Class of 2016: (Front row, left to right): Devin A. Carr, Casey A. Walker, Lorianna J. Baker, Hannah C. Waycaster, Larry A. McMahan, Jacob L. Johnson, Jordan L. Hanson; (Second row, left to right): Ryan M. Bridges, Haley Whiteman, Jonathan Greer, Sang V. Nguyen, Emily K. Morse, Nenyatta K. Smith, Patrick D. Brown; (Back row, left to right): Carter V. Brown, Ethan D. Warren, Scott M. Polley , Stefan K. Balcer, Ryan L. Mura, Megan R. Vansant, Ericia L. Cox, Cody M. Skinner, Daniela G. Bustillos, Austin T. Robinson
Recognition Day for the School of Architecture was held on May 6, 2016, in the Robert and Freda Harrison Auditorium in Giles Hall.
Jim West, dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Design, introduced MSU Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Peter Ryan, Ph.D.
Ryan welcomed everyone to campus.
Malcolm White, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) and owner of Hal and Mal’s Restaurant, presented the 26th Annual Dr. William L. and Jean P. Giles Memorial Lecture.
The School of Architecture faculty members were recognized before announcing the awards.
2015-2016 School of Architecture awards:
20th Annual Allen & Hoshall Faculty Award
Recipient: Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory
The architectural firm of Allen & Hoshall of Jackson, Mississippi, has established a $500 annual award to a faculty member “who has demonstrated excellence in teaching.” The award winners are selected by the fifth-year graduating class. ______________________________________________________
Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society (TSD)
Chapter President: Ashton Aime
Faculty Advisors: Assistant Professor Jacob Gines, Associate Professor Hans Herrmann
Tau Sigma Delta is the architectural (and allied programs) honor society open to top academic students in design disciplines. Induction does not occur until the student consistently demonstrates high academic standards and is in the third-year.
TSD Initiates:
Maria Degtyareva, Zachary Henry, Omkar Prahbu, Lara Lynn Waddell, Ben Webster
Casey Walker
Hannah Waycaster
Jake Johnson
TSD Fifth-Year Graduates:
Hannah Waycaster, Casey Walker, Jake Johnson
TSD First-Year Design Award
Recipient: Trey Box
The Tau Sigma Delta First-Year Design Award is presented to the first-year design student who has exhibited excellence in design. This is a book award.
TSD Bronze Award
Recipient: Devin Carr
The Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal is presented by the third- and fourth-year student membership of the society to a fifth-year student who, in his/her thesis project, has expanded the students’ insight and awareness of architecture.
TSD Faculty Book Award
Recipient: Assistant Professor Zulaikha Ayub
The Tau Sigma Delta Faculty Book Award is presented by the third- and fourth-year student members to the faculty member who has inspired them
to excellence.
TSD Charles Calvo Digital Media Award
Recipient: Tyler Warmath
In fall 2000, Tau Sigma Delta established this book award in memory of a School of Architecture faculty member, Charles Calvo, and his contribution to the field of digital media in architecture. This award goes to a fourth-year student who, like Charles, has exemplified an incredible knowledge and skill in digital media and has continually educated other students in this field. A copy of the book given to the award winner is also given to the library in memory of Charles.
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National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS)
Chapter President: Kapish Cheema
Faculty Advisors: Assistant Professor Emily McGlohn, Assistant Professor Andreea Mihalache
National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) is the student arm of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Students participating seek to enhance the educational experience of its members by fostering diversity within the School of Architecture and the community at-large.
The 2016 NOMAS Diversity Award
Recipient: Diondria Bingham
Chosen by the NOMAS membership, the NOMAS Diversity Award is given to a
student who has shown outstanding initiative and leadership in promoting diversity within the School and the larger community.
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Alpha Rho Chi (APX)
Chapter President: Sara Peppers
Faculty Advisor: Assistant Clinical Professor Justin Taylor
Alpha Rho Chi is the only national co-ed professional/social fraternity for architecture and the allied arts. MSU’s Hippodamus chapter includes members representing architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and engineering. Their mission is academic excellence, and the group focuses on leadership, mentoring and professionalism.
