An interdisciplinary team of OU researchers recently won a Major Research Instrumentation award from the National Science Foundation and received a $589,262 grant. This project is jointly funded by the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and Engineering for Civil Infrastructure Program in the division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation.
The CMMI division supports the integration of research and education and funds potentially transformative research projects. The CMMI works to advance the future of manufacturing, the design of innovative materials and building technologies, infrastructure resilience and sustainability and systems for decision-making robotics and controls.
The research team includes Professors of Architecture Andrés Cavieres as co-principal investigator and Dan Butko as senior personnel. Joining Cavieres and Butko is Principal Investigator P. Scott Harvey, Co-Principal Investigators Yingtao Liu, Shreya Vemuganti and Jeffrey Volz, and Senior Personnel Amy Cerato, Royce Floyd and Jonathan Hils.
This grant will enable the team to acquire a real-time hybrid simulation testing system for cyber-physical research that replicates realistic loading conditions. This new technology will support the development of resilient infrastructure by improving researchers’ understanding of the complex behavior of building materials and structural components when affected by natural hazards.
According to Harvey, “The new instrument will transform the way the multidisciplinary MRI team conducts research, and the structural materials and components validated using the instrument will help to mitigate economic, property and human losses caused by natural hazards, improving the well-being of individuals in society.”
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.
