wednesday prior to Thursday publication. Spring semester publication dates are: January 25, February 8, February 22, March 8, March 22, April 5, April 19, and May 3.

This e-mail was sent by: University of Minnesota, College of Design. 32 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA.