Architecture students Annie Chiang, Ryan Dirks, Lindsay Rasmussen, Eric Schmidt, and Ashly Tuffo won the poster competition at the recent Graduate Student Research Forum for their project, "An Energy Analysis of The Stellar Apartments."  

Chiang also presented individual research about the Stellar Apartment project, which through several variables compares Passive House (PH) and Earth Advantage (EA) building certifications through research investigating total energy use, space-heater use in PH vs. EA units, whether energy use reduction met anticipated goals, whether carbon dioxide levels met recommended levels, and more.

More than 150 students participated in this year’s forum, which was organized around four themes that highlighted the impact of graduate student work: Science and the Social Good; Academy, Race, and (In)Equality: Bridging Research and Practice; Human Rights, Development, and Sustainability; and Imaginative Design, Art, and Performance.

Other A&AA student research presented at the forum included:

In Architecture:
• Belal Abboushi—“Daylight Redirecting Double Façade Prototype.”
• Ryan Dirks—“A Quantitative Methodology for the Evaluation of Thermal Bridges in Buildings.”
• James Miller—“Climate Displacement and Placemaking in Middle America.”  

In Planning, Public Policy and Management:
• Stephen Dobrinich (Community and Regional Planning)—“Regional Governance: Local Planning and Development Implications.”
• Eren Kavvas (Nonprofit Management)—“Can Nonprofits Really Be ‘Business-Like’?”
• Liz Rickles (Public Administration)—“Methods of National Dissemination and Network Building for the UO Sustainable City Year Program.”
• Kelsey Zlevor (Community and Regional Planning)—“Strategies for Merging Contemporary Urban Policy with SCI Programming and Research Priorities.”

In History of Art and Architecture:
• Meredith Lancaster—“Oppositions Reconciled: Marcel Duchamp at the Julien Levy Gallery, 1944 Imagery of Chess Exhibition.”

In Landscape Architecture:
• Gwynhwyfer Mhuireach—“Urban Microbiome Pilot Study: Parks and Parking Lots.”

In Arts and Administration:
• Beatrice Ogden (Arts Management)—“In Search of the Transformational: Evaluating Exhibitions to Enhance Museum User Experience.”
• Noriko Rice (Arts Management)—“Visual Art in Medical School: Integrating Visual Thinking Strategies in Medical School Curriculum.”
• Tara Burke (Arts Management)—Flow, a creative work. 

The daylong event showcased the research and creative works of graduate students representing more than fifty disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professions. The forum featured thirteen interdisciplinary sessions, a number of artistic and creative works, and a two-hour poster session, followed by an evening reception at the Barn Light Café in downtown Eugene.

This year, an estimated 250 people attended the Graduate Forum at its new location in the Ford Alumni Center. Participants were given the opportunity to network with other graduate students, faculty and community members, and practiced presentation of their research in a competitive conference setting.

Above: Architecture students (from left) Ashley Tuffo, Annie Chiang, Eric Schmidt, Lindsay Rasmussen, and Ryan Dirks won the poster competition at the recent Graduate Student Research Forum for their project, "An Energy Analysis of The Stellar Apartments."

Above: Architecture student Annie Chiang presented her individual research about the Stellar Apartment project, which through several variables compares Passive House (PH) and Earth Advantage (EA) building certifications through research investigating total energy use, space-heater use in PH vs. EA units, whether energy use reduction met anticipated goals, whether carbon dioxide levels met recommended levels, and more. Click the image above to view pdf.

Above: Architecture student Belal Abboushi’s project, “Daylight Redirecting Double Façade Prototype.”Abboushi worked on the project with architecture student Shane O'Neil.

Above: Arts management student Beatrice Ogden and her project, “In Search of the Transformational: Evaluating Exhibitions to Enhance Museum User Experience.”

Above: History of art and architecture major Meredith Lancaster’s project was “Oppositions Reconciled: Marcel Duchamp at the Julien Levy Gallery, 1944 Imagery of Chess Exhibition.” Image courtesy Meredith Lancaster.

Above: Community and regional planning student Kelsey Zlevor’s topic was “Strategies for Merging Contemporary Urban Policy with SCI Programming and Research Priorities.”

Above: Kelsey Zlevor (at left) poses with Liz Rickles and Zlevor’s poster. Both work at the Sustainable Cities Initiative and presented their separate works at the research forum: Rickles’ was on nationalizing the Sustainable City Year Program, and Zlevor’s was on creating a research theme year for SCI based on upcoming state policy.

Above: Landscape architecture major Gwynhwyfer Mhuireach researched “Urban Microbiome Pilot Study: Parks and Parking Lots.” Click the image above to view pdf.

Above: Architecture student James Miller’s research project was entitled “Climate Displacement and Placemaking in Middle America.”

Above: Ryan Dirk’s research project was “A Quantitative Methodology for the Evaluation of Thermal Bridges in Buildings.” Click the image above to view pdf.