Honors

For his creative use of several types of wood in the renovation of Houston Holy Ghost Catholic Church, architect David Morris ‘57 recently earned an Excellence in Wood Design Award from the Texas Forestry Association.

A solar-powered beach umbrella capable of powering portable electronic devices, built by a team of Texas A&M Design Process students, earned third place in the nationwide Innovative Design Competition sponsored by Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

As the 2012-13 WHR Architects Tradewell Fellow, Akshay Sangolli, a graduate Texas A&M architecture student, will work on some of the firm’s upcoming projects alongside some of the nation’s leading healthcare facility design professionals.

The effects of daylight on healthcare workers and the care they provide, and how that impacts operating costs at health facilities, are the focus of an award-winning investigation by Rana Zadeh, a Ph.D. architecture student at Texas A&M.

As the new director of the International Union of Architects Public Health Group, George J. Mann, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, said he will advocate heightened patient care, improved health care access and availability, and quality, affordable health facilities worldwide.

Charles Culp, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, will help chart the course the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers as a new member of its board of directors and chairman of the group's Technical Activities Committee.

And the Oscar for Best Animated Feature goes to … “Rango,” the first feature-length animated movie created by the digital wizards — including eight former Texas A&M MS Visualization students — at Industrial Light & Magic. Aggie Vizzer Kevin Reuter worked for ILM as look development supervisor on the film.

A series of living spaces co-designed by Miguel Roldán, adjunct professor of architecture for Texas A&M’s study abroad program in Spain, were exhibited at the Catalunya College of Architects headquarters in Barcelona.

For cordially providing superlative service to students and faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Trisha Gottschalk, assistant to the department head, will receive a President’s Meritorious Service Award in a special honors ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21 in Rudder Theatre.

An upcoming edition of a classic textbook featuring a comprehensive collection of architectural drawing conventions and techniques will include examples of Texas A&M architecture and visualization student work.

This fall master of urban planning student Nick Oyler is traveling to Germany on a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship to study how Europe’s political, economic and cultural environment impact planning and sustainability.

Texas A&M land development graduate Jonathan Brinsden '92 helped his firm, Midway Companies, earn a 2012 Development of Distinction Award from the Urban Land Institute for its CityCentre project.

An exhibition retracing a landmark 1972 New York Museum of Modern Art exhibit of Italian design co-curated by Peter Lang, associate professor of architecture, was lauded as one of the world’s 2011 cultural highlights.

Rodney Hill, a professor of architecture who has emphasized the importance of creativity, exploration and self discovery to his students since joining Texas A&M’s faculty 43 years ago, has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, one of the highest honors the AIA bestows on its members.

The use of durable construction materials in maintenance and renovation projects can lower a building’s carbon footprint while lengthening its service life, said Manish Dixit, an architecture Ph.D. student at Texas A&M.