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Cover story
 Design
and the digital revolution
Computers have profoundly changed design and the construction, fabrication, and
consumption of designed products and environments, making them more affordable,
efficient, and accessible. At the same time, this digital revolution has led
to an integration of design, production, and distribution in ways never seen
before, resulting in the blurring of once-clear boundaries between designers
and fabricators and producers and consumers. Full story
Features
Ralph Rapson: September 13, 1914-March 29, 2008
Ralph Rapson, celebrated architect and head of the School of Architecture at
the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1984, died at his home on March 29.
He was 93. One of the last of the second generation of modern architects in America
still practicing, Rapson was at the drawing board the day he died. Full
story
Solar Decathlon 2009
What's new under the sun? Students and faculty from the College of Design hope
the answer will be beauty and functionality as they begin work on the University
of Minnesota's entry in the prestigious Solar Decathlon. Full story
Jack of GIS
On April 2, the Regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Jack Dangermond
the degree of doctor of science, honoris causa. The College of Design was one
of four colleges that jointly sponsored the honorary doctorate, in recognition
of Dangermond's pioneering work in the development of global information system
(GIS) software as a tool for improving the human condition through environmental
conservation, urban planning, and, most importantly, education. Full
story
Letterpress brings the digits back into the digital
The graphic design program has just opened a letterpress and polymer plate studio--acquired
recently from publisher Greg Britton--next door to the Surface Design Studio
in McNeal Hall. We have 50 cases of lead type (but we're looking for more!) and
a Vandercook SP-15 cylinder press, a Vandercook proofing press, and an Ostrander
Seymour iron hand press, circa 1896. Full
story
Columns
Dean Fisher
Visit the College of Design and you'll see computers everywhere: students
working wirelessly on their laptops, faculty PowerPointing their way through
lectures, and staff engaged in all sorts of electronic efforts. Likewise, you
will see the future of computing in our labs, from body scanners helping us to
create custom clothing, to head-mounted goggles allowing us to enter into virtual
designs and manipulate them in real time. Full story
Around the college
Feldman to speak at CDes commencement... Emerging no longer... Abandon Your Threads...
Sacred Sites... Conspicuous collection... Full
story
Architecture
Imagine sketching your dream home, or a concert hall, or a new office building.
As you draw, every line becomes more than a line; the rectangle that defines
the window knows how much the window costs, its energy efficiency, even where
the other windows are. If you move it an inch to the left, all the other windows
you've drawn know it's been moved, too. Full story
Landscape Architecture
We at the Department of Landscape Architecture have always embraced technology
cautiously. There are many benefits of integrating digital tools into a design
curriculum, but there are also pitfalls, namely that technology might be used
as a crutch, rather than as a helping hand. Our educational goal has always been
to help students find their own design voices by building their fundamental design
skills. Some technology can aid in this process, and some can overshadow it.
We regularly offer seminar classes on a variety of current tools, such as HydroCAD,
AutoCAD, InDesign, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Google SketchUp, Geographic Information
Systems (GIS), and GIS-based support systems design: a means of facilitating
effective public involvement and decision making. Full story
Design, Housing, and Apparel
Computers certainly have reshaped the landscape for teaching, research, and applying
what we learn to the real world, from the way designers conceptualize rooms to
how they create clothes or communicate visually. Despite these massive changes
since the dawn of the digital age, one thing has remained constant: the need
for people with creative minds and critical thinking skills, who can generate
ideas and bring them to life. Full story
News
Awards... Appointments... Grants... Publications... Exhibitions and presentations... Students... Alumni... Deaths... Full story
Donors' gifts provide sustained support
A number of alumni and friends have made significant gifts to the college to
establish endowments, which are permanent funds that support students through
scholarships, fellowships, or other programs. In many cases these gifts are matched
by University programs, doubling their impact. Thank you, donors! Full
story
The College of Design Advisory Board
The College of Design's Advisory Board works with Dean Fisher to review the relationship
of CDes to the design community. Each member of the advisory board has been selected
because of his or her expertise and relationship to the college, its students,
and alumni. The board meets several times a year to look broadly at the scope
and direction of College of Design programs. We asked two of our board members
about the impact of digital design trends on their professions. Full story
Alumni
Get involved... Stay connected... Grow professionally... Career Fair attracts
students and alumni... New grads exhibition party... Join the College of Design
Alumni Society... Full
story
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