Alpha Rho Chi Student Book Award
Recipient: Stefan Balcer
The Alpha Rho Chi student book award is given to a graduating fifth-year architecture student who is an active member of Alpha Rho Chi who has furthered the mission of the fraternity through service.
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American Institute of Architecture Students
Chapter President: Emily Turner
Faculty Advisor: Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory
American Institute of Architecture Students is the student counterpart of the American Institute of Architects. The chapter works closely with professional architects in the state through the Mississippi Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
AIAS Member of the Year Award
Recipient: Zachary White
The recipient of the AIAS Award is chosen by the AIAS membership. The qualifications for this award are: “…that the student goes above and beyond what has been asked of him/her; has shown initiative and leadership qualities; has been
an AIAS leader within his/her year level; and does well academically.”
Mississippi Chapter AIA Book Award
Presented by: Jim West
Recipient: Anna Barr
This award is funded by the Mississippi Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It recognizes a high-achieving student who holds a leadership position within the MSU chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students.
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First-Year Faculty Book Award
Studio Coordinator: Jeffery Roberson, Instructor
Recipient: Davis Byars
This award is a book selected by the first-year faculty and is presented to a first-year student selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.
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Second-Year Faculty Book Award
Studio Coordinator: Justin Taylor, Assistant Clinical Professor
Recipient: Matthew Lewis
This award is a book selected by the second-year faculty and is presented to a second-year student selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.
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Third-Year Faculty Book Award
Studio Coordinator: Emily McGlohn, Assistant Professor
Recipients: Lara Lynn Waddell and Zachary Henry
This award is a book selected by the third-year faculty and is presented to a third-year student/s selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.
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Fourth-Year Capstone Awards: 
Fourth-Year Faculty Book Award
Studio Coordinator: Hans Herrmann, Associate Professor
Recipient: Ashton Aime
This award is a book selected by the fourth-year faculty and is presented to a fourth- year student/s selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.
Ryan Fierro
Fourth-Year Jurists’ Award
Recipients: Ryan Fierro and Morgan Powell
The Jurists’ Award, a book award, is conferred by visiting jurors and critics upon the student(s) who has achieved the greatest personal growth as a designer, and whose work has contributed to the overall success of the fourth-year Design Studio.
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ARCC King Award
Presented by: Jacob Gines, Assistant Professor
Recipient: Ryan Fierro
Selection for this award is made by the entire faculty. Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), this award is presented to one student per ARCC-member school. Selection of the recipient is based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.
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Jonathan Greer
Devin Carr
Fifth-Year Jurists’ Award
Presented by: Jassen Callender, Jackson Center Director
Recipients: Devin Carr and Jonathan Greer
The Jurists’ Award, a book award, is conferred by the fifth-year design faculty upon the student(s) who has achieved the greatest personal growth as a designer and whose work has contributed to the overall success of the fifth-year Design Studio.
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Academic Achievement Award
Recipient: Jacob Johnson
The Academic Achievement Award is a book award presented to the graduating fifth-year student who has the highest cumulative MSU grade point average.
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Creative Windows & Doors/Marvin Windows Traveling Fellowship
Recipient: Hannah Waycaster ($1,600)
In September 2004, Dave Young and Eddie Rives, owners of Creative Windows & Doors; and David Morris, Marvin Windows representative, established this traveling fellowship for a student completing the fifth-year.
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Alpha Rho Chi Medal
Presented by: Dean Jim West
Recipient: Patrick Brown
The Alpha Rho Chi Medal is awarded to the graduating fifth-year student who has shown an ability for leadership, performed willing service for the school, and gives promise of professional merit through attitude and personality. The medal is offered each year to every NAAB-fully accredited school of architecture. The recipient is chosen by the entire faculty of the school.
