APDesign 07-15-13
Weekly APDesign E-News
Monday, July 15, 2013
Jackson Hired as Communications and Events Coordinator for
the College of Architecture, Planning & Design
Manhattan, KS – Kansas State University’s College of Architecture Planning and Design announces the hiring of Thomas Jackson as the new Communications and Events Coordinator. In his new position, Jackson is responsible for coordinating all internal and external communications and activities for the College. “We are excited to bring Thom on board here at the College of Architecture Planning and Design” said Tim DeNoble, Dean of the College. Thom is a long time resident of the Manhattan area and brings a real commitment to the University. Jackson is a graduate of the State University of New York Institute of Technology with a degree in Telecommunications and moved to Kansas in 1994. He previously worked at Kansas State University, McCain Auditorium as the Assistant Director and most recently as the Executive Director of Foundation/Marketing at Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community. Jackson said that he is honored to be hired and share his experience in marketing, public relations and event planning with the University community.
Who Took the Stairs!?
Some may have noticed some rearranging of the shop space as of late. One of the big changes was the removal of the stairs going through the middle of the shop. Josh Cheek, an instructor in Landscape Architecture/ Regional & Community Planning, said that removing the stairs gives much needed safety and security to everyone. It will be easier for instructors to ensure proper usage of the equipment thus taking better care of it for years to come. Paul Morrison, Teaching Technician, also added that removing the stairs would create more floor space for the students to work and to accommodate the expected new equipment – a CNC Plasma Cutter and, in the future, a plastic thermoformer.
It is planned that as an added security measure, students will need to get a key card prior to shop use to gain access to the shop. The key card is set up the same as those used for the plotter room. For students to get a key card they must go to CNS Seaton 12. Cards are issued one time free of charge. If students lose their key card there is a $20.00 fee for replacement.
Cheek and Morrison may be contacted by email at shop@k-state.edu with any questions.
APDesign Shop welcomes Paul Morrison to the team
The College of Architecture, Planning and Design would like to extend a warm welcome to Paul Morrison our new teaching technician. Morrison was born and raised in Michigan, before making his colligate start at Berkeley in California studying English. During his undergraduate studies he became a shop technician for the Architecture department, where he stayed for the next 14 years. “My English degree really helped with my proposals, more of them were accepted and we were able to get a lot done,” he said. Morrison is glad to be a part of the team at Kansas State University, and is excited to get busy making improvements around the building.
Intersession Course Offered
ARCH 715 is an interdisciplinary intersession class that will explore the growing social sector of planning, design, engineering, architecture, and construction known as "Public Interest". The course content will focus on maximizing a project's positive impact on local communities, working as a partner and collaborator with other organizations, and addressing critical issues faced by underserved populations through the built environment. Prior students have found this class extremely helpful in preparing for their 5th year studio project but also thought it effective for 2nd and 3rd year students who might have an interest in this area of practice. The course has received rave reviews but this is the first time it is being taught in the August intersession and enrollment is low. If interested, please contact Jill Kurtz (jmskurtz@ksu.edu) or enroll by July 19th.
Design Days in LA|RCP
Design Days is an annual event the Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning hosts, bringing together landscape architecture and planning students to apply creativity, design and problem solving to a project in our community. Design Days is an exciting two-day design event that tackles contemporary issues as well as introduces the collaborative culture of our programs to incoming students. In the past the students have worked on developing creative solutions for developing a more bike-friendly city, creating food-producing landscapes on campus, and rethinking recycling at K-State.
This year, during a two-day design charette, August 27-28, LAR|CP students will imagine a future Manhattan, Kansas where K-State is a top 50 U.S. research institution, NBAF is in operation, and the city has grown. Before the event, community residents will be invited to share their desires for the future of Manhattan via a wish ticket. Teams of students will develop plans and designs illustrating a future Manhattan shaped by these community wishes.
Wishes will be collected from July to early August. Community members may place their written wishes in boxes located at Manhattan businesses; during presentations to civic and business organizations; or, electronically via Twitter, Facebook and our blog:
wishscientist@twitter.com
#iwishmanhattan
Iwishmanhattan@facebook.com
iwishmanhattan.wordpress.com
A public exhibit of student’s work will be part of the 2013 Purple Power Play in the Park, the evenings of Wednesday, August 28 and Thursday August 29. The City of Manhattan, The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and Purple Power Play on Poyntz support Design Days 2013.
Technological Advancements
This year students can expect to see an amazing improvement in the computer lab. CNS is installing 31 new computers with new high definition, panoramic displays that will replace every computer currently in the lab. Of those computers 30 will be dedicated to student use and one for faculty.
In addition to the new computers, a plethora of new hardware and software upgrades will enhance the user experience. Lab Professors will now be able to share their screens with the students or share a student's screen with the class, making it possible to assist many users at the same time. The computers will specifically help the students and faculty within the Landscape Architecture program who, in the past had issues running Vue, which is a program that uses a vast amount of memory. Included in the upgrades are boosting RAM from 6 GB to 12 GB, latest versions of Rhino and Creative Suite Master Collection. The computers will be identical to recommended studio equipment, providing students with consistency and reliable software.
