College of Design

A native of China, Lanbin Ren had never heard of Oregon when she saw a poster advertising the University of Oregon’s brand-new PhD program in landscape architecture. She was about to graduate with a master of science in architecture from the University of Cincinnati, but wasn’t ready to leave academia. “I wanted to learn something new but still related to architecture, and I thought landscape could be an option, so I applied,” she says.

Accepted in 2007, in December 2012 she became the program’s first PhD graduate.

When interior architect Kijeong Jeon, MIArch ’89, was hired to select carpet for a new building in 2008, little did he know the project would lead him to designing “calming spaces” for people with developmental disorders such as autism. Today Jeon, professor and coordinator of the interior design program at California State University, Chico, is recognized as a pioneer in the design of “multi-sensory environments” in the United States.

Today’s college graduates must be prepared to enter a far more diverse workforce than that of their parents or even those who graduated just 10 years prior. An interdisciplinary two-year pilot program at UO that combines intercultural competency training with professional development is designed to address the increasing need for diversity in the workplace. Registration for this year’s program closes March 15.

Applications to the University of Oregon’s 2013 Croatia Conservation Field School are being accepted through March 1 for the program on Croatia's central Dalmatian Coast June 21-July 19. Registration priority will be give to students in historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, and other A&AA majors and programs.

Amanda Wojick usually creates art that is “intentionally fragile” using ordinary materials such as paint chips, linoleum flooring, Band-Aids, polystyrene, and different kinds of paper to create small and large abstract sculptures and drawings. But about 18 months ago she added welded steel to her palette – creating art she characterizes as “firmly situated in the world of permanence and durability.”

Early bird registration ends February 22 for the Sustainable City Year (SCY) conference scheduled April 9-12 in Eugene and Portland. The three-day conference is for university representatives and partners interested in establishing a SCY program at their home institutions.

Architecture or interior architecture alumni of the University of Oregon under age 35 are eligible to compete between February 1 and March 8 for the Cavin Family Traveling Fellowship, an annual competition offered only to graduates from UO or Cal Poly Pomona.

Professor Judith Sheine (pictured at left) joined the School of Architecture and Allied Arts in December as new head of the Department of Architecture. A nationally recognized educator and architect, she comes to Oregon from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Tom Fortier, BArch ‘81, has joined HOK's San Francisco studio as vice president and director of science and technology practice in San Francisco. Fortier, AIA, LEED AP, will guide the group's strategic initiatives while leading individual projects.

"Feminist Art and the Counterculture" is the topic of a talk by History of Art and Architecture Associate Professor Kate Mondloch at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on Wednesday, February 20, at 5:30 p.m.