The Huckabee College of Architecture (HCOA) hosted its annual Spring Scholarship Convocation Ceremony on April 11th, 2024, at the Hall of Nations in the International Cultural Center of Texas Tech University. Speakers at this year's event included Dean Upe Flueckiger, Assistant Dean of Students and Scholarship Committee Chair Darrick Wade, undergraduate student speakers Kasey Cochren and William Cook, and graduate student speaker Caleb Scott. This year's ceremony recognized 61 students who were collectively awarded over $170,000 in scholarships for the upcoming semester. 

Congratulations to our scholarship recipients and award winners in Lubbock, El Paso, and Seville! Tremendous thanks to our generous donors, as well as the faculty, staff, and students whose contributions made today possible.

The Upsilon Chapter of Tau Sigma Delta at the Huckabee College of Architecture held its annual New Member Induction Ceremony and Silver Medal Lecture on April 15th, 2024. At the event, the Upsilon Chapter inducted 14 new members into its organization and bestowed the prestigious Silver Medal Award for 2024 upon class of 2003 alumnus, Dominique Houriet. Following the induction ceremony, Houriet delivered a lecture on his current and previous design projects as president, owner, and architect with [oo-d-a] studios inc. in San Diego, California.

Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society for Architecture and the Allied Arts stands as the sole national honor society for architecture and allied fields, comprising students and design professionals dedicated to fostering scholarship, mental achievement, and excellence across architecture, architectural engineering, landscape architecture, and interior design.

If you're interested in learning more about the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society, the organization's website can be found by clicking here.

A collective group of student and faculty volunteers from the HCOA were recently featured on KCBD news for their participation in a charity build for CASA of the South Plains' annual 'CASAS FOR CASA' fundraiser. The yearly event raises funds for the recruitment, training, and support of CASA volunteers. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) of the South Plains is an organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and empower solution-minded community members committed to supporting the best interest of children in the foster care system. Additional information regarding the event and organization can be found by clicking here.

The playhouse was mostly constructed by students with the support and direction of faculty members Lenora Ask and Peter Raab. The project began on Friday, April 5th and was completed by Thursday, April 11th at 5:00 PM. The playhouse was delivered to the organization's kick-off event on Friday, April 12th and will be on display at Market Street at 4205 98th Street (98th & Quaker) in Lubbock, Texas, as a part of the ongoing raffle event being held now through May 14th, 2024. All proceeds will go towards supporting the mission of CASA of the South Plains.

The KCBD feature on the project can be found by clicking here.

Contributing students included Edgar Montejano, Trevor Graham, Ariadna Dominguez, Daniela Scarpati, Larissa Smith, Elijah Montague, John Connor Hathaway, Derek Williams, Jose Gutierrez, Ivy Williams, Kathleen Gutierrez, Harrison Strain, Christopher Isidro, Jakelin Silva, Emilee Rodriguez, Antonio Braz Camargo, Bryce Boggs, Evan Farrar, Grant Reed, Mckenna Vine, Jason Trahan, Tyler Cush, and Jarren Amaro. 

Najmeh Malekpour Bahabadi, a student in the Land-Use Planning, Management, and Design PhD program, presented part of her master’s thesis research at the 2024 ConCave Ph.D. Symposium held at Georgia Tech University under the advisory of Assistant Professor Dr. Turturo.  

Najmeh’s research, titled “Community Infrastructure: Cisterns as Urban Artifacts in Yazd,” addresses the effects of global warming that place vast populations out of reach of fresh drinking water and advanced late-stage capitalism that continues to propagate models of urban sprawl that do not value architectural heritage. Based on typological theories, the research expands the canon of architectural history to study a little-known water infrastructure—Qanats and Cisterns—that has come to define some Persian desert cities. 

To learn more about the symposium, access the ConCave website here.

PhD candidate and research assistant Sepideh Niknia has been honored with the Summer Dissertation/Thesis Research Award by the Texas Tech Graduate School. This recognition underscores her academic achievements and the relevance of her dissertation and work, which aims to refine the high-performance building workflow in architectural firms during the initial design phase. By focusing on sustainability and innovation, her work aligns with contemporary architectural practices.

Seyed Alireza Seyedi, a student in the Land-Use Planning, Management, and Design PhD program, and a member of Architectural Humanities and Urbanism Lab (AHU), presented his research titled “Building Under Shadow of the Oil: Formation and Development of Oil Company Towns in Southwestern Iran” at the 18th AESOP Young Academics Conference held in Politecnico di Milano on March 19th-22th, 2024. The theme of the conference was Bridging Gaps: Urban Planning for Coexistence. Alireza presented his research within the discussion concerning the complexities involved in coexistence between humans, species and the environment, which was titled “Towards Coexistence: Contested Social & Spatial Landscapes in Transformation.” 

Alireza's research studied the history of oil in Iran and oil-related heritage in southwest Iran between 1901 and 1951, focusing on the classification of oil-related heritage and analysis of spatial aspects of oil company towns. Alireza was also awarded one of ten AESOP travel bursaries. Dr. Saeid Khaghani from the University of Tehran, Dr. Rouhollah Mojtahedzadeh from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, and Assistant Professor Dr. Asma Mehan were coauthors of this research.  

To learn more about the Young Academics Conference access the AESOP website here.

Assistant Professor Dr. Asma Mehan has been awarded one of five TTU International Affairs Global Exchange Research Seed Grants for 2024. These grants are designed to support innovative research that addresses critical global challenges. 

This award affirms Dr. Mehan's work in fostering global exchange and enhancing the comprehension of international issues and provides the opportunity to further her research and its impact on the global stage. The award will lead to collaborative efforts that will advance new developments in her field. 

Congratulations to Dr. Jenifer Gomez Pastora from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Diana Hechavarria from the Rawls College of Business, Dr. Jerrad Legako from the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Dr. Gunvant Patil from the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, and Dr. Ioannis Chatzakis from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who are among the additional recipients of the grants. 

Learn more about the Global Exchange Research Seed Grants program by accessing the International Affairs website here.

Assistant Professor Dr. Asma Mehan has been selected as an awardee of the 2024 Future Art Writers Award by Mozaik Philanthropy and the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies based at San Francisco State University. This recognition is part of the 4th Edition of the MOZAIK E-ZINE, dedicated to the recent social movements and urban activism in Iran. 

All submissions to the 2024 Future Art Writers Award were peer-reviewed by an independent jury of art writers, social movement scholars, and academics from educational institutions in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Mehan’s submission was selected for her significant contributions to art and cultural studies, particularly in digital activism and artistic movements. 

Learn more about the Future Art Writers Award by accessing the Mozaik Philanthropy website here.

Seven HCOA faculty and staff members were honored at Texas Tech's Length of Service Ceremony on April 4th, 2024.

The awardees included: 

30 Years of Service...
-Benita Franco, Senior Administrative Assistant

25 Years of Service...
-Upe Flueckiger, Professor and Dean
-Trish Salinas, Business Coordinator

15 Years of Service...
-Guillermo Barajas, Lecturer
-Chris Taylor, Associate Professor; Director of Land Arts of the American West

10 Years of Service...
-Darrick Wade, Assistant Dean of Students
-Terah Maher, Assistant Professor

Pictured from left to right: Upe Flueckiger, Trish Salinas, Darrick Wade, Benita Franco, Chris Taylor.