Undergraduate researcher Madeline Wade was recently honored for having the best student poster research presentation during the Southwest Division of the American Association of Geographers’ annual meeting held October 9-12, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Wade is a senior studying Psychology and Environmental Studies who is interested in research on sustainable community development and environmental decision making. Wade’s winning poster presentation, entitled ” Public Perceptions of Water Reuse in Norman, Oklahoma,” looks at how the success or failure of municipal wastewater reuse programs is often dependent on public willingness to use this water.
Since June 2019, Wade has been working with Dr. Angela Person and Dr. Randy Peppler to explore how residents of Norman, Oklahoma, respond to the idea of water reuse and which factors influence their responses. Wade surveyed more than 80 Norman residents, finding that willingness and disgust are inversely related, while political affiliation, education, and previous knowledge of the program all had significant effects on willingness to use the water.
Read about Wade’s experience at the conference
Read more about her research project and view an interactive story map
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.
