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If placing a penny on the Sul Ross statue at Texas A&M brings good luck on tests, three visualization students whose experimental typography project at the statue that included 13,496 pennies should do just fine on their remaining test days.

Faculty research from the 2011-12 academic year was featured at the 14th Annual Texas A&M College of Architecture Research Symposium: Natural, Built, Virtual Oct. 22 at the Langford Architecture Center on the Texas A&M campus.

An Oct. 12 National Geographic channel program showcasing a mansion built by John D. Rockefeller, one of history's foremost businessmen and philanthropists, was hosted by David Applebaum ‘80, an L.A. architect and an outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture.

Shannon Van Zandt, the new director of the Center for Housing and Urban Development, is redefining and expanding the center's mission after its separation from the Colonias Program, the center's primary focus since its inception in 1991.

Environmental design students partnered with a San Antonio design firm to fabricate plates supporting a giant dinosaur sculpture made from canned goods that will eventually provide hunger relief to south Texans as part of a unique annual food drive contest.

Ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., groundwater-dependent Montgomery County, Texas is confronted with a looming water crisis threatening future growth, according to a study by urban planners at Texas A&M University.

Last July, the Master of Science in Construction Management program at Texas A&M University became one of the world's first graduate programs to earn accreditation from the American Council for Construction Education.

A new research institute dedicated to a better understanding of establishing sustainable and resilient coastal communities, places and landscapes will combine resources of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture and Texas A&M University at Galveston.

Students from all disciplines at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture will design and build a single-family residence during the 2012-13 academic year in a subdivision near downtown Bryan as part of the new collegewide Real Projects initiative.

Former students are paying homage to the John A. Harris '54, a legendary Houston constructor, by leading a fund-raising effort to name the entry way to Francis Hall, the future campus home of the Department of Construction Science, in his honor.

This fall marks a milestone for Texas A&M University with the first cadre of Master of Fine Arts in Visualization students beginning their studies. The university's first MFA degree program is designed to prepare artists for art-oriented vocations.

An eco-park concept aimed at reducing food waste through public education, developed by an interdisciplinary Texas A&M student team, netted first place in a worldwide contest seeking solutions to the world’s most pressing food issues.

From painting the lush Scottish landscape, lighting and shading scenes, and putting the curl in princess Merida's shock of bright red hair, 24 former Texas A&M visualization students working at Pixar Animation Studios made major contributions to the summer blockbuster, “Brave.”

The impact of acoustics on autistic students’ learning is being studied by Shireen Kanakri, a Ph.D. architecture student at Texas A&M. Planning and designing a classroom to address the auditory sensitivity of autistic students is critical, she said, but there has been little architectural research in this area.

Throughout the 2012-13 academic year the Texas A&M College of Architecture is celebrating a "Year of Diversity" with a variety of projects and special events spotlighting the value of cultural diversity and its relevance to the disciplines taught at the college.