NEWSLETTER - May 9, 2025

Students from the HCOA campuses in Lubbock and El Paso have successfully completed their final reviews for the Spring 2025 semester!

Congratulations to all our students and faculty for your outstanding work and dedication throughout the term. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the guest reviewers for their valuable instruction and for making the trip to be part of this important milestone.

A sincere thank-you as well to our faculty and staff—your support and commitment have been essential in bringing this semester to a strong and successful close.

Photo by Derek Rhan Williams

Tahmures Ghiyasi, a research assistant and Ph.D. Student in the Land-use Planning, Management, and Design (LPMD) program, presented two peer-reviewed papers at the 2025 ARCC International Conference EMERGING CHALLENGES, jointly hosted by the University of Maryland and Howard University.

The first paper, co-authored with Assistant Professor Dr. Ali Ghazvinian, titled "A Study of the Impact of Geometrical Optimization on Bearing Lateral Forces in Diagrid Structures," investigates how parametric modeling and multi-objective optimization can improve the performance of diagrid systems in tall buildings. The second paper, titled "Active Bending Curved-Line Folding as Lightweight Structures," is co-authored with Soroush Raeisi, a Master's student in Building Construction Technology at Concordia University, and introduces a foldable bending-active pavilion system developed through elastic deformation and curved-line folding strategies.

Both presentations reflect his ongoing work at the intersection of material systems, computational design, and geometry optimization within structural design and sustainable architecture. 

Photo by Amin Sobhani

Assistant Professor Dr. Ali Ghazvinian presented the collaborative project “HSI Film Series” at the 2024–25 HSI Initiatives annual ceremony alongside co-creators Dr. Rich Rice and Dr. Jenifer Gomez. Developed through the HSI Fellows program, this three-year initiative is designed to address the barriers Hispanic female students encounter in pursuing and succeeding in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fields at Texas Tech University.

The HSI Fellows program is a one-year, cohort-based initiative that brings together faculty and staff to explore strategies for advancing student success, with particular attention to serving Hispanic and underrepresented student populations. With 15 total fellows in their cohort, Dr. Ghazvinian, Dr. Rice, and Dr. Gomez focused their efforts on using storytelling and film to explore identity, representation, and access in STEAM disciplines. Texas Tech University has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) since the fall of 2019. Fellows participate in workshops, collaborative projects, and professional development activities, culminating in a project that aligns with the goals of Texas Tech's HSI designation and supports student engagement, retention, and achievement.

Assistant Professor Dr. Asma Mehan is serving as guest advisor for a forthcoming open-access article collection in the Urban, Planning and Transport Research journal, published by Taylor & Francis. The special issue is titled Reimagining Urban Futures: Planning, Infrastructure, and Community.

For more information on Urban, Planning and Transport Research, click the link here.

Assistant Professor Dr. Asma Mehan will present a seminar titled “Cityscapes and Well-being: Women’s Health in an Urbanising World” on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 9:00 AM CDT hosted on the Cassyni platform. This seminar will explore the intersection of urban design, women’s health, public space, and lived experience in rapidly urbanizing contexts. Dr. Mehan will also discuss key themes from the forthcoming Special Issue with SAGE Journals, focusing on how urban planning and infrastructure impact women’s health and well-being.

To learn more about the seminar, please click the link here.

For additional inquires related to this event, please contact Sr. Event Coordinator Rachel Roe at rachel.roe@ttu.edu.

CALLING ALL STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND FORMER DEANS:
As we look forward to celebrating the 100th anniversary of Texas Tech’s architecture program in 2027, we’re calling on the HCOA community to share their memories and experiences with the program. YOUR STORIES are a vital part of the shared history of our College. Our upcoming book, Limitless Horizons: The First 100 Years of Texas Tech’s Architecture Program, will highlight this rich legacy.

We invite YOU to help us fully capture the impact and influence of Texas Tech’s architecture program—stories that reflect the experiences we all remember, share, and celebrate!

All contributors will be recognized in the book.

To share your story, please reach out to 1972 alumni, Noel Barrick at nbarrick@hksinc.com, Gary Lindsey at gary.lindsey@lcu.edu, or email architecture.limitlesshorizons@ttu.edu.

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