External Recognition

Calkins in front of the COP30 sign in Brazil.

Jun 30, 2026

From Campus to COP30: How Landscape Architects are Leading Climate Action

Heat islands, urban deserts, dwindling biodiversity. Increased extreme weather events. As the world continues to experience the rapidly increasing effects of climate change, landscape architects like Meg Calkins, FASLA, FCELA are emerging as shaping solutions to the challenges affecting our physical environments today.

Byungsoo Kim, student Sam Lesser, Brian Leonard, Katie Gray Jackson, student Danielle Varner and David Oh.

Jun 23, 2026

Designing Together: Inside the First GXD+ID Joint Studio with Lenovo

In a new sponsored studio from Lenovo, students from industrial design and graphic & experience design came together to work as unified, holistic design teams. The studio asks a fundamental question: what happens when hardware and software designers learn to think and build together from the start?

A man in a motion capture suit talks to a cameraman in a production studio setting

Jun 22, 2026

AI Avatars and Digital Doubles are Stepping into Real Life

What happens when artificial intelligence can look, sound and respond just like a real person? In a recent Spectrum News feature, College of Design faculty explore the rise of AI avatars and digital humans, examining both the opportunities and ethical questions surrounding this rapidly evolving technology.

members of the 2024 Design + Build program for the Raleigh Skate Park

May 29, 2026

College of Design Faculty, Students and Alumni Take Home AIA Triangle Design Awards

The 2026 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Triangle Design Awards recognized numerous members of the College of Design community. The ceremony, which took place on April 16, was chaired by Andrew Thompson, AIA. The 2024 student design + build team took home an award for community impact through design, and professors of the practice who run EVOKE Studio and in situ studio took home a combined eleven awards.

Apr 6, 2026

Rethinking Digital Efficiency and Convenience

In this digital age, as convenience comes with a tap on a screen, the small everyday human moments are quickly disappearing. At a TEDx Talk at NC State University on April 3rd, Doctor of Design (DDes) candidate and designer Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna asked students to think critically about something as basic as a restaurant menu.

Group of architecture students posing together in the Brooks Hall Lobby.

Feb 25, 2026

2026 AIA Triangle Scholarship Winners Announced

This year’s American Institute of Architects Triangle (AIAT) Scholarship recipients tackled social, environmental, historical and spatial contexts head-on. From Southeast Raleigh to Lake Crabtree, from diagrammatic analysis to mixed-use urban revival, these student designers asked difficult questions about who architecture serves and how it shows up in the world.

Nov 10, 2025

Rooted at NC State: Red Dot Design Award Winner Showcases Research-Design-Industry Partnership

What began as a classroom challenge to improve care for mothers and newborns has grown into an award-winning medical device. After studying how hospital design made it difficult for mothers recovering from cesarean birth to reach their infants, NC State industrial design students collaborated with UNC researchers and design firm Trig to create the Couplet Care Bassinet. Now used in hospitals across the U.S., the bassinet allows new mothers to safely connect with their babies — a powerful example of design improving everyday lives.

ASLA 2023 Professional General Design Honor Award. The Meadow at the Old Chicago Post Office. Chicago, Illinois. Hoerr Schaudt / Dave Burk

Oct 27, 2025

Landscape Architects Commit to Zero Emissions and Biodiversity Increases by 2040

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and ASLA Fund announced today that it has released a new plan to address the climate and biodiversity crises together. The new Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan was developed by a high-profile Task Force of five landscape architects, chaired by Meg Calkins, FASLA, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at North Carolina State University. The task force worked with a 34-member Advisory Group of climate and biodiversity experts.

Four IBM team members hold an award in formal wear

Oct 15, 2025

NC State Design Alumna Honored for Role in Award-Winning IBM AI Innovation

Industrial Design alumna Dipali Aphale (’17) is part of the IBM team recognized with Best AI Solution – Data Insights & Knowledge Management at the 2025 Banking Tech Awards USA. The winning project, IBM Synthetic Data Sets, uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic, privacy-protected data for safer innovation across industries.

