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A group of OU Construction Science students recently had the opportunity to lay concrete masonry units as part of their Fundamentals Lab class. The Fundamentals Lab is designed to give students hands-on experience with common building materials used in the commercial building industry.
Led by Terry Clinefelter, adjunct faculty in the Construction Science department, the students examined materials and methods utilized in commercial construction projects. They worked through the process of building CMUs by mixing mortar and constructing concrete block walls.
OU Construction Science students laying concrete masonry units.
The students were also joined by industry craftsmen Jack Easley from Easley Masonry, Adam Slattery from Al Slattery Masonry Inc. and Zack Easley from Dolese Bros. Co. According to Clinefelter, “The key to this class is that students learn from the people who are actually putting the work in place. It gives the students a perspective that is very important when they enter the construction industry.”
OU Construction Science students learning to lay concrete masonry units.
Students in the Fundamentals Lab class have visited several other sites throughout this semester, including a Dolese concrete plant and W&W AFCO Steel facility. In the coming weeks, Clinefelter plans to organize a site walk of an active commercial construction project.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
