All News

May 31, 2022

It All Adds Up: Alumnus Doug Bennett Reflects on a Lifetime of Giving

Doug Bennett attended the College of Design during an “explosive period” in our nation’s history, starting in 1965 and graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1970. Throughout his time in the school, he was able to serve as the business manager on the Student Publication, and that was his first foray into philanthropy.  After graduating, he served in the U.S. Navy, and started a lifetime of giving. Bennett likened his continuous giving to a habit. He started giving, initially, modest donations to the College of Design and kept up with annual donations ever since. 

May 31, 2022

Honoring Faculty: Pat Rand Initiates Roger Clark Architecture Speaker Support Endowment

In honor of the outstanding and enduring teaching of Roger Clark, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Architecture Pat Rand has created the Roger Clark Architecture Speaker Support Endowment. This annual lecture will allow the School of Architecture to bring leading professionals and architectural educators to campus to present architectural topics relevant to students’ future careers.

May 24, 2022

Student Profile: Iyare Oronsaye Seeks to Improve Diversity in Animation

Iyare Oronsaye is currently the director and assistant professor of the animation and illustration program at the University of Northwestern as well as a student practitioner in the College of Design's Doctor of Design (DDes) program. As a DDes student, Oronsaye is researching how inclusivity can make positive impacts within the animation industry.

May 20, 2022

When Graphic Design Meets Big Tech: Red Hat Sponsored Studio Tackles Autonomous Vehicles

Graphic design students recently partnered with Red Hat to create solutions for a world dominated by autonomous vehicles. Students then had to design for a variety of human factors such as family needs, career specializations and security concerns.

May 18, 2022

Celebrating Another Successful Day of Giving

The College of Design celebrated another successful Day of Giving on March 23, 2022 thanks to the generous gifts of donors, alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends, all of whom believe in the importance of design education. Thanks to your support, the college was able to raise $474,885 from 373 gifts, exceeding last year’s 309 gifts by 21%.

May 12, 2022

Art + Design’s Derek Ham to be Featured at Cannes

Department Head of Art + Design, Derek Ham, will have his most recent completed VR title, “Barnstormers: Determined to Win” shown in one of the world’s most well-known and prestigious film festivals - the 2022 Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes. 

May 12, 2022

NLI Director Joins 80 Researchers Worldwide to Create Parameters for Healthy and Sustainable Cities

Director of the Natural Learning Initiative Dr. Deepti Adlakha’s latest research work was published as part of The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health. Urban design and city planning influence how we can travel, the quality of the air we breathe, our access to essential facilities and services, our participation in social events, and our enjoyment of green spaces. All this is vital to our physical and mental health. In 2016, a series of papers in The Lancet highlighted the myriad links between cities and health and proposed a set of city planning indicators. In this follow-up series published in The Lancet Global Health, authors show how the indicators can benchmark and monitor progress to guide urban policy to achieve population health and sustainability targets. They provide tools that other cities can use to replicate the indicators and explore “where to next” to create healthy and sustainable cities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

May 10, 2022

Celebrating the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign

Thanks to the generous support of our donors who contributed to the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, we have been able to make tremendous strides in the last five years.  Because of you, we can look ahead to our future. We’re able to consider the next 75 years of design education and shape another seven decades of designers. 

May 9, 2022

Design Students Develop Compostable Take-Out Container Prototypes in Project Sponsored by Eastman

To combat packaging waste, NC State’s College of Design worked alongside Eastman to create food packaging with a new compostable material.

May 7, 2022

Ph.D. Graduate Shares Her Journey From Program Acceptance to Assistant Professor

Meichun Liu, a recent graduate, shares her story from acceptance in the Ph.D. in Design program at NC State to landing a tenure-track assistant professor position at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She shares tips for success after graduation and talks about her discovery of the program and her research focus.

May 5, 2022

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

We asked our spring graduates for some thoughts on their time in the College of Design. Below, hear from them in their own words.

