VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 FALL 2021
College of Design
146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Ames, IA 50011-1066
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
College honors four alumni with awards at Homecoming The College of Design welcomed four distinguished alumni back to campus for recognition at the ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards Ceremony Friday, Oct. 22, at the Scheman Building in Ames. The college presented Design Achievement Awards to Brian H. Hurd (MCRP 1997 Community & Regional Planning), director of community planning and implementation for Rise Community Development, Inc., in St. Louis; and Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar (MFA 2003 Graphic Design), acting director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.
Outstanding Young Professional Awards were presented to Mariah C. Bakke (BLA 2015 Landscape Architecture), lead landscape architect and owner of Viva Landscapes in Fort Myers, Florida; and Lana Fox (BID 2014 Industrial Design), president and CEO of ClinicNote in Des Moines. While on campus, awardees also participated in a celebratory dinner with college administrators, staff and faculty, and a breakfast with leaders of the college’s student organizations. Alumni shared insights into their career paths and encouraged students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible at Iowa State.
ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of ISUAA.
If you would like to nominate a fellow alum for a College of Design or Iowa State University award, please contact Saylor Upah, alumni relations coordinator, upahsay@iastate.edu.
Immersive Public Art Iowa State faculty-student team creates landmark sculpture for Johnston
Artist and alumnus Reinaldo Correa, top, assistant teaching professor in architecture and industrial design, installs the sculpture’s custom-manufactured kinetic-scale assembly with help from architecture associate teaching professor Ayodele Iyanalu, above. Visitors examine the “scales” at the ribbon-cutting event in August, left. All photos by Christopher Gannon.
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 FALL 2021
College of Design
146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Ames, IA 50011-1066
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
College honors four alumni with awards at Homecoming The College of Design welcomed four distinguished alumni back to campus for recognition at the ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards Ceremony Friday, Oct. 22, at the Scheman Building in Ames. The college presented Design Achievement Awards to Brian H. Hurd (MCRP 1997 Community & Regional Planning), director of community planning and implementation for Rise Community Development, Inc., in St. Louis; and Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar (MFA 2003 Graphic Design), acting director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.
Outstanding Young Professional Awards were presented to Mariah C. Bakke (BLA 2015 Landscape Architecture), lead landscape architect and owner of Viva Landscapes in Fort Myers, Florida; and Lana Fox (BID 2014 Industrial Design), president and CEO of ClinicNote in Des Moines. While on campus, awardees also participated in a celebratory dinner with college administrators, staff and faculty, and a breakfast with leaders of the college’s student organizations. Alumni shared insights into their career paths and encouraged students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible at Iowa State.
ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of ISUAA.
If you would like to nominate a fellow alum for a College of Design or Iowa State University award, please contact Saylor Upah, alumni relations coordinator, upahsay@iastate.edu.
Immersive Public Art Iowa State faculty-student team creates landmark sculpture for Johnston
Artist and alumnus Reinaldo Correa, top, assistant teaching professor in architecture and industrial design, installs the sculpture’s custom-manufactured kinetic-scale assembly with help from architecture associate teaching professor Ayodele Iyanalu, above. Visitors examine the “scales” at the ribbon-cutting event in August, left. All photos by Christopher Gannon.
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
C OV ER S TO RY
sought to tell a story with form, asking, “How do we implement form into the sculpture in a way that feels seamless and structured?” he said. “I love straddling the art and design line, and I’m excited to see ‘Ripples’ exist in the real world.”
By Meg Grice & Heather Sauer
RIPPLES ( A K A B I G F I S H) Interdisciplinary faculty-student team creates immersive art experience in Johnston A leaping largemouth bass has landed in the new Johnston Town Center. Weighing 2 tons and measuring 20 feet long, 13 ½ feet high and 10 feet wide, the stainless steel sculpture shimmers with nearly 2,000 kinetic “scales” that capture the light and breeze to heighten the sense of movement created by the curving frame. The “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) installation was designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio. Artist Reinaldo Correa, an Iowa State University assistant teaching professor of architecture and industrial design, and his team won a public art competition curated by Liz Lidgett Gallery and Design for the town center, a project by OPN Architects, Confluence, Hansen Company and Hansen Real Estate. Beginning in February 2020, Correa (BArch 2008 Architecture / MID
2020 Industrial Design) — who has completed several public art commissions in Iowa — did research and interviews with community members to become better acquainted with Johnston and the surrounding area while developing a concept for the contest submission. For him, the project site’s proximity to Saylorville Lake and the city’s Terra Lake, both popular recreational destinations, emphasized the importance of water in connecting people with places through memories. “Both bodies of water create ‘ripples’ of remembrance, from boating and fishing to picnics by the shore,” Correa said. The largemouth bass is a common lake species that also causes distinctive ripples as it swims and slaps its tail fin while leaping to capture insects or bait.
Correa chose the fish as a symbol to represent the value of the area’s aquatic recreational opportunities and their role in creating fond family memories.
Student collaboration With many summer internships canceled because of COVID-19, Correa invited architecture students Brenna Fransen, Dai “Bill” Le and Tarun Bhatia, and industrial design students Joe Fentress and Ryan Fransen to collaborate with him through his studio practice on the Ripples proposal. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for them despite the circumstances,” Correa said. “I’m always trying to bridge the gap between academia and the professional practice experience. If you empower students to be a part of the design process, they will bring so much to the table. This excites me as a teacher.”
Le, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, also now a fifth-year architecture student, spent much of the development phase assessing the unique movements of each fish scale. Using computational design software like Rhino and Opposite: Correa shares the story of the sculpture’s design, fabrication and intended impact for Grasshopper, the team created the community at the ribbon-cutting event in August. Photo by Christopher Gannon. Above: Correa, center, with Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld, third from left, and students Brenna Fransen and Ryan a 3D model of the sculpture and Fransen between them, with other dignitaries at the event. Photo © 2021 Joseph L. Murphy. generated a point cloud form of the model, which allowed them to see different solutions for the size visual relationship between the artwork The team followed university and shape of each component and the and the ground,” Correa said. pandemic precautions and completed placement of each scale. the project virtually as much as “When Reinaldo first approached me “It not only adds to the possible. Correa and students met to participate, I felt as though textures of the artwork, over WebEx and Zoom and used I was out of my element. it’ s also a very digital tools like Rhino, Grasshopper, Something about public practical thing — it SolidWorks, CAD, Google Docs and art and seeing a project alerts visitors that Miro to share files and feedback. from conception to they’re getting reality drew me in, closer to the “In early versions of our proposal, the and this project gave installation sculpture was enclosed and experienced me opportunities while bringing entirely from the outside,” Correa said. to make mistakes attention to “Then one of the students said ‘let’s open while learning from the in-ground up the fish’ so people can see it from challenges,” Le said. recessed colorwithin. Through brainstorming and changing LED,” allowing all team members to have a “I’d never had a hands-on he said. voice, the project took a new direction experience like this before, and became better.” and I learned so much.” Safety and access were key considerations in Site integration and safety Custom components developing the “Ripples” project. Part of Similarly successful collaboration with One key lesson the students learned: with Brenna Fransen’s role was to look at how the professional design and construction such a complex piece, the team couldn’t visitors would interact with the artwork. firms engaged in the Johnston Town rely on off-the-shelf materials. Center development led to greater “Young children might be crawling, integration of the “Ripples” artwork into “Sometimes what you’re looking for parents may have strollers and some the rest of the site, which consists of a doesn’t exist. You can’t get it in a bigpeople may use walkers or wheelchairs,” plaza with a splash pad, ice rink and new box store; you have to make it yourself,” said Fransen, from Dubuque, now a state-of-the-art city hall with a large green Correa said. “This entire sculpture is an fifth-year architecture student. “We placed lawn space. embodiment of that. Everything, from the sculpture at an intersection for access the frame to the screws to the clamps to without barriers.” “As a team, we began thinking of ways hold the individual scales in place, is 100 to integrate a secondary plaza area that percent custom.” Seamless storytelling would complement the artwork and Fentress, from St. Louis, who graduated After learning that his studio had won extend the idea of a largemouth bass with a bachelor of industrial design in the public art commission, Correa began leaping from the water. Together with May, assisted with designing the overall working with local fabricators and OPN Architects and Confluence, we fish and different ways of attaching the manufacturing companies to produce designed a series of concentric ripples, scales to the sculpture scaffolding. He the various components. The entire made of stone and concrete, that create a
and participate in other professional development experiences. When he discovered that cabinets in the lower level of the college’s King Pavilion — where the 102 studio courses are held — were underutilized, Brooks transformed them into “reuse stations” where anyone can drop off or pick up leftover materials like cardboard, kraft paper and foam core. “When it’s in a shared space and any student can give or take things from the cabinets, we can make it a part of doing good design to reuse and share materials. We can meet the current needs of students while working to shift the culture toward reduced waste.”