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Jake Johnson
Haley Whiteman
AIA Henry Adams Certificate and Medal
Presented by: Dean Jim West
Certificate Recipient: Jacob Johnson
Medal Recipient: Haley Whiteman
Sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Henry Adams Certificate and Medal are considered to be the most important awards given to graduating students. They are awarded for “general excellence in architecture” throughout the course of study. The medal is awarded to the most qualified student, and the certificate is awarded to the runner-up. Selection is made by the entire faculty.
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Other Notable Student Awards, 2015-2016:
Aydelott Travel Award
Lara Lynn Waddell
A $2.4 million endowment – established by the late Alfred Lewis Aydelott, FAIA, and his wife, Hope Galloway Aydelott – provides a $20,000 award each year to four architecture students currently enrolled in the professional architecture degree programs at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Auburn University; Mississippi State University; and the University of Tennessee. As MSU’s recipient, Lara Lynn Waddell will travel this summer to Atlantida, Uruguay; Rome, Italy; Muuratsalo, Jyvaskyla, Finland; and Havana, Cuba, to study four unique buildings. She will work next semester with her faculty advisory, Emeritus Professor Dr. Michael Fazio to compile a report.
Second Place, Gensler Diversity Award
Rashidat “Mo” Momoh
Gensler, a global firm, has awarded more than $200,000 in academic scholarship over the last 16 years. The Gensler Diversity Scholarship is a juried program recognizing emerging talent among African-American college students enrolled in an accredited architecture program. As a second place winner, Mo has accepted a paid internship this summer with Gensler in Boston.
Association for Retired Faculty (ARF) William L. Giles Award
for Excellence in Architecture
Ria Bennett
This $500 award was established in 1997 in honor and memory of William Lincoln Giles, a charter member of ARF. It is given each year to a student selected by the School of Architecture on the basis of academic excellence and overall leadership within the school. Funding for the award comes from a contribution by Ms. Hazel Presson, aunt of Ginger Giles Jones, Dr. Giles’ daughter.
First Place, Arts & Humanities, 2016 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Emily Turner
Emily’s project, “The Application of Architectural Theory to Multifamily Housing Through a Feminist Lens,” was completed under the guidance of Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory.
Second Place, Community Engagement, 2016 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Anna Barr
Anna’s project, “Continuing to Improve on Outreach Design,” was completed under the guidance of Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory.
Honors College Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Emily Turner
Emily received funding to conduct research under faculty mentor Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory. Topic: Feminist architectural literature to write a scholarly paper on this topic in regards to design/build and community engagement.
Honors College Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Anna Barr
Anna received funding to conduct research under faculty mentor Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory. Topic: Construction drawings for the Oxford-Lafayette Habitat for Humanity house designs.
Institute of Classical Architecture & Art New York City Summer Program Fellowship
Scott Polley
Scott was one of 18 students selected out of 50 applicants to attend the ICAA Summer Studio in Classical Architecture – a four-week, immersive program introducing students to skills, knowledge and resources essential to the practice and appreciation of classical design.
Second Place & People’s Choice Award, MSU Investing in Innovation E-Commerce Competition
Jared C. Creel
Jared’s project for the prototype startup competition, “StruggleBusBox.com” was a project with Taylor A. Lee, a business administration major, under the guidance of Visiting Assistant Professor Erik Herman.
AIA St. Louis Chapter Scholarship
Curtis Reed
Curtis received a $500 scholarship from the chapter.
2015 Epting/Mathews MSU Co-op Student of the Year
Jacob Johnson
This award recognizes one outstanding co-op student at Mississippi State each year for academic excellence, exhibited professionalism in the work place and leadership in respective organizations. Johnson received a $500 scholarship sponsored by Huntington Ingalls and a recognition plaque.
Method Studio Undergraduate Research Fellow – Fall 2015
Maria Degtyareva
Maria received a $3,000 Stipend Award and worked on research for Method Studio, a full-service architectural and design firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Research was conducted under the guidance of Assistant Professor Jacob Gines.
Method Studio Undergraduate Research Fellow – Spring 2016
Edward Holmes
Edward received a $3,000 Stipend Award and worked on research in the spring semester for Method Studio under the guidance of Assistant Professor Jacob Gines.