May 4, 2022

A New Way To Measure: Bringing Drone Technology to Landscape Architecture

With the help of NC State’s Institute for Transportation, Research and Education (ITRE), Emily McCoy, associate professor of practice in landscape architecture and environmental planning, has been flying drones across campus for the past five years. But she’s capturing more than the beauty of the landscape. McCoy and the students in her landscape performance class have been using tools such as drones with thermal cameras to evaluate how different landscapes across campus perform from a sustainability standpoint.

May 4, 2022

Designlife Magazine: Drones, Automated Vehicles, 3D Ceramics and More

The spring 2022 issue of Designlife magazine is here! Our feature story celebrates the end of the Think and Do the Extraordinary campaign, and most notably, the many faces that not only made it our most successful campaign to date, but shaped the college and its direction, laying the groundwork for years to come.

Apr 29, 2022

Announcing the 2022 O&E Incentive Grants Award Winners

The 2022 Incentive Grants Awarded proposals will receive $10,000 each to support work through June 2023.

Apr 27, 2022

MID Students Abby Scheer and Arissa Wheeler win awards through NC State eGames

MID Students Abby Scheer and Arissa Wheeler won awards through NC State eGames competition, placing in third and second place, respectively.

Apr 22, 2022

Coastal Dynamics Project Awarded Part of $2 Million Grant for Environmental Justice

The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has named the NC State College of Design's Coastal Dynamics Design Lab as one of 15 climate-focused projects to receive an Environmental Justice for Climate grant. The CEC’s first $2 million EJ4Climate grant program is aimed at supporting efforts made toward environmental justice and climate resilience for communities across North America.

Apr 19, 2022

Mural Contest Winner’s Vision Comes to Life

Carmina Ferreras’ inspirational design for the mural contest comes to life inside the lobby of the Graduate School.

Apr 19, 2022

New state partnership to support local planning for community resilience

The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) has committed funding to the NC State Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (CDDL) for the development of five North Carolina community floodprint reports over the next three years. A valuable tool for building future community resilience, a floodprint is a landscape planning approach developed by CDDL to address land and water relationships. The floodprint development process incorporates issues such as flooding, recovery and equity into the planning process.

Apr 18, 2022

Sustainability by Design

Students are gaining real-world experience while reducing waste in a new project sponsored by Eastman. The company challenged NC State industrial design seniors in the College of Design to create consumer products with sustainability top of mind. 

Apr 15, 2022

Art2Wear Takes the Stage in 2022

On April 27 in Talley Student Union’s Stewart Theatre, spotlights will once again shine on the runway following Art2Wear’s two-year hiatus from its widely anticipated in-person fashion show. The annual event is organized and hosted by the College of Design’s Art + Design department, and usually attracts about 1,000 attendees including NC State students, greater Raleigh community members and industry partners.

Apr 14, 2022

An Update on the Allred Gallery Floor

The floor of the Allred Gallery in Kamphoefner Hall was inspired by the work of well-known architect Le Corbusier. As we learn more about the history of this designer from contemporary research, we are learning more about his unfortunate ties to groups that excluded and persecuted others. The values held by Le Corbusier, particularly those of homophobia, misogyny, and fascism, are not held by the College of Design. Our mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for any individual who enters our space to work and learn. 

Apr 12, 2022

Graduate Student Research Symposium Winners

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects this week at the 15th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, and 27 were recognized as the best presenters in their disciplines.…

Apr 12, 2022

Retired Materials Lab Instructor Jack Lancaster Passes Away at 79

Ibby Jackson Lancaster III, known as Jack or Jackie, passed away on March 29, 2022 after a brief battle with lung cancer. Jack worked at the College of Design for over three decades, and has made a lasting impression on generations of students.