Student job fair To better serve students and connect them with opportunities in the College of Design, Brooks initiated an internal student job fair this fall. He invited college faculty and staff who hire student employees to present these opportunities in a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms for students to learn more about specific jobs. Lamaur Benjamin (inset), a first-year, pre-graphic design student from Chicago, heard about the Design Closet through emails from Brooks. He used the online request form to obtain a large sketch pad, several pens and a portfolio case. He also participated in the virtual job fair, where he connected with model shop manager Jeremy Thurlby. “I wanted a job in the College of Design because I thought it would look better to future employers to show experience in a design-related area,” Benjamin said. Benjamin helps monitor students in the model shop, offering advice on the best tools to use for their projects and ensuring safety protocols are followed. He also assists the output center staff on the fourth floor with operating the laser cutters. “I hadn’t done a lot of hands-on work before, and it’s cool to learn to use the
tools and help other students. Getting to know Jeremy and others working in the shop has been a really good experience,” he said. “Jordan and the Design Closet have been a big help.”
Spreading the word Industrial design sophomore Sarah Oyervides grew up in Muscatine and completed high school in Ames. She first learned about the Design Closet from her brother-in-law, Montel Carruthers (BID 2018 Industrial Design / MA 2019 Graphic Design). Brooks shared more details when she enrolled in the College of Design. Oyervides obtained a portfolio kit — previously used by students in the Core to assemble their portfolios for review — and used the pages to keep her 102 and 131 projects safely organized. “I needed something to separate my drawings inside my portfolio bag,” she said. “This helped immensely, because without dividers my work would smear. I also was able to keep all of my projects safe when I needed to transport them to the Design building to scan them in.” Now in her professional degree program, Oyervides continues to use the portfolio to protect her work. She has returned to the Design Closet for drawing supplies. And she has recommended the Design Closet to friends who were worried about the cost of new supplies.
Ongoing support The emphasis of the Design Closet is supporting students with the greatest financial need first, Brooks said. The goal is to one day provide a basic kit of supplies to every first-year student, regardless of need, and professional development funds for students at all levels to gain recognition for their work and participate in activities that make them more competitive in the job market. The Design Closet accepts cash and in-kind donations year-round. Contact Brooks at jwbrooks@iastate.edu to contribute materials, or make a gift online:
www.isuf.info/designcloset
inspire Inspire is published twice per year by the Iowa State University College of Design and is mailed to more than 18,500 alumni and friends. Newsletter Staff Editor Heather Sauer Writers Lindsey Giardino, Meg Grice, Heather Sauer Photographers Cameron Campbell, Christopher Gannon, Suzanne Lyndon, Joseph L. Murphy, Alison Weidemann Graphic Designer Alison Weidemann Contact Us 146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011-1066 inspire@iastate.edu design.iastate.edu Connect With Us facebook.com/CollegeofDesign Instagram: @isucollegeofdesign LinkedIn: Iowa State University – College of Design Alumni Updates Have you married, moved, changed jobs, published or exhibited your work or earned an award? Let us know at http://www.design.iastate.edu/ alumni/share-your-news/. On the Cover “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) is a two-ton, 20-foot-long, stainless steel sculpture designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio and installed at the new Johnston Town Center in Johnston. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515 294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu
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VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
C OV ER S TO RY
sought to tell a story with form, asking, “How do we implement form into the sculpture in a way that feels seamless and structured?” he said. “I love straddling the art and design line, and I’m excited to see ‘Ripples’ exist in the real world.”
By Meg Grice & Heather Sauer
RIPPLES ( A K A B I G F I S H) Interdisciplinary faculty-student team creates immersive art experience in Johnston A leaping largemouth bass has landed in the new Johnston Town Center. Weighing 2 tons and measuring 20 feet long, 13 ½ feet high and 10 feet wide, the stainless steel sculpture shimmers with nearly 2,000 kinetic “scales” that capture the light and breeze to heighten the sense of movement created by the curving frame. The “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) installation was designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio. Artist Reinaldo Correa, an Iowa State University assistant teaching professor of architecture and industrial design, and his team won a public art competition curated by Liz Lidgett Gallery and Design for the town center, a project by OPN Architects, Confluence, Hansen Company and Hansen Real Estate. Beginning in February 2020, Correa (BArch 2008 Architecture / MID
2020 Industrial Design) — who has completed several public art commissions in Iowa — did research and interviews with community members to become better acquainted with Johnston and the surrounding area while developing a concept for the contest submission. For him, the project site’s proximity to Saylorville Lake and the city’s Terra Lake, both popular recreational destinations, emphasized the importance of water in connecting people with places through memories. “Both bodies of water create ‘ripples’ of remembrance, from boating and fishing to picnics by the shore,” Correa said. The largemouth bass is a common lake species that also causes distinctive ripples as it swims and slaps its tail fin while leaping to capture insects or bait.
Correa chose the fish as a symbol to represent the value of the area’s aquatic recreational opportunities and their role in creating fond family memories.
Student collaboration With many summer internships canceled because of COVID-19, Correa invited architecture students Brenna Fransen, Dai “Bill” Le and Tarun Bhatia, and industrial design students Joe Fentress and Ryan Fransen to collaborate with him through his studio practice on the Ripples proposal. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for them despite the circumstances,” Correa said. “I’m always trying to bridge the gap between academia and the professional practice experience. If you empower students to be a part of the design process, they will bring so much to the table. This excites me as a teacher.”
Le, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, also now a fifth-year architecture student, spent much of the development phase assessing the unique movements of each fish scale. Using computational design software like Rhino and Opposite: Correa shares the story of the sculpture’s design, fabrication and intended impact for Grasshopper, the team created the community at the ribbon-cutting event in August. Photo by Christopher Gannon. Above: Correa, center, with Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld, third from left, and students Brenna Fransen and Ryan a 3D model of the sculpture and Fransen between them, with other dignitaries at the event. Photo © 2021 Joseph L. Murphy. generated a point cloud form of the model, which allowed them to see different solutions for the size visual relationship between the artwork The team followed university and shape of each component and the and the ground,” Correa said. pandemic precautions and completed placement of each scale. the project virtually as much as “When Reinaldo first approached me “It not only adds to the possible. Correa and students met to participate, I felt as though textures of the artwork, over WebEx and Zoom and used I was out of my element. it’ s also a very digital tools like Rhino, Grasshopper, Something about public practical thing — it SolidWorks, CAD, Google Docs and art and seeing a project alerts visitors that Miro to share files and feedback. from conception to they’re getting reality drew me in, closer to the “In early versions of our proposal, the and this project gave installation sculpture was enclosed and experienced me opportunities while bringing entirely from the outside,” Correa said. to make mistakes attention to “Then one of the students said ‘let’s open while learning from the in-ground up the fish’ so people can see it from challenges,” Le said. recessed colorwithin. Through brainstorming and changing LED,” allowing all team members to have a “I’d never had a hands-on he said. voice, the project took a new direction experience like this before, and became better.” and I learned so much.” Safety and access were key considerations in Site integration and safety Custom components developing the “Ripples” project. Part of Similarly successful collaboration with One key lesson the students learned: with Brenna Fransen’s role was to look at how the professional design and construction such a complex piece, the team couldn’t visitors would interact with the artwork. firms engaged in the Johnston Town rely on off-the-shelf materials. Center development led to greater “Young children might be crawling, integration of the “Ripples” artwork into “Sometimes what you’re looking for parents may have strollers and some the rest of the site, which consists of a doesn’t exist. You can’t get it in a bigpeople may use walkers or wheelchairs,” plaza with a splash pad, ice rink and new box store; you have to make it yourself,” said Fransen, from Dubuque, now a state-of-the-art city hall with a large green Correa said. “This entire sculpture is an fifth-year architecture student. “We placed lawn space. embodiment of that. Everything, from the sculpture at an intersection for access the frame to the screws to the clamps to without barriers.” “As a team, we began thinking of ways hold the individual scales in place, is 100 to integrate a secondary plaza area that percent custom.” Seamless storytelling would complement the artwork and Fentress, from St. Louis, who graduated After learning that his studio had won extend the idea of a largemouth bass with a bachelor of industrial design in the public art commission, Correa began leaping from the water. Together with May, assisted with designing the overall working with local fabricators and OPN Architects and Confluence, we fish and different ways of attaching the manufacturing companies to produce designed a series of concentric ripples, scales to the sculpture scaffolding. He the various components. The entire made of stone and concrete, that create a
and participate in other professional development experiences. When he discovered that cabinets in the lower level of the college’s King Pavilion — where the 102 studio courses are held — were underutilized, Brooks transformed them into “reuse stations” where anyone can drop off or pick up leftover materials like cardboard, kraft paper and foam core. “When it’s in a shared space and any student can give or take things from the cabinets, we can make it a part of doing good design to reuse and share materials. We can meet the current needs of students while working to shift the culture toward reduced waste.”
