Planning, Design + Construction Ph.D. student Salma Akter Surma and Interior Design faculty Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee were recently awarded funding as a part of Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. This merit-based program grants Gibb’s faculty members funds to increase their research and creative activities.
Akter and Bhattacharjee received this grant to pursue research on refugee children’s well-being in a public library context. The research will broadly explore how libraries can improve their facilities by offering human and socio-economic resources that encourage acculturation and thinking beyond the book.
Public libraries are a primary source of human capital, knowledge-sharing programs, and many other important resources that are vital for literacy enhancement. However, most of these resources are not catered to the needs of refugees and immigrant groups, resulting in socio-economic isolation. According to Akter and Bhattacharjee, public libraries need to scale up their services to meet the growing needs of these minority groups.
Akter and Bhattacharjee will investigate current library environments and their impact on children’s spatial, physical, cultural, and skill development. The goal of this research is to develop a design framework that focuses on safe play and culture-respective learning spaces that encourage, empower and advance refugee children’s learning habits and enthusiasm.
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.