Cover of Empty Pedestals Book with Elen Deming and Kofi Boone superimposed on top

Oct 8, 2025

Empty Pedestals Earns National Honors for Reframing Confederate Monuments

Empty Pedestals: Countering Confederate Narratives Through Public Design (LSU Press, 2024) has recently earned recognition at the national level for its ability to bring design and planning strategies to confront and transform spaces marked by endemic prejudice. The book received a 2025 Professional Award of Honor in Communications from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and was a finalist for the 2025 J.B. Jackson Book Prize from the University of Virginia (UVA) Center for Cultural Landscapes.

Sep 23, 2025

Rethinking Disaster Resilience: A Call for Strategic Relocation

At the AFAC Conference in Perth, Australia, Dr. Gavin Smith highlighted the profound impact of climate change on community design and the necessity of strategic relocation from high-risk, flood-prone areas. Gavin Smith, PhD, FAICP, a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at the NC State College of Design, advocated for a mix of diverse resilience strategies, including new building codes and elevating homes, while also acknowledging the complex financial, political and social hurdles of implementing these measures.

May 28, 2025

Professor Gulling’s book wins 2025 BTES Book Award

Professor of Architecture Dana Gulling's most recent book, Custom Components in Architecture: Strategies for Customizing Repetitive Manufacturing, recently won the 2025 Building Technology Educators' Society (BTES) Book Award. The BTES Book Award recognizes an outstanding new book on the topic of building technologies that significantly contributes to building technology education in architecture.

architecture students and administrators pose

May 13, 2025

Architecture Program Wins National and Local AIA Awards

The School of Architecture, its alumni and students were recognized through national and state level awards from the American Institute of Architects.

Members of the Natural Learning Initiative receive the Opal Mann Green Award

Apr 17, 2025

Design Faculty Win NC State Awards

College of Design faculty are among those honored for their work in research, engagement and outreach across the university. The Natural Learning Initiative received the Opal Mann Green Award and Dana Gulling received the Outstanding Teacher Award.

Apr 14, 2025

Thinking with the box: Maestro’s Theatre delivers a new experience for arcade gameplay

A marionette character controlled by ragdoll gameplay. A rotating game screen embracing the look and feel of vintage theater. Limited computer graphics and limited time. All of these came together via a student team with limitless creativity and a desire to problem-solve to create Maestro’s Theatre, an arcade game developed by MADTech students and displayed at Super Magfest.

Apr 3, 2025

“Design is about relationships” – Kelly Umstead named 2024-25 University Faculty Scholar

Kelly Umstead, MID faculty member and director of graduate programs for industrial design, was recently named one of NC State’s 2024-25 University Faculty Scholars. We’re excited to highlight Kelly’s achievements in the college and learn more about her.

Mar 13, 2025

Two Graphic Design Students Featured on GDUSA’s Students to Watch List

Two students from the college's graphic and experience design program are making their mark on the industry. Megan Mersch is blending artistry with human-centered design to craft seamless digital experiences, while Rebecca Planchart is shaping the future of UX and AI, using design to bridge gaps in public health, government, and emerging technology. Meet GDUSA’s Students to Watch and see how they’re redefining what design can do.

ASLA The Dirt Climate Biodiversity Task Force

Feb 19, 2025

Landscape Architects Form Task Force to Scale Up Solutions to the Climate and Biodiversity Crises

Led by leaders in the field of landscape architecture, ASLA is developing an updated, profession-wide Climate and Biodiversity Action Plan. The new plan will be an update to the ASLA Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2022, and offer new goals and actions for 2026-2030. The scope of the new plan has been expanded – the climate and biodiversity crises will be treated as equal priorities, and the focus will be on actions that tackle both crises in an equitable way. The ambitious plan seeks to transform the practice of landscape architecture by 2040 through actions taken by ASLA and its members focused on biodiversity and ecological restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation, equity, and economic development. Meg Calkins, FASLA, Professor, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, NC State University, has been named Chair of the Task Force.

