building a better texas

Texas A&M Master of Urban Planning graduate Heather Wade ‘11, Texas’ first coastal community development agent, is creating plans with leaders in Coastal Bend counties with the twin aims of retaining the area’s coastal charm while growing in environmentally responsible ways.

Students in a construction science class are preparing bids for an off-the-electrical-grid high school concept based on a project in Addison, Texas, where they took a site tour led by contractor Satterfield & Pontikes.

Governor Rick Perry, EA Games President Frank Gibeau and COO Daryl Holt offered praise for the significant talent pool offered by programs such as the undergraduate and graduate degrees in visualization at Texas A&M during a press conference announcing EA's expansion into Austin.

A July 7, 2011 CNN story on Texas colonias highlights recent and ongoing efforts led by the College of Architecture aimed at enhancing the quality of life in these impoverished border communities, many of which lack basic necessities such as potable water, electricity and sewer systems.

Peter Lang, associate professor of architecture, discussed his border studio initiatives in the Los Lomas colonia at the June 24-26 Dwell on Design conference in L. A. His students developed survival strategies and partnered with colonia residents to improve the border community.

Students in the Master of Science in Land Development program prepared for careers in the property industry by visiting three of the Houston area’s most notable mixed-use developments, then worked with the developers to craft leasing proposals for a hypothetical business.

Chanam Lee, professor of urban planning at Texas A&M, will tell the American Public Health Association how the built environment can impede the physical activity of children and overweight adults at the group’s annual meeting this fall in Washington, D.C.

As head of Ellis Custom Homes, the fourth fastest-growing small business in the Brazos Valley, Keith Ellis ’88, a construction science former student, received a Bryan Rotary/Newman 10 Award. The honor was presented to the region's 10-fastest-growing businesses.

Debra Dockery, a former student at Texas A&M’s College of Architecure, has been tapped by Texas governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, which regulates the practice of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design throughout the state.

Environmental design students worked alongside residents of Las Lomas, a South Texas colonia, on projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the border community. Colonias leaders asked students to create after-school activities and identify ways to raise funds for community center staffing.

Four teams of construction science students charged with developing a lean construction delivery schedule for a new jail presented their work to a jury of industry professionals in a competition at the Texas A&M System offices.

Funds raised from the sale of two playhouses designed by Dan Fletcher, who earned a Master of Architecture degree in 2007, will benefit a nonprofit advocacy group in Dallas for abused children in the court system.

Rodney Hill, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, added another award to his lengthy list of teaching honors May 2 when he was named a Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. Hill was one of ten academicians receiving the 2011 award honoring superior educators, which includes a $5,000 honorarium.

For a class exercise, third year Texas A&M construction science students grappled with industry ethics issues then faced a panel of industry professionals and a nationally renowned business ethics expert who peppered them with questions about their responses to ethical quandaries.

Kenneth Fowler, principal, founding partner and executive vice president of Rialto Studio in San Antonio, discussed his three decades in landscape architecture in an April 6 lecture. He has practiced in the Alamo City since 1982 and is currently involved in project design and management of large-scale projects.