Student job fair To better serve students and connect them with opportunities in the College of Design, Brooks initiated an internal student job fair this fall. He invited college faculty and staff who hire student employees to present these opportunities in a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms for students to learn more about specific jobs. Lamaur Benjamin (inset), a first-year, pre-graphic design student from Chicago, heard about the Design Closet through emails from Brooks. He used the online request form to obtain a large sketch pad, several pens and a portfolio case. He also participated in the virtual job fair, where he connected with model shop manager Jeremy Thurlby. “I wanted a job in the College of Design because I thought it would look better to future employers to show experience in a design-related area,” Benjamin said. Benjamin helps monitor students in the model shop, offering advice on the best tools to use for their projects and ensuring safety protocols are followed. He also assists the output center staff on the fourth floor with operating the laser cutters. “I hadn’t done a lot of hands-on work before, and it’s cool to learn to use the
tools and help other students. Getting to know Jeremy and others working in the shop has been a really good experience,” he said. “Jordan and the Design Closet have been a big help.”
Spreading the word Industrial design sophomore Sarah Oyervides grew up in Muscatine and completed high school in Ames. She first learned about the Design Closet from her brother-in-law, Montel Carruthers (BID 2018 Industrial Design / MA 2019 Graphic Design). Brooks shared more details when she enrolled in the College of Design. Oyervides obtained a portfolio kit — previously used by students in the Core to assemble their portfolios for review — and used the pages to keep her 102 and 131 projects safely organized. “I needed something to separate my drawings inside my portfolio bag,” she said. “This helped immensely, because without dividers my work would smear. I also was able to keep all of my projects safe when I needed to transport them to the Design building to scan them in.” Now in her professional degree program, Oyervides continues to use the portfolio to protect her work. She has returned to the Design Closet for drawing supplies. And she has recommended the Design Closet to friends who were worried about the cost of new supplies.
Ongoing support The emphasis of the Design Closet is supporting students with the greatest financial need first, Brooks said. The goal is to one day provide a basic kit of supplies to every first-year student, regardless of need, and professional development funds for students at all levels to gain recognition for their work and participate in activities that make them more competitive in the job market. The Design Closet accepts cash and in-kind donations year-round. Contact Brooks at jwbrooks@iastate.edu to contribute materials, or make a gift online:
www.isuf.info/designcloset
inspire Inspire is published twice per year by the Iowa State University College of Design and is mailed to more than 18,500 alumni and friends. Newsletter Staff Editor Heather Sauer Writers Lindsey Giardino, Meg Grice, Heather Sauer Photographers Cameron Campbell, Christopher Gannon, Suzanne Lyndon, Joseph L. Murphy, Alison Weidemann Graphic Designer Alison Weidemann Contact Us 146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011-1066 inspire@iastate.edu design.iastate.edu Connect With Us facebook.com/CollegeofDesign Instagram: @isucollegeofdesign LinkedIn: Iowa State University – College of Design Alumni Updates Have you married, moved, changed jobs, published or exhibited your work or earned an award? Let us know at http://www.design.iastate.edu/ alumni/share-your-news/. On the Cover “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) is a two-ton, 20-foot-long, stainless steel sculpture designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio and installed at the new Johnston Town Center in Johnston. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515 294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu
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piece is stainless steel with multiple finishes. The ribs were sandblasted to create a “foggy” effect, while the scales have a combination of treatments that contribute to the rippling and shimmering effect. A programmable LED lighting system illuminates the interior “belly” of the fish with cooler tones and the exterior with warmer tones indicative of sunrise and sunset in Iowa. “It’s like when you’re walking by a lake and see the reflection and refraction of light in the water — that’s the color palette we aimed for,” Correa said. “Lighting is a part of the spatial and visual experience.”
THE VISION
A landmark attraction
Sculpture details:
The 4,000-pound frame, whose curves were inspired by wooden boat building, was craned into place in mid-July, and scales were assembled and installed at the end of July. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in August during the Johnston Town Center’s grand opening event. “A lot of credit goes to the city of Johnston. Many people think of art as an amenity, not a necessity, and sometimes communities don’t see value in these types of projects,” Correa said. “The initial vision for this piece started small. Through conversations with residents, city officials and the public art committee, we recognized the potential to create something larger and more meaningful — a landmark attraction in Iowa where families can interact and make memories. ‘Ripples’ evolved to the scale and significance it has today because of the city’s willingness to expand the vision.”
Photos by Cameron Campbell (above), Christopher Gannon (below left and right), Reinaldo Correa (bottom).
LED lighting is a part of the spatial and visual experience.
Nearly 2,000 kinetic “scales” capture the light and breeze to heighten the sense of movement and sound.
The custom jig designed to hit the coordinate location for the artwork components.
“
Here is a snippet of some of our R&D process for the kinetic skin. I tell my students there will be many times in your creative process that what you’re trying to accomplish does not exist in a catalog nor in your big-box stores, and you’ll need to will these solutions into existence through many iterations and failures. — Reinaldo Correa
”
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A passion for design Holland credits his mother, Sharon (BA 1985 Art & Design) — a textile designer and owner of Sharon Holland Designs — with sparking his creativity and passion for design.
By Heather Sauer By Lindsey Giardino
NICK HOLL AND Industrial design alum heads NASA public-engagement exhibits team The view from Nick Holland’s desk is almost literally out of this world. “It looks like something out of Indiana Jones,” Holland said of the cavernous building he works in that’s filled with crates of NASA relics. Holland (BID 2015 Industrial Design) is the exhibits industrial designer and exhibits supervisor for NASA’s Communications, Outreach, Multimedia and Information Technology (COMIT) contract at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In this role he focuses on a wide range of projects, including space center renovations, designs for events and airports, and the creation of new displays for space artifacts, some of which have flown in space. Many of these displays 4
are housed in the Johnson Space Center, while others travel across the country for use as educational tools or museum exhibits. “I love working with NASA,” Holland said. “It’s an organization that does a great deal of good in our society. My team focuses on engaging the public to champion the fields of science, technology and aerospace. We hope we’ll inspire people to pursue the sciences and join NASA one day.” One especially exciting project: Holland was tasked with designing a moon rock display for the White House, which was delivered on President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day. To Holland’s surprise, the display now sits on the built-in shelves beside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
Computer Engineering), and sister, Anna (Holland) Ruppert (BA 2011 English), are Iowa State alumni. The College of Design’s nationally ranked programs clinched the decision. Initially Holland planned to study architecture, but through his first-year core courses in the College of Design, he became interested in the new degree program in industrial design. He was accepted into only the third cohort to graduate with a bachelor of industrial design from ISU. One of Holland’s most memorable college experiences was his semester abroad during his senior year at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he took courses in service design, sustainable design and advanced fabrication using computer numericcontrolled (CNC) machines and other mass-production tools.
Opposite: Holland’s team designs exhibits to highlight NASA’s activities and promote interest in science, technology and aerospace engineering. Above: Holland designed a moon rock display that resides in the Oval Office. Photos courtesy of Nick Holland.
“I knew it was for the White House but didn’t know it would be put in the Oval Office when we designed it,” Holland said. “My colleague sent me a Washington Post article showing the new décor of the Oval Office with the moon rock in it, and my jaw dropped.”
