Professors of Architecture Tamar Zinguer and Tiziana Proietti were recently awarded with the 2023 Gibbs Research Fellowship. This fellowship provides three years of support for research and creative activity in Architecture. Applications are reviewed and ranked by three external peer reviews based on the candidate’s track record and the promise of their 5-year research plan.
Zinguer’s research centers on design pedagogy through history. She is currently completing a book manuscript on the role of the sandbox in design, education and culture, which is under contract with the MIT Press. The book, “Sandbox: An Architectural History,” follows the ubiquitous space of the sandbox from its pedagogical beginnings in 19th Century Berlin to its ultimate rebirth as a significant trope in land art.
Proietti’s research bridges the fields of Architecture and Neuroscience. At Sense|Base, an interdisciplinary laboratory directed by Proietti, she is developing a program to test long-standing hypotheses about the human response to architectural proportion. In partnership with neuroscientist Sergei Gepshtein from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, she assesses human reactions to specific features of the built environment.
Congratulations to Zinguer and Proietti!
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