Roooted: the Embrace of Earth + Water Maggie Kroening - North Carolina State University

Jan 15, 2025

School of Architecture Students and Faculty Win Statewide Awards for Design

Eight student teams were recognized at the American Institute of Architects North Carolina Design and Chapter Awards. The School of Architecture was also recognized for teaching excellence through its Educator of the Year, Kamphoefner Prize, F. Carter Williams Gold Medal and Associate Award.

Nov 22, 2024

NC State Creatives: Lauren Miller

Lauren Miller, a recent graduate of NC State's College of Design, is an award-winning animator and storyteller. Her animated short Touch won 'Best of the Fest' at the Queer Expressions Film Festival. With a passion for human-centered design and uplifting underrepresented communities, Lauren creates work that resonates with diverse audiences.

Oct 8, 2024

Shawcroft Drawing Competition Celebrates 30th Year

Four students were awarded prizes for their work during the 30th Shawcroft Drawing Competition. Submissions are judged based on students’ use of hand drawing skills in the categories of the design process, documentation and analysis, and presentation.

People standing in water-flooded path next to pole markers

Sep 25, 2024

Memorializing Flooding: How a Chance Collaboration Led to a Landmark Public Art Project

In the world of design and public art, serendipity often plays a pivotal role. This was certainly the case for a group of designers and artists who, after initially crossing paths in the College of Design, found themselves working together years later on a significant public art project in Raleigh. This project, which began as an educational initiative, ultimately evolved into a large-scale installation that engages the community on multiple levels.

Student ASLA award winning project long marsh forward

Sep 17, 2024

Landscape Architecture Students Win National Awards for Fourth Year in a Row

The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental planning is thrilled to share that student teams won national ASLA awards for the fourth year in a row. Since 2020, student teams in the Master of Landscape Architecture program have won 12 awards nationally.

A rendering of Danny Wang's project "micro-mobility" with an overlayed portrait of the designer in the image.

Sep 3, 2024

Recent Grad Brings Home 2024 IDSA Student Merit Award

Industrial Design alumnus Danny Wang [BID '24] recently won the IDSA Student Merit Award for the South District. This means Danny will compete at the International Design Conference & Education Symposium in Austin, Texas September 11-13 for the national award.

Thumbnail preview for Marc Russo's on the run animation

Aug 15, 2024

“A remix of Pink Floyd, 2001 Space Odyssey and Akira” – Faculty member enters Pink Floyd animation competition

Marc Russo can distinctly remember one of his first introductions to Pink Floyd. He was sitting on the front steps of his friend’s house in 1980, listening to “The Wall”, and he was 11 years old. “It was like a battle cry,” he says. “I didn’t understand much more of the album, but I was connected to this song.” 44 years after that first encounter, Russo, alumnus and associate professor of media arts, design and technology, is connecting his love of Pink Floyd with his professional work in a different way - designing an animation as entry for a contest hosted by the band to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their release of “Dark Side of the Moon.”

A black woman holds a baby while women braid her hair

Jul 16, 2024

Crowning Glory: Industrial Design Alumna Featured at CAM

Samantha Everette's love for photography began while studying abroad in Ghana as an industrial design student. Equipped for the first time with a semi-professional camera, she immediately experienced the joy of capturing portraits of people and their culture. Now, her work is making waves in the Triangle's creative community.

NC Historic Resilience Primer. Photo courtesy of Coastal Dynamics Design Lab.

Jun 18, 2024

College of Design Students and Faculty Win Awards at NCASLA

Students, faculty and alumni attended the NCASLA Conference in Asheville, receiving multiple awards and presenting to professionals from across the state. The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning sponsored fourteen Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) students in the College of Design to attend the event.

Group photo where everyone shouts "Let's go play!" at the new Governor Morehead School Outdoor Accessibility Center.

Apr 25, 2024

Freedom by Design Celebrates with Custom-Designed Outdoor Learning Center

Students of the Governor Morehead School (GMS) celebrated the redesign of their new Outdoor Learning Center surrounded by community members, builders and NC State students who contributed to the project’s design and much of the labor, both in the shop and on the site.