A luminous career path Most days Holland produces work for the Johnson Space Center, overseeing a team of a dozen people across departments from graphic design to fabrication. They collaborate with stakeholders in various buildings around the space center, translating ideas for exhibits into design renderings, prototypes and completed displays. Holland’s home base is in a workshop across the street from the center, where he’s surrounded by exhibit-related space artifacts — everything from scaled spacecraft models to space refrigerators to space shuttle tiles. Whatever task he’s occupied with, the main goal of Holland’s work is to “engage the public and show them all the unique work NASA does.”
Growing up in Illinois and Ohio, Holland would join her on weekends as she visited garage sales in search of antiques and vintage finds. The two would then refurbish the pieces together and sell them at local flea markets. When Holland entered high school, his parents bought the Adobe Creative Suite and encouraged him to learn skills like making a poster in Illustrator or removing the background of an image in Photoshop. Soon Holland was incorporating his digital designs into everything he could, including class presentations. “I just loved it,” he said. “I couldn’t get enough.” Pursuing a design major in college was a natural choice. Enrolling at Iowa State University was another natural choice: in addition to his mother, his father, Charles (BS 1985 Chemical Engineering), brother, Benjamin Benjamin (BS 2010 Computer Engineering / BS 2011 Computer Science / MS 2012 Information Assurance & Computer Engineering / PhD 2018
“That was a very influential time in my education where I started forming my own theories about industrial design and the role of sustainability in design. In all, the experiences I had there primed me to be versatile in my career,” he said.
Jack of all trades For Holland, being versatile means pursuing projects that help expand his primary skillset. “If someone asks me to do something that’s fringe to what my core competencies are, I’ll often agree to take that work on,” he said. “I’m an industrial designer who focuses on being a jack of all trades, which has led to some good opportunities in my career.”
Through networking efforts after graduation from Iowa State, Holland became involved in a project for Up and Running Software, owned by industrial design professor Seda McKilligan’s husband, Ian. Holland produced several videos for the software development company, developing new skills beyond the traditional boundaries of industrial design. After being laid off by a different company he was working for in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that added skillset — paired with his industrial design background — “allowed me to get my foot in the door as the acting art director of NASA TV, where I worked on several televised events, most notably the crew cadre announcement videos for the Artemis astronauts,” Holland said of the contract position he held for three months before accepting his current role last November. “The Artemis missions are NASA’s next big push to land astronauts on the moon in the next several years, so it was quite the honor to be a part of those videos,” he said. Wherever the future may lead him, Holland will continue accepting new and unique opportunities here on Earth and perhaps beyond.
“
STUDY ABROAD
That was a very influential time in my education where I started forming my own theories about industrial design and the role of sustainability in design. In all, the experiences I had there
”
primed me to be versatile in my career
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VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
A passion for design Holland credits his mother, Sharon (BA 1985 Art & Design) — a textile designer and owner of Sharon Holland Designs — with sparking his creativity and passion for design.
By Heather Sauer By Lindsey Giardino
NICK HOLL AND Industrial design alum heads NASA public-engagement exhibits team The view from Nick Holland’s desk is almost literally out of this world. “It looks like something out of Indiana Jones,” Holland said of the cavernous building he works in that’s filled with crates of NASA relics. Holland (BID 2015 Industrial Design) is the exhibits industrial designer and exhibits supervisor for NASA’s Communications, Outreach, Multimedia and Information Technology (COMIT) contract at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In this role he focuses on a wide range of projects, including space center renovations, designs for events and airports, and the creation of new displays for space artifacts, some of which have flown in space. Many of these displays 4
are housed in the Johnson Space Center, while others travel across the country for use as educational tools or museum exhibits. “I love working with NASA,” Holland said. “It’s an organization that does a great deal of good in our society. My team focuses on engaging the public to champion the fields of science, technology and aerospace. We hope we’ll inspire people to pursue the sciences and join NASA one day.” One especially exciting project: Holland was tasked with designing a moon rock display for the White House, which was delivered on President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day. To Holland’s surprise, the display now sits on the built-in shelves beside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
Computer Engineering), and sister, Anna (Holland) Ruppert (BA 2011 English), are Iowa State alumni. The College of Design’s nationally ranked programs clinched the decision. Initially Holland planned to study architecture, but through his first-year core courses in the College of Design, he became interested in the new degree program in industrial design. He was accepted into only the third cohort to graduate with a bachelor of industrial design from ISU. One of Holland’s most memorable college experiences was his semester abroad during his senior year at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he took courses in service design, sustainable design and advanced fabrication using computer numericcontrolled (CNC) machines and other mass-production tools.
Opposite: Holland’s team designs exhibits to highlight NASA’s activities and promote interest in science, technology and aerospace engineering. Above: Holland designed a moon rock display that resides in the Oval Office. Photos courtesy of Nick Holland.
“I knew it was for the White House but didn’t know it would be put in the Oval Office when we designed it,” Holland said. “My colleague sent me a Washington Post article showing the new décor of the Oval Office with the moon rock in it, and my jaw dropped.”
A luminous career path Most days Holland produces work for the Johnson Space Center, overseeing a team of a dozen people across departments from graphic design to fabrication. They collaborate with stakeholders in various buildings around the space center, translating ideas for exhibits into design renderings, prototypes and completed displays. Holland’s home base is in a workshop across the street from the center, where he’s surrounded by exhibit-related space artifacts — everything from scaled spacecraft models to space refrigerators to space shuttle tiles. Whatever task he’s occupied with, the main goal of Holland’s work is to “engage the public and show them all the unique work NASA does.”
Growing up in Illinois and Ohio, Holland would join her on weekends as she visited garage sales in search of antiques and vintage finds. The two would then refurbish the pieces together and sell them at local flea markets. When Holland entered high school, his parents bought the Adobe Creative Suite and encouraged him to learn skills like making a poster in Illustrator or removing the background of an image in Photoshop. Soon Holland was incorporating his digital designs into everything he could, including class presentations. “I just loved it,” he said. “I couldn’t get enough.” Pursuing a design major in college was a natural choice. Enrolling at Iowa State University was another natural choice: in addition to his mother, his father, Charles (BS 1985 Chemical Engineering), brother, Benjamin Benjamin (BS 2010 Computer Engineering / BS 2011 Computer Science / MS 2012 Information Assurance & Computer Engineering / PhD 2018
“That was a very influential time in my education where I started forming my own theories about industrial design and the role of sustainability in design. In all, the experiences I had there primed me to be versatile in my career,” he said.
Jack of all trades For Holland, being versatile means pursuing projects that help expand his primary skillset. “If someone asks me to do something that’s fringe to what my core competencies are, I’ll often agree to take that work on,” he said. “I’m an industrial designer who focuses on being a jack of all trades, which has led to some good opportunities in my career.”
Through networking efforts after graduation from Iowa State, Holland became involved in a project for Up and Running Software, owned by industrial design professor Seda McKilligan’s husband, Ian. Holland produced several videos for the software development company, developing new skills beyond the traditional boundaries of industrial design. After being laid off by a different company he was working for in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that added skillset — paired with his industrial design background — “allowed me to get my foot in the door as the acting art director of NASA TV, where I worked on several televised events, most notably the crew cadre announcement videos for the Artemis astronauts,” Holland said of the contract position he held for three months before accepting his current role last November. “The Artemis missions are NASA’s next big push to land astronauts on the moon in the next several years, so it was quite the honor to be a part of those videos,” he said. Wherever the future may lead him, Holland will continue accepting new and unique opportunities here on Earth and perhaps beyond.
“
STUDY ABROAD
That was a very influential time in my education where I started forming my own theories about industrial design and the role of sustainability in design. In all, the experiences I had there
”
primed me to be versatile in my career
5
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VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
tables, inventoried equipment and created graphics to help users navigate the space. They developed math and science lesson plans to meet county, state and federal standards, and calendars to coordinate greenhouse output with the curriculum. They also prepared budget sheets outlining the cost of materials and operation of the facility.
the work we’ve done this summer continues to benefit the vendors and the community,” Cornwell said. “We created a user guide with instructions to help new social media users. We also created an internship position so a future student could support vendors in moving this initiative forward.”
Will Howell and Kaylee Cornwell, second and third from left, helped lead a workshop showing how teachers can integrate their school greenhouse into class projects. Photo courtesy of ISU Extension and Outreach..
