The Department of Architecture in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) hosted its first annual student awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 6. The event recognized multiple undergraduates, graduates, and alumni of the architecture programs for their academic achievement, as well as scholarship and fellowship recipients.
The ceremony began with the undergraduate awards presented by James Fuller, department chair and undergraduate program director. The first set of awards were for the HOME competition, led by Duo Dickinson, FAIA. The HOME competition required students to design a 600-square-foot home for themselves on a real site, in just three weeks. The HOME Competition Merit Award recipients included Hasan Ramic BS’21; Michael Bernal BS’19, MArch ’20; Kurtis Nickischer BS’21; Alex Lister BS’21; Casey DiFranceisco BS’21; Matthew Rios BS’21, Christian Azana BS’21; Joseph Ghunney BS’22; and Steven Ross BS’22.
Ahmed Abdelghani BS’21 received the HOME Competition Beauty Award.
Jack Rose BS’21 received the HOME Competition Complexity Award.
Raul Mesias BS’21 received the HOME Competition Realization Award.
The next award recognition highlighted the architecture division winner of the spring 2020 CETA Design Expo. Karoline Marie Petersen BS’20 won for her design of Grondalshus. Her design encompasses the benefits of a mixed-generation facility that brings together the innocent joy and happiness from children with the wise and caring elderly.
The final set of undergraduate awards were for the Newport Memorial Design Competition for the Newport Middle Passage and Port Marker (NMPPM) Project. Students researched, designed, and presented their memorial concepts to advance the NMPPM Project in their pursuit of creating a landmark memorial in Newport, Rhode Island, and for awareness of the local and international history of slavery.
First Prize went to Alexander Toth BS’20, MArch’21 in recognition of the design concept that achieved NMPPMP's committee goals and the University expectations of balancing creativity, high aspirations, and feasibility.
The Newport Memorial Competition Recognition Award recipients included Katie Scanlon MArch’19; Alexis Hoff MArch’19; Chris Osborne BS’19; Katelyn Royce BS’19; Joseph Gokey BS’19; Lasse Nielsen (Danish exchange student who studied at UHart during the fall of 2018 as a third-year undergraduate student); Nabila Ahmed MArch’19; and Raudra Patel BS’19, MArch’20. This award is in recognition for the contribution to the Newport Memorial Project through the advancement of site analysis and understanding of site design constraints and opportunities.
The undergraduate awards were followed by the graduate awards for our Master of Architecture program, presented by Seth Holmes, graduate program director.
The Alpha Rho Chi Medal was awarded to Bryan Hurlburt BS’19, MArch’20. This medal represents the National Professional Fraternity for Architecture and the Allied Arts and is presented to the graduating student who has shown an ability for leadership, performed willing service for his or her school or department, and gives promise of real professional merit through his or her attitude and personality.
The AIA Henry Adams Medal was awarded to Randy Begin BS’19, MArch’20. For more than a century, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has provided this medal of excellence to the top graduating students in NAAB or CACB accredited degrees—Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, or Doctor of Architecture. The award is named in honor of Henry Adams (1838–1918), a historian, author, and scholar who donated his book Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres, and eventually the royalties from his book, to the AIA.
Six graduate scholarships were also awarded.
The Master of Architecture Scholarship was awarded to Dirian Lira-Huerta BS’19, MArch’21 and Brianna Ray MArch’22. The purpose of this endowed scholarship is to promote and enhance the education of graduate students in the University of Hartford’s Master of Architecture program. The scholarship fund was endowed by an anonymous donor.
The David N. Labau Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Andrew Petersen BS’20, MArch’21 and Kwabena Anyinam MArch’23. The purpose of the endowed scholarship is to honor the memory of David N. Labau, FAIA, by awarding a scholarship to a student studying architecture at the graduate level. Labau was a founding principal of the SLAM Collaborative (formerly known as Stecker, LaBau, Arneill, McManus) and a driving force behind the effort to develop a Master of Architecture program at the University of Hartford.
The Frederick J. Mahaffey Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Alexander Toth BS’20, MArch’21 and Bryce Ramsay BS’20, MArch’22. The purpose of this endowed scholarship is to honor the memory of Fredrick J. Mahaffey, FAIA, a former adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Hartford, by awarding a scholarship to a student studying architecture at the graduate level. Awardees demonstrate outstanding academic performance and leadership. Per the donor's gift instructions, preference is given to students who identify as LGBTQ; however this is not a requirement for receiving the award.
Finally, the Tai Soo Kim Traveling Fellowship was awarded to Bryan Hurlburt BS’19, MArch’20 for his exploration of alternative travel infrastructure. The Fellowship, which is made possible through the generosity of architect Tai Soo Kim, FAIA, supports the travel of a graduating Master of Architecture student or student team each year to further their independent study of architecture. Students may travel anywhere they wish. The Fellowship supports travel expenses of up to $6,000. Awardees return to the University the following spring to give a public lecture on their studies and travels as part of the JCJArchitecture Architecture Lecture Series.
Congratulations to all students for their achievements and recognition this year.