Apr 11, 2022

Frank Lee Craig: Near Distance Exhibit at the Gregg Museum

Excerpt from the Gregg Museum of Art and Design’s exhibition description: Frank Lee Craig: Near Distance February 10 – August 20, 2022 Of the many forms of visual art that…

Apr 9, 2022

Students design in-home mold detection device; win third place in Stanford Design Challenge

Industrial Design Senior Lindsey Dotson is part of a winning team that designed an in-home mold detection device to help people maintain healthy homes.

Apr 8, 2022

2022 Shawcroft Prize Winners Announced

The Brian Shawcroft Prize is awarded every year to an architecture student nominated by a faculty member for their excellent hand drawing skills. This year marks the 28th year of the competition.

Apr 7, 2022

Healthy Kids: No Batteries Required

In a journey of discovery spanning six decades, Robin Moore has explored the connections between human development and the natural world. His ideas may hold the key to raising healthy children in the digital age.

Mar 22, 2022

Meg Calkins Elevated to Fellow of CELA

Meg Calkins, department head of landscape architecture and environmental planning, was recently inducted into the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Academy of Fellows. CELA only has 70 fellows throughout North America, and the organization comprises over 120 institutions and 11 regions that cover North America, Australian, New Zealand, Europe and the Pacific Rim. 

Mar 22, 2022

Alumni and students create experimental immersive light experience at Crabtree

To help celebrate 50 years of community engagement, Crabtree partnered with award-winning team, Mike Cuales [MID ‘00] and Robin Vuchnich [MGD ‘14], to create an experimental immersive light experience for guests while supporting local artists, including students from NC State’s College of Design. The works were created using different techniques and technologies from virtual reality painting, procedurally generated art, artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and neural networks.

Mar 4, 2022

‘Everything Had to Have a Purpose’: Remembering Journalism Visionary Richard Curtis

NC State alumnus Richard Curtis revolutionized print journalism as the founding managing editor for design at USA Today. He died Sunday at 75.

Mar 1, 2022

‘Everything Had to Have a Purpose’: Remembering Journalism Visionary Richard Curtis

NC State alumnus Richard Curtis revolutionized print journalism as the founding managing editor for design at USA Today. He died Sunday at 75.

Feb 22, 2022

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: World Risks and Design Philosophy

When professor Mark Beasley wanted to present a more innovative approach to risk management, he enlisted the help of JMark Scearce, professor of art and design in the College of Design. Scearce, a professional composer and a former chair of NC State’s Department of Music, teaches design thinking to his students, and he applied that perspective to risk management in his summit presentation.

Feb 21, 2022

Extraordinary Difference: Dr. Derek Ham

Dr. Derek Ham’s work in virtual reality is helping him teach NC State students the importance of intellectual curiosity and inclusivity like never before. With help from the university’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, the artist and educator can push the academic envelope by enabling people to experience key moments in the Civil Rights Movement firsthand.

Feb 21, 2022

Passion for the Unknown, Possibilities of Sustainability Drive Master’s Student Alyssa McNamara

Textile technology alumna Alyssa McNamara is dedicated to improving sustainability in the textile industry both through her role at Spoonflower and her master’s studies at the Wilson College of Textiles.

Feb 1, 2022

Extraordinary Difference: David Hill

Third-generation educator Bria Cofield Wright ’16 ’19 is able to continue her family’s proud academic tradition thanks in part to funding from NC State’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign. The scholarship and fellowship recipient is now positioned for an even brighter future through support from her Pack, with her students also benefiting as a result.

Jan 31, 2022

2021-22 University Faculty Scholars Named

NC State’s 2021-22 class of University Faculty Scholars was announced today. These 23 early- and mid-career faculty receive this designation in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, scholarship and service to the university and beyond.

Jan 27, 2022

Where’s the Wolf? At NC State’s ‘Legend in Stone’

In the first installment of our Bulletin contest for NC State faculty and staff, winner Kelly Umstead of the College of Design hits the nail on the head.