Interns learn about extension through work with Iowa communities “The more we can get students out helping communities, the better. I’ve found that I could propose the same thing a student would present to a community and they’d tell me to get lost, but they really listen to students. That’s the strength of having student interns involved in these projects. People recognize they’re sincere and have no personal agenda — they truly want to help solve the problem.” The students in this context are Rising Star interns for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The observation comes from Donovan Olson, extension regional director for Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Mitchell and Worth Counties in north-central Iowa. This is the third year Olson (BA 1993 Art & Design / MCRP 1997 Community & Regional Planning) has participated in the Rising Star program, a paid summer internship experience for undergraduates 6
from the Colleges of Design, Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Human Sciences. The internship introduces students to the work of ISU Extension and Outreach and encourages them to consider a career in extension after graduation, he said. “Each year I identify three to five community challenges that interns could address. Then I look for students with the experience, education and training that would prepare them to address those challenges,” Olson said. “They’re like consultants who specialize in a certain service, and I hire them because they’ll bring that particular skill set to the projects.” Internships were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This past summer, eight Iowa State students were selected to work on projects in five regions. Olson hired three Rising Stars to work in Region 4: Kaylee Cornwell,
a junior in graphic design from Bettendorf; Belinda Heckman, a senior in global resource systems and dietetics from West Liberty; and Will Howell, a fourth-year architecture student from Lake Forest, Illinois. From mid-May to early August, these students engaged in several projects with Hampton in Franklin County, Mason City in Cerro Gordo County and Northwood in Worth County. Because of COVID-19, Olson had his interns work remotely, living in Ames and driving with him or on their own to visit their project sites once or twice each week.
Howell’s final rendering for the Hampton pocket park features a pavilion, outdoor seating, a mural wall and a peace symbol as a focal point.
“To familiarize staff and teachers with the layout and equipment, we held an interactive workshop with demonstrations of possible classroom projects. And we created a training video to help ensure the greenhouse can be used as intended,” Cornwell said.
Farmers’ market
“The school got a Blue Zone grant to build it in 2017 with the goal to grow produce for students’ daily lunches, but it was underutilized,” Cornwell said. “Our task was to get things up and running and create ways for students to participate in growing and learning about their food.”
In Hampton, Cornwell spearheaded efforts to promote the Hampton Farmers’ Market by creating a branded identity (inset) and an online marketing initiative, including an improved social media presence. The team developed a marketing plan, graphics and editable templates for posting content on Facebook and Instagram.
The students cleaned and organized the greenhouse, assembled three hydroponics
“One of the most important aspects of this project is sustainability, so
Middle school greenhouse The team worked with Lincoln Intermediate School in Mason City to set up a greenhouse for food production and create a curriculum to integrate the greenhouse into the classroom.
Volunteer opportunities Working across all three counties but primarily in Northwood, the interns developed a plan to help participants in the ISU Extension and Outreach Master Gardener program find volunteer opportunities to fulfill their community service requirements after completing the educational component. The team visited several gardens in the region and conducted a community survey to identify different needs. They created a list of opportunities with details including location, duration, description, responsibilities and time commitment so potential volunteers can find the right fit. They also created a template for county offices across Iowa to edit as new opportunities in their areas are identified.
By Heather Sauer
RISING S TA R S
If all goes as planned, Howell said, construction of the park will begin next spring. “I’m excited to return in a year to see the finished space and how the community is using it.”
Pocket park Howell headed the design of a pocket park to better utilize space in downtown Hampton. “The city council and chamber of commerce had purchased a lot left vacant after a building burned down, and a donor wanted to develop it into a park with outdoor seating for local restaurants,” Howell said. “She requested we incorporate a peace sign to reflect the concepts of harmony and community.” With community input, the interns designed a multiuse plaza with a wooden pavilion, benches, café seating, raised flower beds and outdoor bistro lighting. Because the space is between two existing buildings, on one side the team created a mural wall for public artwork. The peace symbol is incorporated into the plaza with a red brick circle and concrete “arms.”
“One of the descriptions the students put together was for an opening at Central Gardens in Clear Lake. They loved our Rising Stars so much, Central Gardens has allocated money to participate in the internship program again next year,” Olson said.
Valuable for all Working with students and connecting them with communities is his favorite part of the job, Olson said. “Bringing interns out to demonstrate their skills and abilities on a real-world project is very rewarding for me personally, and I think it’s the same for students.” For Cornwell, “it was a great lesson in how to explain my ideas and processes to someone outside my field. “Getting to know people in the communities and ensuring my designs represent them was a great experience.” “As professional designers, we’ll be working with people from different backgrounds who may approach things differently,” Howell said. “What we had to do this summer was find solutions everyone liked and agreed on. The real world is about building those relationships and finding common ground to make projects happen.” 7
I N TSER ON AP L ER S TI U DC I OE T UN DAT E NI T EX EN
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
tables, inventoried equipment and created graphics to help users navigate the space. They developed math and science lesson plans to meet county, state and federal standards, and calendars to coordinate greenhouse output with the curriculum. They also prepared budget sheets outlining the cost of materials and operation of the facility.
the work we’ve done this summer continues to benefit the vendors and the community,” Cornwell said. “We created a user guide with instructions to help new social media users. We also created an internship position so a future student could support vendors in moving this initiative forward.”
Will Howell and Kaylee Cornwell, second and third from left, helped lead a workshop showing how teachers can integrate their school greenhouse into class projects. Photo courtesy of ISU Extension and Outreach..
Interns learn about extension through work with Iowa communities “The more we can get students out helping communities, the better. I’ve found that I could propose the same thing a student would present to a community and they’d tell me to get lost, but they really listen to students. That’s the strength of having student interns involved in these projects. People recognize they’re sincere and have no personal agenda — they truly want to help solve the problem.” The students in this context are Rising Star interns for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The observation comes from Donovan Olson, extension regional director for Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Mitchell and Worth Counties in north-central Iowa. This is the third year Olson (BA 1993 Art & Design / MCRP 1997 Community & Regional Planning) has participated in the Rising Star program, a paid summer internship experience for undergraduates 6
from the Colleges of Design, Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Human Sciences. The internship introduces students to the work of ISU Extension and Outreach and encourages them to consider a career in extension after graduation, he said. “Each year I identify three to five community challenges that interns could address. Then I look for students with the experience, education and training that would prepare them to address those challenges,” Olson said. “They’re like consultants who specialize in a certain service, and I hire them because they’ll bring that particular skill set to the projects.” Internships were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This past summer, eight Iowa State students were selected to work on projects in five regions. Olson hired three Rising Stars to work in Region 4: Kaylee Cornwell,
a junior in graphic design from Bettendorf; Belinda Heckman, a senior in global resource systems and dietetics from West Liberty; and Will Howell, a fourth-year architecture student from Lake Forest, Illinois. From mid-May to early August, these students engaged in several projects with Hampton in Franklin County, Mason City in Cerro Gordo County and Northwood in Worth County. Because of COVID-19, Olson had his interns work remotely, living in Ames and driving with him or on their own to visit their project sites once or twice each week.
Howell’s final rendering for the Hampton pocket park features a pavilion, outdoor seating, a mural wall and a peace symbol as a focal point.
“To familiarize staff and teachers with the layout and equipment, we held an interactive workshop with demonstrations of possible classroom projects. And we created a training video to help ensure the greenhouse can be used as intended,” Cornwell said.
Farmers’ market
“The school got a Blue Zone grant to build it in 2017 with the goal to grow produce for students’ daily lunches, but it was underutilized,” Cornwell said. “Our task was to get things up and running and create ways for students to participate in growing and learning about their food.”
In Hampton, Cornwell spearheaded efforts to promote the Hampton Farmers’ Market by creating a branded identity (inset) and an online marketing initiative, including an improved social media presence. The team developed a marketing plan, graphics and editable templates for posting content on Facebook and Instagram.
The students cleaned and organized the greenhouse, assembled three hydroponics
“One of the most important aspects of this project is sustainability, so
Middle school greenhouse The team worked with Lincoln Intermediate School in Mason City to set up a greenhouse for food production and create a curriculum to integrate the greenhouse into the classroom.
Volunteer opportunities Working across all three counties but primarily in Northwood, the interns developed a plan to help participants in the ISU Extension and Outreach Master Gardener program find volunteer opportunities to fulfill their community service requirements after completing the educational component. The team visited several gardens in the region and conducted a community survey to identify different needs. They created a list of opportunities with details including location, duration, description, responsibilities and time commitment so potential volunteers can find the right fit. They also created a template for county offices across Iowa to edit as new opportunities in their areas are identified.
