Faculty and students in the Colorado State University Department of Design and Merchandising continued to engage in learning, teaching, and research that has been recognized for excellence by both university peers and external academic and industry organizations.
Katie Knowles, assistant professor and curator of the Avenir Museum, was selected by CSU’s Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence (FIIE) as the recipient of the 2021 Diversity Impact Award for her outstanding contributions to infusing inclusivity, equity, and social justice across her teaching, research, and service activities. Leah Scolere, assistant professor, and Laura Malinin, associate professor, received a 2021 Award of Excellence from the Interior Design Educators Council, in the category of Best Presentation – Design Research, for their presentation “Virtual Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Process of Creating an AR Application for Interior Design.”
Two of interior architecture and design undergraduate students recently received 2020-21 “Rising Star” awards from the American Society of Interior Designers. Chelsey Beardsley was recognized for her “Srisaneha Shelter” project, which involved designing a home in a hurricane resistant pre-designed shell for a family of four that met aesthetic and spacial requirements. Alexandra Kirby was recognized for her “BLOOM: Immersive Education Center” project, an immersive education center for people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and social classes, which was located in New York City and designed to enrich lives through environmental education and minimizing building/user impacts on the environment.
Jain Kwon, assistant professor, and a student team led by DM graduate student Alea Schmidt, received an award at the College of Health and Human Sciences Research Day in the category of Distinction in Creative Scholarship-Graduate Student Award for the project titled “Implementation of Eye-Tracking in the Design Process for Branding and Wayfinding.” Another DM graduate student, Katie Miller (Sonali Diddi, adviser), received a Colorado State University Ventures “Demo Day” Award, in the category of Innovation in Health and Human Sciences, for her research “Made in Colorado, for Colorado: Designing a Regenerative Colorado Apparel System.”
Meghan Jackson, IAD senior, and co-presenters Crispin Haro (computer science), Dan Rehberg (computer science), and Will Schmitz (electronic art) received “High Honors” at CSU’s Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity symposium for the submission of their research poster, “Designing Augmented Reality Technology for Enhancing Building Design Strategies.”
Congratulations to all of the award winners!
The Department of Design and Merchandising is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