2016-2017 Scholarships:
Paul Grootkerk Travel Award
($4,000) Kirkland Webber
The Paul Grootkerk Travel Award (funded by Ted T. Porter) is available to full-time students who will have completed their second year of study. Candidates must have a minimum MSU 2.5 GPA, be hard working, and can demonstrate financial need.
Acme Brick Company Scholarship
($2,000) Kapish Cheema, Caleb Fearing
Applicants must be: entering the fifth-year design studio in the School of Architecture; have a minimum grade point average of 3.0; be of good moral character; and have demonstrated leadership ability and strong overall academic performance.
Duvall Decker Minority Travel Scholarship
($2,000) Diondria Bingham
Applicants must be currently enrolled as a full-time student and be a member of an under-represented minority group in the practice of architecture and also meet the following criteria: 1)self motivated learner; 2)high GPA; 3)demonstrate financial need.
Eley Guild Hardy Architecture Annual Scholarship
($2,000) Brandon Fairbanks
In May 2007, Taylor Guild III and David Hardy established this scholarship to assist talented students in their fifth-year of study in the architecture program.
Rowan Taylor Endowed Scholarship
($1,250) Olivia Baker, Isaac Galindo, Chester Mitchell
Applicants must be entering freshmen with a minimum 3.0 GPA; have demonstrated exceptional design work and ability to achieve exceptional design; and have demonstrated financial need.
Charles H. Dean, Jr. Annual Memorial Scholarship
($1,000) Jared Robinson, Lara Lynn Waddell
Any full-time MSU students in their third- through fifth-year of design studio may apply. Applicants must be Mississippi residents and can demonstrate financial need.
Lyndall Gail Wood Memorial Scholarship
($1,000) Rashidat Momoh
This scholarship was established by the Wood family to honor Lyndall Gail’s passion as an MSU architecture student. Applicants must be full-time students entering the fourth-year design studio in the School of Architecture, be in excellent academic standing with the university, and be a student with exceptional design ability.
Matt L. Virden III and M.L. Virden IV Memorial Scholarship
($1,000) Patrick Greene, Kelli Weiland
Students must be entering their third-year; have a 2.80+ GPA; be of good moral character; have demonstrated leadership; can show financial need; and a resident of: Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, Desoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington, or Yazoo Counties.
Stephanie Mihojevich Pizzetta Annual Scholarship
($1,000) Ashton Aime, Maria Degtyareva, Caleb Fearing, Zachary Henry, Rashidat Momoh
Candidates must be full-time students at Mississippi State University; have completed their second-year of design studio in the School of Architecture; have a minimum 3.0 GPA; and can demonstrate financial need.
Joseph L. Echols Scholars Program
($850) Diondria Bingham, Damion Hardy
($600) Quintarius Brown, Myles Jeffries
Candidates for the Joseph L. Echols Scholarship must: be a current undergraduate and underrepresented architecture student; show strong work ethic by maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA; present a satisfactory work portfolio; demonstrate financial need.
Pryor & Morrow Annual Scholarship
($500) De’Andre Gaskin, Damion Hardy, David Kett, Kirkland Webber
Any full-time MSU students in their second- through fifth-year of design studio may apply. Students must be Mississippi residents and can demonstrate financial need.
Angelo “Pops” Primos Computer Scholarship
($195) Tony Coleman, Damion Hardy, Danielle Mason, Donald Murray
Applicants must be full-time MSU students entering the second-year design studio in the School of Architecture; and can demonstrate financial need.
Johnson-McAdams Design Discovery Scholarships
($600) 3 Awards, To Be Determined
Applicants must be from Leflore County, or be an under-represented minority group in architecture; and high school students interested in a career in architecture and related disciplines.
Joseph L. Echols D2 Scholarships (Design Discovery)
($600) 3 Awards, To Be Determined
Candidate must: be a high school student who shows an interest in majoring in architecture by taking college preparatory math and science courses and demonstrating ability; show strong work ethic and satisfactory performance; be a minority student from the Marshall County area; demonstrate financial need.
View all the photos from Recognition Day below:
Click here to download the program.