By Heather Sauer
RISING S TA R S
If all goes as planned, Howell said, construction of the park will begin next spring. “I’m excited to return in a year to see the finished space and how the community is using it.”
Pocket park Howell headed the design of a pocket park to better utilize space in downtown Hampton. “The city council and chamber of commerce had purchased a lot left vacant after a building burned down, and a donor wanted to develop it into a park with outdoor seating for local restaurants,” Howell said. “She requested we incorporate a peace sign to reflect the concepts of harmony and community.” With community input, the interns designed a multiuse plaza with a wooden pavilion, benches, café seating, raised flower beds and outdoor bistro lighting. Because the space is between two existing buildings, on one side the team created a mural wall for public artwork. The peace symbol is incorporated into the plaza with a red brick circle and concrete “arms.”
“One of the descriptions the students put together was for an opening at Central Gardens in Clear Lake. They loved our Rising Stars so much, Central Gardens has allocated money to participate in the internship program again next year,” Olson said.
Valuable for all Working with students and connecting them with communities is his favorite part of the job, Olson said. “Bringing interns out to demonstrate their skills and abilities on a real-world project is very rewarding for me personally, and I think it’s the same for students.” For Cornwell, “it was a great lesson in how to explain my ideas and processes to someone outside my field. “Getting to know people in the communities and ensuring my designs represent them was a great experience.” “As professional designers, we’ll be working with people from different backgrounds who may approach things differently,” Howell said. “What we had to do this summer was find solutions everyone liked and agreed on. The real world is about building those relationships and finding common ground to make projects happen.” 7
N E W G R A D UAT E P R O G R A M
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
and business is a point of distinction, he said. “We can bring strong financial decision
Program faculty from the College of Design include architecture associate professor Andrea Wheeler and community and regional planning
“Our ideal prospect is someone with at least five years of experience, but one student in our first cohort came directly from undergraduate study with two years of internship experience, and she was phenomenal. Her classmates all said we need high achievers like her in the program,” Spiller said.
By Heather Sauer
DESIGN + BUSINESS
MRED program serves diverse group of working professionals When Laura Peters learned about Iowa State University’s new master of real estate development program (MRED), she enrolled immediately. A Des Moines city planner with a background in landscape architecture, Peters had been thinking about graduate school for a while, she said. She’d looked at both urban design and MBA programs but wasn’t sure they were the right fit. “I saw the MRED advertised and realized it was exactly what I need for the work I do.” At the time, Peters (BLA 1998 Landscape Architecture / MRED 2021 Real Estate Development) was part of the Des Moines Neighborhood Development Division and now works with the Development Services Department. She believed the MRED would be valuable for her work in some of the city’s distressed neighborhoods. “As a designer and planner, it’s easy for me to envision improvements to a corridor, but I didn’t understand what 8
degree in as few as 21 months or as long as five years to better accommodate the schedules of working professionals, he said. The program may also expand eligibility to high-achieving recent college graduates who have less work experience.
it would take financially to make those changes happen. We would need publicprivate partnerships and the city would need to be invested; the MRED helped me understand how critical city involvement is in these sorts of projects,” she said. In May, Peters was one of nine students in the first cohort to graduate with a master of real estate development from Iowa State.
Hybrid master’s program Offered jointly by the College of Design and the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, the MRED program was established to provide a strong foundation in market analysis, finance, investment, leadership and negotiation, planning, and project management — skills and knowledge needed for graduates to be successful in the real estate industry. The 33-credit program is offered primarily online with three in-person components. At the start of each academic year, participants engage in an on-campus residency — a deep dive
into a single subject that covers an entire three-credit course in a compressed timeline. The program culminates in a group capstone workshop where students apply what they’ve learned to test an idea, create a pitch, present to a panel of experts and receive feedback in real time. James Spiller, associate professor of practice in finance, has been director of the MRED program since February. He previously was the director of design for a real estate development firm in Des Moines and had served as a lecturer in architecture and interdisciplinary design at Iowa State. Also the co-founder of Spiller Design & Architecture, “one of the reasons I migrated to real estate development is because I wanted to see the power of design and design thinking better represented in financial decisions and investing,” Spiller said. The MRED program’s synthesis of design
Opposite and above: Students visited a Neumann Brothers real estate development site in Des Moines during their capstone week last spring. College of Design alumna Laura Peters is pictured at right in both photos. Photos by Suzanne Lyndon.
making to designers and planners, and they can bring their expertise into the world of investing so they and their organizations can profit and make the world a better place.”
Broad range of experience “Our program attracts a diverse group of working professionals across the real estate industry, from financial services and construction to design and planning, with a wide range of experience,” Spiller said. “Current students hail from Texas, Nevada and Florida as well as the Midwest. It’s an exciting mix and one of the goals the program set out to accomplish.” The MRED Executive Advisory Council — which provided invaluable input during the planning and implementation of the new master’s program and continues its support through student mentorship and other opportunities — includes College of Design alumni Steve Foutch (BA 1988 Architecture), cofounder and CEO of Foutch Brothers, a set of companies that repurpose historic and underutilized properties; and Don Young (BS 1976 Landscape Architecture), founder and principal of D.R. Young Associates, a real estate development and project management consulting practice.
assistant professors Ted GrevstadNordbrock, also coordinator of the new graduate certificate in preservation and cultural heritage, and Daniel Kuhlmann, who was hired specifically to teach in the MRED program. In Kuhlmann’s estate development class last fall, students proposed real estate business ideas, which they revised during the capstone week in May and presented to a panel of experts as their final project before graduation. “It has been exciting to see the program come to fruition,” Kuhlmann said. “This cohort was very impressive; they brought experience that even I as an instructor don’t have. It’s especially fun to teach when we’re learning from each other.”
Flexibility and access At the outset, the MRED curriculum was intended to expose students to every facet of the real estate industry. Now, Spiller said, “we’re working on adjusting the curricular structure to give each student more access to coursework to complement their areas of expertise.” Rather than a fixed time frame of 21 months, the curriculum has been adjusted so students can complete the
While the MRED program already pairs each student with an industry mentor, administrators are seeking further opportunities for industry interaction. Beginning this fall, the program will organize regular conversations, tours and other activities in person and online with students, faculty, MRED alumni and real estate development professionals. MRED students crave conversations about real projects with practitioners from around the country. “We’re working to provide as many real-world learning opportunities as possible — focused on the award-winning work, extraordinary experiences and honest insights of Iowa State alumni in particular,” Spiller said. “As the program evolves, one key goal is to evolve the barriers of entry so that more ideal students can participate and succeed. We need to be sure our degree provides flexibility, access and support for busy working professionals.”
Making connections Laura Peters hopes more design professionals will enroll in the master of real estate development program. “Anyone who specializes in the built environment, whether a planner, an architect, an interior designer or a landscape architect, would really benefit from understanding the financial aspects of real estate development and what drives a developer to take on a project,” she said. “A colleague asked for advice on the letter of intent for their MRED application this year. I’m excited that I can help others connect with the program.” 9
N E W G R A D UAT E P R O G R A M
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
and business is a point of distinction, he said. “We can bring strong financial decision
Program faculty from the College of Design include architecture associate professor Andrea Wheeler and community and regional planning
“Our ideal prospect is someone with at least five years of experience, but one student in our first cohort came directly from undergraduate study with two years of internship experience, and she was phenomenal. Her classmates all said we need high achievers like her in the program,” Spiller said.
By Heather Sauer
DESIGN + BUSINESS
MRED program serves diverse group of working professionals When Laura Peters learned about Iowa State University’s new master of real estate development program (MRED), she enrolled immediately. A Des Moines city planner with a background in landscape architecture, Peters had been thinking about graduate school for a while, she said. She’d looked at both urban design and MBA programs but wasn’t sure they were the right fit. “I saw the MRED advertised and realized it was exactly what I need for the work I do.” At the time, Peters (BLA 1998 Landscape Architecture / MRED 2021 Real Estate Development) was part of the Des Moines Neighborhood Development Division and now works with the Development Services Department. She believed the MRED would be valuable for her work in some of the city’s distressed neighborhoods. “As a designer and planner, it’s easy for me to envision improvements to a corridor, but I didn’t understand what 8
degree in as few as 21 months or as long as five years to better accommodate the schedules of working professionals, he said. The program may also expand eligibility to high-achieving recent college graduates who have less work experience.
it would take financially to make those changes happen. We would need publicprivate partnerships and the city would need to be invested; the MRED helped me understand how critical city involvement is in these sorts of projects,” she said. In May, Peters was one of nine students in the first cohort to graduate with a master of real estate development from Iowa State.
