Through a new seed funding opportunity supported by the OU Norman Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships, the OU Health Sciences Center Vice President for Research and the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, two teams will each receive up to $30,000 to support interdisciplinary research at the intersection of health, well-being, and the built environment. This seed funding is intended to foster the creation and development of multidisciplinary research teams to tackle grand challenges at the intersection of these subjects and to increase the competitiveness of OU multidisciplinary research teams in gaining external funding.
Improving Nursing Home Dementia Care Outcomes Through Evidence-Based Building Design: Capturing Missed Opportunities is co-led by team leader and OU-HSC principal investigator Julie Gordon, DRPH, CPHQ, in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, with OU Norman principal investigator Xiaobo Quan, Ph.D., in the Gibbs College of Architecture. Team members include Hongwan Li, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Hudson College of Public Health; Diana Sturdevant, Ph.D., APRN, assistant professor of research in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing; Kim Cassie, Ph.D., MSSW, assistant professor in the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at OU-Tulsa; Javeed Kittur, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering; and Shakil Shimul, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Gibbs College of Architecture.
The Therapeutic Impacts of Virtual Reality Multi-Sensory Environments on Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Central Oklahoma is co-led by OU Norman principal investigator Negar Matin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Gibbs College of Architecture, with OU-HSC principal investigator Anna Nguyen, Ph.D., RN, CPN, assistant professor in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, and co-PI Yeji Yi, Ph.D., lecturer in the Gibbs College of Architecture. Team members include Steve Couch, M.D., neurodevelopmental pediatrician, and Kissy Heiskell, occupational therapist.
Congratulations to our Gibbs faculty members who received this grant!
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Dr. Tammy McCuen, Robert E. Busch Professor of Construction Science, on beginning her term as president of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), an international organization dedicated to advancing construction education through teaching, research and service.
Following years of contributions to the College’s research and strategic initiatives, Gibbs College shares that Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement Angela M. Person, PhD, will step down from her position at Gibbs College as she moves to Tucson with her family, effective June 30, 2026.
On April 24, 2026, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture hosted its annual Graduate Student Showcase, a celebration of research, design innovation, and creative exploration across all graduate programs within the College.