Apr 19, 2024

NC State Creatives: Ashtyn Thomas

To first-year architecture student Ashtyn Thomas, design represents possibility and opportunity. In addition to celebrating her Lumbee identity and community, she is using her passion to design spaces that provide economic stability, cultural enrichment and resilience for indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.

Apr 8, 2024

Tom Barrie Wins University’s Highest Honor

Professor of Architecture Thomas Barrie is a recipient of the university’s highest honor for faculty, the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence. The award is bestowed by the NC State Board of Trustees and recognizes members of the faculty whose careers have demonstrated outstanding achievement and sustained impact in research, teaching or extension and engagement.

M. Elen Deming receives Forster Ndubisi Professional Service Award at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) from incoming president Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim. Photo credit: CELA/Dongying Li.

Apr 1, 2024

M. Elen Deming Honored for Exceptional Service to CELA and LAF

Educator and researcher M. Elen Deming was presented with the Forster Ndubisi Professional Service Award at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Dinner on March 22, 2024.

Mar 8, 2024

Two Graphic Design Students Featured in GDUSA’s Students to Watch

Graphic Design students Erin Secosky and Bhavana Veeravalli were recently featured as part of GDUSA’s 2024 “Students to Watch” list.

“South Durham Food Cooperative,” collage. The Morehead Hill and the Black Hayti communities in southern Durham have been historically divided by inequitable practices of displacement, exclusion, and segregation. This material culture collage explores the layered relationships between the site’s natural environment, systematic and unjust building practices through time, and the disproportionate burdens on the historically disinvested Black community. While the demographics of these neighborhoods have largely evolved and are ever-changing, the lingering effects of these divisive layers and physical barriers perpetuate the segregation of the two communities that share boundaries with the site. © Noelle Robinson.

Feb 27, 2024

Noelle Robinson Wins Robert. L. Wesley Award

School of Architecture student Noelle Robinson was one of five students to win the 2024 SOM Foundation's Robert L. Wesley Award. With her win, Noelle will receive a $10,000 award in addition to a yearlong mentorship program that connects the students with leading BIPOC practitioners and educators.

Dare Coulter in front of book illustration

Jan 25, 2024

Alumna Dare Coulter wins 2024 Coretta Scott King Book Award

Alumna Dare Coulter [Art + Design '15], illustrator of “An American Story,” is one of two winners of the 2024 Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.

Traces: Palmovka Jewish Center and Library Maggie Kroening - North Carolina State University

Jan 17, 2024

NC State Students and Alumni Win Numerous AIANC Design Awards

Each year, the American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter (AIANC) recognizes design that exceeds the benchmarks for outstanding architectural design, structural composition and application of design theory. Over 140 projects were submitted to this year's program, with 24 awarded. The College of Design at NC State University had numerous winners recognized, including five student entries, AIA NC Educator of the Year, and the F. Carter Williams Gold Medalist.

Portrait of Lesley-Ann Noel holding her recently published book, "Design Social Change."

Jan 10, 2024

Q&A: Lesley-Ann Noel on Her New Book, “Design Social Change”

Assistant Professor Lesley-Ann Noel's recently-published book, titled "Design Social Change" was written as a guide for topics, mindsets and principles that designers can use to drive the way they think about change. We talked with Dr. Noel about the book's mission and inspiration.

Dec 7, 2023

Alum Featured In New Exhibition at MoMA-NYC

NC State graduate Ralph Knowles' dedication to environmentalism through architecture has helped influence dozens of works on display at the new Museum of Modern Art Exhibit, "Emerging Ecologies."

Student aspire award winner from Kinsley Stevens

Sep 28, 2023

Students win 2023 Aspire Awards

Six student teams won 2023 AIA Aspire Awards celebrating outstanding design and improves the quality of the built environment. AIA Aspire is a collection of the state chapters of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Sep 7, 2023

Landscape Architecture Students, Faculty Win National ASLA Awards

Students and faculty were recognized as winners of the national ASLA award competition, with four student projects and one faculty-led project receiving awards. In addition, two faculty were recognized: Chuck Flink won the LaGasse Medal and Emily McCoy was elevated to fellow.