Hybrid master’s program Offered jointly by the College of Design and the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, the MRED program was established to provide a strong foundation in market analysis, finance, investment, leadership and negotiation, planning, and project management — skills and knowledge needed for graduates to be successful in the real estate industry. The 33-credit program is offered primarily online with three in-person components. At the start of each academic year, participants engage in an on-campus residency — a deep dive
into a single subject that covers an entire three-credit course in a compressed timeline. The program culminates in a group capstone workshop where students apply what they’ve learned to test an idea, create a pitch, present to a panel of experts and receive feedback in real time. James Spiller, associate professor of practice in finance, has been director of the MRED program since February. He previously was the director of design for a real estate development firm in Des Moines and had served as a lecturer in architecture and interdisciplinary design at Iowa State. Also the co-founder of Spiller Design & Architecture, “one of the reasons I migrated to real estate development is because I wanted to see the power of design and design thinking better represented in financial decisions and investing,” Spiller said. The MRED program’s synthesis of design
Opposite and above: Students visited a Neumann Brothers real estate development site in Des Moines during their capstone week last spring. College of Design alumna Laura Peters is pictured at right in both photos. Photos by Suzanne Lyndon.
making to designers and planners, and they can bring their expertise into the world of investing so they and their organizations can profit and make the world a better place.”
Broad range of experience “Our program attracts a diverse group of working professionals across the real estate industry, from financial services and construction to design and planning, with a wide range of experience,” Spiller said. “Current students hail from Texas, Nevada and Florida as well as the Midwest. It’s an exciting mix and one of the goals the program set out to accomplish.” The MRED Executive Advisory Council — which provided invaluable input during the planning and implementation of the new master’s program and continues its support through student mentorship and other opportunities — includes College of Design alumni Steve Foutch (BA 1988 Architecture), cofounder and CEO of Foutch Brothers, a set of companies that repurpose historic and underutilized properties; and Don Young (BS 1976 Landscape Architecture), founder and principal of D.R. Young Associates, a real estate development and project management consulting practice.
assistant professors Ted GrevstadNordbrock, also coordinator of the new graduate certificate in preservation and cultural heritage, and Daniel Kuhlmann, who was hired specifically to teach in the MRED program. In Kuhlmann’s estate development class last fall, students proposed real estate business ideas, which they revised during the capstone week in May and presented to a panel of experts as their final project before graduation. “It has been exciting to see the program come to fruition,” Kuhlmann said. “This cohort was very impressive; they brought experience that even I as an instructor don’t have. It’s especially fun to teach when we’re learning from each other.”
Flexibility and access At the outset, the MRED curriculum was intended to expose students to every facet of the real estate industry. Now, Spiller said, “we’re working on adjusting the curricular structure to give each student more access to coursework to complement their areas of expertise.” Rather than a fixed time frame of 21 months, the curriculum has been adjusted so students can complete the
While the MRED program already pairs each student with an industry mentor, administrators are seeking further opportunities for industry interaction. Beginning this fall, the program will organize regular conversations, tours and other activities in person and online with students, faculty, MRED alumni and real estate development professionals. MRED students crave conversations about real projects with practitioners from around the country. “We’re working to provide as many real-world learning opportunities as possible — focused on the award-winning work, extraordinary experiences and honest insights of Iowa State alumni in particular,” Spiller said. “As the program evolves, one key goal is to evolve the barriers of entry so that more ideal students can participate and succeed. We need to be sure our degree provides flexibility, access and support for busy working professionals.”
Making connections Laura Peters hopes more design professionals will enroll in the master of real estate development program. “Anyone who specializes in the built environment, whether a planner, an architect, an interior designer or a landscape architect, would really benefit from understanding the financial aspects of real estate development and what drives a developer to take on a project,” she said. “A colleague asked for advice on the letter of intent for their MRED application this year. I’m excited that I can help others connect with the program.” 9
STUDENT SUPPORT
By Heather Sauer
DESIGN CLOSET
Jordan Brooks, director of equity, inclusion and multicultural student success, has expanded the Design Closet to provide more support to a greater number of students. Photos this page and opposite by Alison Weidemann.
Free student resource reduces financial strain, material waste
In their first year of study, Iowa State University College of Design students focus on the design process and learning the skills needed to advance through their degree programs. Students in the Core Design Program take a required studio — Design Studies 102 — and a required introductory drawing course — Design Studies 131 — along with other classes that provide the foundation for success in their chosen majors. Students with fewer financial resources may find it difficult to buy the supplies and materials needed for these courses. Former multicultural liaison officer Audrey Kennis — now the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the City of West Des Moines and a graduate student in community and regional planning — established the Design Closet to provide first-year students who cannot easily afford their required supplies with recycled and gently used materials donated by other students, staff and faculty. 10
Jordan Brooks, who joined the College of Design in spring 2019 as its director of equity, inclusion and multicultural student success, he continued that initiative, setting up donation bins and providing Design Closet magnets for students to place on their lockers if they wished to contribute supplies at the end of the year. “In the past, they’d been told anything left in lockers would be thrown away, because we had no process for collecting and distributing materials. Audrey started encouraging students to donate reusable items they no longer needed when they cleaned out lockers and studios. I introduced the magnets to make it even easier — students could leave what they wanted to donate in their lockers, and I would collect everything.”
Expanded initiative Brooks and colleagues have increased the Design Closet’s impact through annual crowdfunding campaigns in
2019, 2020 and 2021 (under way as this newsletter went to press) on the Iowa State University Foundation’s FundISU platform. These successful efforts allow the college to subsidize the cost of more specialized supplies by assembling kits for students or providing gift cards for them to purchase materials at the Design Store, a branch of the ISU Book Store located on the second floor of the College of Design. “We have a great relationship with the ISU Book Store, so we can benefit from discounts the bookstore receives and connect students with a campus resource,” Brooks said. “Students who need assistance can place orders to be delivered to the Design Store and pick them up.” Last year, Brooks also began extending Design Closet support for students to attend conferences and workshops, enter art and design competitions
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
C OV ER S TO RY
sought to tell a story with form, asking, “How do we implement form into the sculpture in a way that feels seamless and structured?” he said. “I love straddling the art and design line, and I’m excited to see ‘Ripples’ exist in the real world.”
By Meg Grice & Heather Sauer
RIPPLES ( A K A B I G F I S H) Interdisciplinary faculty-student team creates immersive art experience in Johnston A leaping largemouth bass has landed in the new Johnston Town Center. Weighing 2 tons and measuring 20 feet long, 13 ½ feet high and 10 feet wide, the stainless steel sculpture shimmers with nearly 2,000 kinetic “scales” that capture the light and breeze to heighten the sense of movement created by the curving frame. The “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) installation was designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio. Artist Reinaldo Correa, an Iowa State University assistant teaching professor of architecture and industrial design, and his team won a public art competition curated by Liz Lidgett Gallery and Design for the town center, a project by OPN Architects, Confluence, Hansen Company and Hansen Real Estate. Beginning in February 2020, Correa (BArch 2008 Architecture / MID
2020 Industrial Design) — who has completed several public art commissions in Iowa — did research and interviews with community members to become better acquainted with Johnston and the surrounding area while developing a concept for the contest submission. For him, the project site’s proximity to Saylorville Lake and the city’s Terra Lake, both popular recreational destinations, emphasized the importance of water in connecting people with places through memories. “Both bodies of water create ‘ripples’ of remembrance, from boating and fishing to picnics by the shore,” Correa said. The largemouth bass is a common lake species that also causes distinctive ripples as it swims and slaps its tail fin while leaping to capture insects or bait.
Correa chose the fish as a symbol to represent the value of the area’s aquatic recreational opportunities and their role in creating fond family memories.
Student collaboration With many summer internships canceled because of COVID-19, Correa invited architecture students Brenna Fransen, Dai “Bill” Le and Tarun Bhatia, and industrial design students Joe Fentress and Ryan Fransen to collaborate with him through his studio practice on the Ripples proposal. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for them despite the circumstances,” Correa said. “I’m always trying to bridge the gap between academia and the professional practice experience. If you empower students to be a part of the design process, they will bring so much to the table. This excites me as a teacher.”
