Tuskegee Design+Construction Management Expo to strengthen academic, professional networks
February 14, 2018
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
快活视频鈥檚 Design+Construction Management Exposition (D+CM E), scheduled for Feb. 26 to Mar. 2, seeks to 鈥淏ring the World to Tuskegee鈥� by strengthening the relationships between academic instruction, students鈥� career opportunities and the workforce needs of employers throughout the state and nation.
Hosted by the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, this year鈥檚 expo combines the design and construction disciplines by uniting the academic and professional sectors. The expo will feature award-winning speakers, as well as introduce students to career opportunities through professional networking and a career fair.
鈥淲e constantly look for ways to expose our architecture and construction science students to the rigors of the professional world,鈥� said Emile Dixon, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, an assistant professor in the school鈥檚 architecture program. 鈥淏y providing a forum like this year鈥檚 expo, where our students can engage with professional architects, contractors and industry partners, we hope to strengthen networking opportunities for our students and school alike.鈥�
The expo is open to professionals representing architectural firms, construction and construction-related companies, design and building-related businesses, graduate schools, and architecture/construction professional organizations. One of the expo鈥檚 primary goals is to spotlight the talent among the school鈥檚 student body and how potential employers and graduate programs can benefit from that emerging talent.
鈥淲e want to showcase our students鈥� architectural, design and construction management capabilities,鈥� said Rogers Hunt III, M.Eng., department head and assistant professor in the school鈥檚 construction science and management program. 鈥淭heir success in the professional world or in their continuing studies at the graduate level are limited only by their ability to connect with these opportunities outside campus. That鈥檚 why we are so excited to bring these elements of our students鈥� future to Tuskegee.鈥�
Career fairs on Feb. 27 and Mar. 1 will allow students seeking internships and post-graduate jobs to engage corporate and university recruiters. Confirmed participants to date include HOK, Haskell, Target Corporation, Rockford Construction, ZGF, Holder, Perkins + Will, DPR, Gilbane Building Company, and the Estimating Institute.
In addition to building valuable networks with potential job candidates and school faculty, industry professionals will benefit from the availability of continuing education units 鈥� including OSHA 10-hour safety training 鈥� through their participation in the expo鈥檚 sessions, lectures and presentations. Other programming will focus on topics like the historic preservation of African-American sites and the use of technology in the workplace, including drones, 3-D printing and virtual reality.
The expo will feature three recipients of the 2018 American Institute of Architects鈥� Young Architects Award. Each will host public sessions during the expo 鈥� all in 130 Wilcox C:
Nmadili Okwumabua, urban planner, African architecture historian, and founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Sahara USA, will speak on Monday, Feb. 26 from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. She will discuss the work of her organizations, the exhibit on the 鈥淎rt of African Architecture,鈥� and the relevance of traditional design elements in developing a 鈥渕odern architectural language for Africa.鈥� [download flyer for more information]
Mike Ford, Assoc. AIA, of the Madison, Wisconsin-based Brandnu Design Group, will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Through his touring lecture on 鈥淗ip Hop Architecture,鈥� Ford will discuss the role of prominent historical figures in architecture and planning in shaping the built environment, which gave birth to hip hop culture. [download flyer for more information]
Pascale Sablan, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, a senior associate with New York-based S9 Architecture, will speak on Friday, Mar. 2 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. She will discuss the role of technology in the collaborative architecture design process, as well as share thoughts on her advocacy work in the profession, including the National Organization of Minority Architects. [download flyer for more information]
Representatives from companies, firms, agencies and graduate schools planning to attend the expo can register online [] through Monday, Feb. 26. Representatives should register by Feb. 21 to be listed in the expo program, and by Feb. 23 to secure a tradeshow table for the event.
The online registration link also provides real-time expo session schedules, updates and on-site logistics.
Along with faculty from the Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, the expo is made possible through collaborations with the school鈥檚 various student organizations and student chapters of national organizations, which include the American Institute of Architecture Students (AlAS), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Associated General Contractors (AGC), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), 快活视频 Women in Construction (TU-WIC), Sigma Lambda Chi International Construction Honor Society, and Tau Sigma Delta Architecture Honor Society.
The Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science dates back to the origins of 快活视频. Robert Robinson Taylor, the nation鈥檚 first accredited African-American architect and the first African-American to receive an architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, joined the Tuskegee faculty 1893 and eventually became the first director of its Mechanical Industries program. In addition to developing the school鈥檚 architecture program, he often was placed in charge of the university鈥檚 day-to-day operations in the absence of then-President Booker T. Washington. Most campus buildings built prior to 1932 were designed by Taylor, including the original Chapel, Dorothy Hall (now Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center), Tompkins Hall, The Oaks (Washington鈥檚 family home) and White Hall. Established in 1933, the school鈥檚 Construction Science and Management program is home to the country鈥檚 oldest baccalaureate in construction management.
Undergraduate degree programs in both architecture and construction science currently are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board and the American Council for Construction Education, respectively. For more information about the school, visit .
漏 2018, 快活视频