Mary Hauser prepares for the Halloween Bash at the College of Design alongside fellow students.

Jul 7, 2023

Back to the Pack: Mary Hauser

Mary Hauser is the Associate Director and Registrar at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. Hauser earned her Bachelor of Industrial Design in 2001, and her Master of Industrial Design in 2004 at the College of Design. She shared her story from her time as a student to her time with NC State as a professional in the second installment of Back to the Pack.

Jun 15, 2023

Chuck Flink Recognized as One of ASLA’s 2023 Awardees with LaGasse Medal

Charles A. “Chuck” Flink, FASLA is the 2023 recipient of the LaGasse Medal, named for Alfred B. LaGasse, past executive director of the American Institute of Park Executives and executive vice president of the National Recreation and Parks Association. This national honor recognizes notable contributions by individuals to the management and conservancy of natural resources and/or public landscapes.

Brooks Hall at NC State's College of Design, with an old postcard depicting the building during the 1920s.

May 30, 2023

Celebrating Our 75th Birthday Through Community and Collaboration

The online 75th birthday celebration for the NC State College of Design was filled with nostalgia, joy and connection with the institution's rich legacy. Throughout the day, alumni and community partners took to social media to share their recollections of the college.

May 10, 2023

College of Design Faculty win NC State Awards in Teaching and Research

Six College of Design faculty were recognized with awards from the Alumni Association, Graduate School, Libraries and Office of the Provost this spring.

Apr 17, 2023

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Selects María Bellalta as New Head of Department

After conducting a national search, the College of Design at North Carolina State University has selected María Bellalta to serve as the head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, effective July 1. María is currently dean and faculty at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) School of Landscape Architecture, where she directs both graduate and undergraduate programs and teaches design theory and practice as well as interdisciplinary studios on social urbanism.

Mar 6, 2023

2023 Winners of the Designlife Award

To celebrate the college’s 75th anniversary, Dean Hoversten chose to award two significant Designlife awards – one to signify a lifetime of achievement, and one to honor a new and emerging professional. Both awardees are alumni of the college, which had a formative impact on their career trajectories. Two individuals will be recognized for their unique contributions to the profession. Edwin F. “Abie” Harris [B.Arch. ‘57], artist and former university architect for NC State, and J. Stacy Utley [BEDA ‘01, B.Arch. ‘06], public artist and educator, embody significant contributions to the College of Design, their respective professions, and the design profession.

Feb 14, 2023

Meg Calkins selected for LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership

The Landscape Architecture Foundation chose Meg Calkins, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning, as one of 6 fellows for 2023-2024.

Feb 8, 2023

Landed Internationals, by faculty member Burak Erdim, wins the On the Brinck Book Award

The On the Brinck Book Award and Lecture Series is created in honor of J.B. Jackson and is awarded by the University of New Mexico School of Architecture + Planning. Three winners were announced for 2023, including Associate Professor of Architecture Burak Erdim for his book, Landed Internationals: Planning Cultures, the Academy, and the Making of the Modern Middle East.

Feb 3, 2023

Joy and Pain

Artist Dare Coulter ’15 depicts both in a new picture book about the trauma of slavery.

Russell Flinchum and Henry Dreyfuss: Designing for People book

Feb 2, 2023

Russell Flinchum, College of Design faculty, authors new book on pioneer of industrial design Henry Dreyfuss

Russell Flinchum, associate professor of industrial design, is the co-author of a new book: Henry Dreyfuss: Designing for People. Henry Dreyfuss: Designing for People reveals the work of Dreyfuss's talented, hand-picked staff and explores how together they influenced nearly a century of industrial design.

Jan 25, 2023

Media Arts, Design and Technology Department Embraces Name Change to Highlight the Future of Design

The Art + Design Department in the NC State College of Design will now be known by a new name, the Department of Media Arts, Design and Technology, affectionately known as MADTech. “This name change reflects a shift in the future of our department towards the emerging trends in digital media production" says Department Head Derek Ham. "It aligns with our academic content, our faculty expertise, and focuses on the areas of the profession that use emerging technology for creative use.”