Le, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, also now a fifth-year architecture student, spent much of the development phase assessing the unique movements of each fish scale. Using computational design software like Rhino and Opposite: Correa shares the story of the sculpture’s design, fabrication and intended impact for Grasshopper, the team created the community at the ribbon-cutting event in August. Photo by Christopher Gannon. Above: Correa, center, with Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld, third from left, and students Brenna Fransen and Ryan a 3D model of the sculpture and Fransen between them, with other dignitaries at the event. Photo © 2021 Joseph L. Murphy. generated a point cloud form of the model, which allowed them to see different solutions for the size visual relationship between the artwork The team followed university and shape of each component and the and the ground,” Correa said. pandemic precautions and completed placement of each scale. the project virtually as much as “When Reinaldo first approached me “It not only adds to the possible. Correa and students met to participate, I felt as though textures of the artwork, over WebEx and Zoom and used I was out of my element. it’ s also a very digital tools like Rhino, Grasshopper, Something about public practical thing — it SolidWorks, CAD, Google Docs and art and seeing a project alerts visitors that Miro to share files and feedback. from conception to they’re getting reality drew me in, closer to the “In early versions of our proposal, the and this project gave installation sculpture was enclosed and experienced me opportunities while bringing entirely from the outside,” Correa said. to make mistakes attention to “Then one of the students said ‘let’s open while learning from the in-ground up the fish’ so people can see it from challenges,” Le said. recessed colorwithin. Through brainstorming and changing LED,” allowing all team members to have a “I’d never had a hands-on he said. voice, the project took a new direction experience like this before, and became better.” and I learned so much.” Safety and access were key considerations in Site integration and safety Custom components developing the “Ripples” project. Part of Similarly successful collaboration with One key lesson the students learned: with Brenna Fransen’s role was to look at how the professional design and construction such a complex piece, the team couldn’t visitors would interact with the artwork. firms engaged in the Johnston Town rely on off-the-shelf materials. Center development led to greater “Young children might be crawling, integration of the “Ripples” artwork into “Sometimes what you’re looking for parents may have strollers and some the rest of the site, which consists of a doesn’t exist. You can’t get it in a bigpeople may use walkers or wheelchairs,” plaza with a splash pad, ice rink and new box store; you have to make it yourself,” said Fransen, from Dubuque, now a state-of-the-art city hall with a large green Correa said. “This entire sculpture is an fifth-year architecture student. “We placed lawn space. embodiment of that. Everything, from the sculpture at an intersection for access the frame to the screws to the clamps to without barriers.” “As a team, we began thinking of ways hold the individual scales in place, is 100 to integrate a secondary plaza area that percent custom.” Seamless storytelling would complement the artwork and Fentress, from St. Louis, who graduated After learning that his studio had won extend the idea of a largemouth bass with a bachelor of industrial design in the public art commission, Correa began leaping from the water. Together with May, assisted with designing the overall working with local fabricators and OPN Architects and Confluence, we fish and different ways of attaching the manufacturing companies to produce designed a series of concentric ripples, scales to the sculpture scaffolding. He the various components. The entire made of stone and concrete, that create a
and participate in other professional development experiences. When he discovered that cabinets in the lower level of the college’s King Pavilion — where the 102 studio courses are held — were underutilized, Brooks transformed them into “reuse stations” where anyone can drop off or pick up leftover materials like cardboard, kraft paper and foam core. “When it’s in a shared space and any student can give or take things from the cabinets, we can make it a part of doing good design to reuse and share materials. We can meet the current needs of students while working to shift the culture toward reduced waste.”
Student job fair To better serve students and connect them with opportunities in the College of Design, Brooks initiated an internal student job fair this fall. He invited college faculty and staff who hire student employees to present these opportunities in a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms for students to learn more about specific jobs. Lamaur Benjamin (inset), a first-year, pre-graphic design student from Chicago, heard about the Design Closet through emails from Brooks. He used the online request form to obtain a large sketch pad, several pens and a portfolio case. He also participated in the virtual job fair, where he connected with model shop manager Jeremy Thurlby. “I wanted a job in the College of Design because I thought it would look better to future employers to show experience in a design-related area,” Benjamin said. Benjamin helps monitor students in the model shop, offering advice on the best tools to use for their projects and ensuring safety protocols are followed. He also assists the output center staff on the fourth floor with operating the laser cutters. “I hadn’t done a lot of hands-on work before, and it’s cool to learn to use the
tools and help other students. Getting to know Jeremy and others working in the shop has been a really good experience,” he said. “Jordan and the Design Closet have been a big help.”
Spreading the word Industrial design sophomore Sarah Oyervides grew up in Muscatine and completed high school in Ames. She first learned about the Design Closet from her brother-in-law, Montel Carruthers (BID 2018 Industrial Design / MA 2019 Graphic Design). Brooks shared more details when she enrolled in the College of Design. Oyervides obtained a portfolio kit — previously used by students in the Core to assemble their portfolios for review — and used the pages to keep her 102 and 131 projects safely organized. “I needed something to separate my drawings inside my portfolio bag,” she said. “This helped immensely, because without dividers my work would smear. I also was able to keep all of my projects safe when I needed to transport them to the Design building to scan them in.” Now in her professional degree program, Oyervides continues to use the portfolio to protect her work. She has returned to the Design Closet for drawing supplies. And she has recommended the Design Closet to friends who were worried about the cost of new supplies.
Ongoing support The emphasis of the Design Closet is supporting students with the greatest financial need first, Brooks said. The goal is to one day provide a basic kit of supplies to every first-year student, regardless of need, and professional development funds for students at all levels to gain recognition for their work and participate in activities that make them more competitive in the job market. The Design Closet accepts cash and in-kind donations year-round. Contact Brooks at jwbrooks@iastate.edu to contribute materials, or make a gift online:
www.isuf.info/designcloset
inspire Inspire is published twice per year by the Iowa State University College of Design and is mailed to more than 18,500 alumni and friends. Newsletter Staff Editor Heather Sauer Writers Lindsey Giardino, Meg Grice, Heather Sauer Photographers Cameron Campbell, Christopher Gannon, Suzanne Lyndon, Joseph L. Murphy, Alison Weidemann Graphic Designer Alison Weidemann Contact Us 146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011-1066 inspire@iastate.edu design.iastate.edu Connect With Us facebook.com/CollegeofDesign Instagram: @isucollegeofdesign LinkedIn: Iowa State University – College of Design Alumni Updates Have you married, moved, changed jobs, published or exhibited your work or earned an award? Let us know at http://www.design.iastate.edu/ alumni/share-your-news/. On the Cover “Ripples” (aka “Big Fish”) is a two-ton, 20-foot-long, stainless steel sculpture designed by Reinaldo Correa Studio and installed at the new Johnston Town Center in Johnston. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515 294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu
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VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 FALL 2021
College of Design
146 College of Design 715 Bissell Road Ames, IA 50011-1066
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | FALL 2021
College honors four alumni with awards at Homecoming The College of Design welcomed four distinguished alumni back to campus for recognition at the ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards Ceremony Friday, Oct. 22, at the Scheman Building in Ames. The college presented Design Achievement Awards to Brian H. Hurd (MCRP 1997 Community & Regional Planning), director of community planning and implementation for Rise Community Development, Inc., in St. Louis; and Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar (MFA 2003 Graphic Design), acting director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.
Outstanding Young Professional Awards were presented to Mariah C. Bakke (BLA 2015 Landscape Architecture), lead landscape architect and owner of Viva Landscapes in Fort Myers, Florida; and Lana Fox (BID 2014 Industrial Design), president and CEO of ClinicNote in Des Moines. While on campus, awardees also participated in a celebratory dinner with college administrators, staff and faculty, and a breakfast with leaders of the college’s student organizations. Alumni shared insights into their career paths and encouraged students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible at Iowa State.
ISU Alumni Association’s 90th Honors and Awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of ISUAA.
If you would like to nominate a fellow alum for a College of Design or Iowa State University award, please contact Saylor Upah, alumni relations coordinator, upahsay@iastate.edu.
Immersive Public Art Iowa State faculty-student team creates landmark sculpture for Johnston
Artist and alumnus Reinaldo Correa, top, assistant teaching professor in architecture and industrial design, installs the sculpture’s custom-manufactured kinetic-scale assembly with help from architecture associate teaching professor Ayodele Iyanalu, above. Visitors examine the “scales” at the ribbon-cutting event in August, left. All photos by Christopher Gannon.