The Rinker School celebrates new name, M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management
In January, the Rinker School hosted a welcome reception for new students giving them the opportunity to learn about opportunities within the school such as services, clubs and teams. The Rinker School also kicked off the new year with a new school name, the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management. The school hosted a celebration which included photos, dinner and live music.
UF team selected for 2015 Solar Decathalon
The University of Florida, partnering with Santa Fe College, Alachua Habitat for Humanity and the National University for Singapore, Department of Architecture, has been selected as one of 20 teams to participate in the 2015 Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
After being selected, the 20 Solar Decathlon 2015 teams begin a two-year process to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient houses that combine affordability, innovation and design excellence. The teams will design, construct and test their houses before reassembling them in fall 2015 at the competition site at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif.
SBE student recognized as Outstanding Two-Year Scholar
Charles B. Sewell, SBE 2013, was selected as an Outstanding Two-Year Scholar by the University of Florida selection committee for outstanding scholars. Sewell was recognized at the Fall 2013 Commencement and was featured in the Commencement program (see page 14). Sewell majored in sustainability and the built environment with a minor in urban and regional planning.
Two DCP alums selected as UF’s Top Twenty Under 30
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| Travis J. Kolbjornsen, BCN 2007, one of UF’s Top Twenty Under 30 | Matthew Meyer, LAE 2010, one of UF’s Top Twenty Under 30 |
Travis J. Kolbjornsen, BCN 2007, and Matthew Meyer, LAE 2010, have been added to UF’s list of Top Twenty Under 30 Alumni. Both Kolbjornsen and Meyer were recognized and featured in the Winter issue of the Florida Gator Alumni Association magazine.
Kolbjornsen is a project scheduler at Walt Disney World Co. Facility Asset Management. In his position, Kolbjornsen visualizes a project and then directs each detail until completion. He says his mentors Dr. Richard Smailes, construction management senior lecturer, and Michael Cook, construction management lecturer, inspired and challenged him. Kolbjornsen spent his summers interning at Walt Disney Imagineering and after graduation from UF, accepted a project engineer position with James A. Cummings, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale. While at Cummings, Kolbjornsen returned to Gainesville to help construct the UF Southwest Parking Garage Complex. Today, he is involved in the Central Florida Gator BCN Club, serving as the 2013 president and also is involved in the ACE Mentor Program.
Meyer is a landscape designer at Walt Disney Imagineering where he works behind the scenes in creative design and development at the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, in Glendale, Calif. As a landscape designer, Meyer helps design unique spaces that transform stories into one-of-a-kind settings. While at UF, he spent a summer interning at Imagineering and won several awards including the DCP Undergraduate Student Academic Achievement Award, which he received at the college’s Spring 2010 commencement, and the ASLA UF Award of Honor. Today, Meyer is developing projects for Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando and travels for research trips to Asia and around the world.
Grand Guard members visit DCP
Jim Pugh, BCN 1963, Donald Crews, BCN 1963, Robert Peppel, BCN 1963, Wayne Goff, BCN 1963, Lynn Howe, IND 1963, Brenda Jordan (guest), Burton Jordan, BCN 1963, Gail Jennings (guest), Richard Goldbaugh, ARCH 1963, Susan Bankston(guest) and John Bankston, BCN 1963.
The University of Florida Class of 1963 and Grand Guard members, alumni who graduated 50 years ago, came back to campus for a three-day reunion Nov. 21-23. DCP was pleased to welcome back eight Grand Guard members, including graduates from architecture, building construction and interior design. While at DCP, the Grand Guard members had lunch with faculty at Rinker Hall, got a 3-D demonstration from Construction Management Professor Dr. Raymond Issa in the BIM Lab and took a tour of the Architecture Building including the gallery, co-Lab and Fab Lab.
Ransdell recognized with IND Rising Leader Award
The Department of Interior Design recognized Marlo Ransdell, Ph.D. 2009, with the 2014 Rising Leader Alumni Award. This is the first year the department recognized an alumnus who works in interior design education.
Ransdell received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in interior design at the University of Kentucky. She continued her education and completed her doctorate at DCP in 2009. Her research focused on virtual learning communities in interior design and she received a minor in educational technology. During her tenure at UF, Ransdell gained a reputation as an emerging scholar and first class teaching assistant. Her passion for design continued, as she moved to Tallahassee to join the faculty at Florida State University where she is now an assistant professor and Director of Studio D.
Haskell visits UF campus and DCP
Preston Haskell, founder of The Haskell Company, one of the nation’s largest design-build construction companies, was part of UF’s Knight Fellowship in-Residence program which brings public- and private-sector leaders to campus. For several weeks, Haskell visited different colleges on campus, including DCP. While at DCP, Haskell met and interacted with faculty and students and lectured at the Rinker School.
Alumni Awards |
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Walter Meyer, BLA 1999, Jonathan C. Moore, BDes 1983 and MArch 1986, Camila Borges, BDes 2011, and the construction management team of Moss-Miller LLC have all won awards in 2013. > For more information on the awards > Won an award recently? Email us your award-winning project. |
Williams inducted as a national ASLA officer |
In November, Kay Williams, LAE associate professor, was inducted as the national ASLA Vice President, Education for 2014 – 15. Williams was sworn in at the ASLA’s Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston. Leading up to the induction, Williams served as chair of the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board for four years; she was the first non-European to serve on an accreditation team for Zentrale Evaluations-und Akkreditierungdsgrntur (ZEVA) which reviewed the Master of Landscape Architecture program at Anhalt University in Bernberg, Germany; she’s been active in ASLA national committees and task forces since 1997; and chaired the Landscape Architecture Body of Knowledge Study (LABOK) in 2005 which served as a key component in definition, scope and content of the profession for licensure and accreditation standards. |
Silver’s op-ed featured in the Huffington Post |
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DCP Dean Christopher Silver’s op-ed on his research in Jakarta was featured in the Huffington Post. Silver’s piece relates the megacity of Jakarta to the large metropolis, Atlanta. The piece discusses the similarities between the cities’ transportation issues in large urban areas. |
IND ProDay 2013 |
For interior design students, ProDay 2013 offered a unique opportunity to network with industry professionals. The event, held Dec. 6, drew interior designers from Atlanta and across the state of Florida to DCP to participate in a one-day event, known as ProDay, to enrich student learning and development. Interior design students had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one mock interviews with practitioners, attend a networking lunch and participate in panel discussions. |
Upcoming Events |
SOA Lecture Series Iñaki Alday Monday, March 10 6:15 p.m. SOA Lecture Series Felipe Mesa Monday, March 17 6:15 p.m. DCP Spring Commencement Saturday, May 3 at 3 p.m. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts |
Alumni News |
Ivan Gomez, MArch 2004, became a licensed architect. Jabari Taylor, BLA 2013, started a job at Buford Davis and Associates in Gainesville, Fla. Have some news to share with fellow alumni? We want to hear from you! Share your news with us for a future issue of Perspective Online. |
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