Jan 20, 2022

Duda Visiting Designer Program asks students to explore North Carolina’s complex history through the lens of racial justice

Thanks to a generous gift from Linda and Turan Duda [BEDA ‘76], students from the College of Design are participating in an immersive, two-week visiting designer program. Partnering with MASS Design Group, students from Architecture and Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning are grouped into teams of 5-6 students to look at one of three sites in NC.

Jan 19, 2022

Steve Jenkins, award-winning children’s author and illustrator, dies at 69.

Republished in full from The New York Times. Written by Penelope Green. Steve Jenkins graduated from the College of Design in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in visual design. He…

Jan 19, 2022

NC State Creatives: Apeksha Yadav

Apeksha Yadav is a graduate student in the Industrial Design program, and she's working to reduce the environmental impact of the digital world.

Jan 7, 2022

From A-to-Z: Lesley-Ann Noel and Decolonizing Design

Assistant Professor of Art + Design Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel aims to bring underrepresented voices into everyday design education through social innovation, inclusive community-led research and public health solutions. By creating tools such as the Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the “Who Am I” Positionality Wheel, she is making conversations around race and bias more common in classrooms and workplaces.

Jan 6, 2022

Master of Advanced Architectural Studies program announced

The School of Architecture at North Carolina State University (NC State) has launched a new post-professional degree program. The Master of Advanced Architectural Studies (MAAS) provides opportunities for specialized study in leading-edge areas of the built environment, and a platform to explore solutions to the crucial issues of the 21st century.

Dec 20, 2021

Learning Beyond the Classroom: An Alumnus Celebrates a Patent Award Milestone

Prasad Joshi is a 2018 graduate from the Master of Industrial Design program at the College of Design, and was recently awarded a patent along with fellow student Charity Kirk for their work on a bassinet design. He shared his experiences with applying an interdisciplinary approach to a new design, the importance of collaboration and how a student project became a patented product.

Dec 17, 2021

Students Earn Scholarships, Design Inclusive Textile Products Through Cotton Incorporated Competition

Fashion and textile design students applied Universal Design principles to develop marketable textile products for this “Cotton in the Curriculum” competition.

Dec 16, 2021

Dr. Traci Rose Rider releases new book on health-focused building standards

Traci Rose Rider, assistant professor of architecture and member of the Doctor of Design and PhD faculty, has recently released a new book titled "Building for Well-Being: Exploring Health-Focused Rating Systems for Design and Construction Professionals" with co-author Margaret van Bakergem.

Dec 15, 2021

First Year Experience Paper Project is featured in Walter Magazine

NC State first-year design students study form, function, and movement through inventive garments made of paper. Republished from Walter Magazine

Nov 29, 2021

Bringing New Voices to the College of Design

The importance of differing perspectives in design was a major consideration for both Rodney and his wife, Juanita Shearer-Swink, when they established their graduate award in 2016. To design effectively for communities, both felt it was important to bring a diverse set of professionals to the table. And that process begins with bringing diverse student perspectives to the College of Design.

Nov 23, 2021

Industry Leader Mark Templeton to Address Summer and Fall 2021 Graduates

The next outgoing class of NC State graduates will commemorate their academic achievements during the fall commencement ceremony at PNC Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. Alumnus Mark Templeton, former CEO and director of Citrix Systems, will deliver the commencement address. The ceremony will also feature remarks from Shannon Fuller, who is graduating magna…

Nov 22, 2021

The Path to Healing: Alumnus Chuck Flink and the 9/11 National Memorial Trail Act

Alumnus and landscape architect, Chuck Flink, recently accompanied President Biden and members of Congress for the signing of HR 2278, also known as The 9/11 National Memorial Trail Act, officially designating the trail as a part of the National Trails System. We spoke with Flink on how he became a leading advocate for greenway access and the role landscape architects can play in remembering historic events.

Nov 19, 2021

NC State Creatives: Meghan Tankersley

Meghan Tankersley's fascination with the natural world and how it can be pushed further began at an early age. Now, as a senior in Art + Design, she sees the world of gaming as a powerful space to explore fantastic worlds, interact with mythical creatures and share unique experiences.