Four students received scholarships to allow them to pursue educational enhancement activities over summer 2021.
Cesar Tran is an M.Arch 4+3 student in thesis year. He is creating a short film to inspire viewers to live more sustainably. "As we view information crossing a screen and follow the flow of a story, we often reflect on these moments and relate them to our daily lives. We can go on to imagine that in
conversation a person would say, “Remember that one movie,” or “It’s just like that one movie!” The impact media, television and film have in the digital age cannot be ignored, so crafting a story using this form of representation would help reinforce the idea that space plays a significant role in how we live and treat our
environment.
Katie Chang is enrolled in the M.Arch 4+3 IPAL Practicum. She is researching acoustic soundscapes within built environments to provide spaces for healing underserved communities. The study will look to musical architecture, where instruments are designed as an integral component of the built environment. Lack of equity will be addressed as people in underserved communities are provided a space for agency through their own voices as an instrument in addition to a built environment that is an instrument itself for agency. With musical architecture comes a means for community + industry engagement in addition to human welfare and environmental empathy.
Fabian Diaz Luevano has completed his second year of the M.Arch program. He is investigating building culture in the Southern California / Tijuana region. He will complete a two-week internship in masonry work with Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Union No.4 in LaVerne, California. He will explore the ways in which dwellings address the region’s topography, and examine opportunities for innovation and environmentally conscious construction. Additionally he will gain AXP hours to further his architectural education and professional goals.
Mike Cintron is a fourth year undergraduate architecture student. He will investigate Land Trusts as an alternative means to create equitable housing opportunities in San Diego. Community Land Trusts make homeownership more affordable, but are complex entities and not commonly understood. Mike seeks to demystify trusts and create advocacy for them, to better expand their reach, and engage the architecture and building industry. He will do this through focused research and community engagement.