Pub. 5 2017 Directory

10 THE MONTANA ARCHITECT | 2017 | www.aia-mt.org Montana State University’s Chapter of AIAS has been breaking new ground for the 2016-2017 year and we are going to honor three of our members and their awesome accomplishments this year: Sarah Burk, Elizabeth Seidel and Robin Wilder. All three of these students excelled in their studies and their contribution to both AIAS and the AIA. Sarah Burk Elizabeth Seidel Robin Wilder “AIAS IMAGINE: Top 60-at-60” To mark its sixtieth anniversary, AIAS convened in Orlando for AIAS Imagine: Top 60-at-60. The event was co-hosted with the Disney Imagineering division near Disney World from May 19-21, 2017. At the conference, sixty of the top members in AIAS, the finalists of a competitive application process, met to imagine the future of AIAS. Montana State University had one of its own AIAS members, Sarah Burk, in attendance. Honorees participated in a series of lectures, workshops and tours that highlighted Walt Disney Imagineering’s unique approach to design. A major goal of the conference was strategic planning centered on how to position the AIAS for success in the next 60 years. Inspired by the Imagineers, attendees crafted several possible visions for the future of AIAS and considered ways to make those ambitious dreams come true. “Becoming National AIAS Vice President” During the fall of 2016, the graduate comprehensive design studio at Montana State University was strategically structured so that its requirements aligned with those of a design competition: the AIA’s Committee On The Environment (COTE) Top Ten for Students. In its third year running, this national student competition parallels the professional COTE Top Ten design awards, encouraging sustainable integration of ecological design solutions to address a dynamic and challenging future. Of more than 600 student entries to the 2016-2017 competition, ten were selected as winners. One of those winning entries was by Robin Wilder of MSU, with guidance of studio professor Steve Juroszek. The project, entitled The Culture and Production of Home, looked at tiny dwellings as a possible solution to Gallatin Valley’s affordable housing issues. Robin focused on cultural values of what “home” means to Montanans, and how education and casual conversation about housing can lead to systemic change. The project was praised by jurors for its “pragmatism and rationale,” and being “well-adapted for the cold, dry climate in Montana.” “Of more than 600 student entries to the 2016-2017 competition, ten were selected as winners.” “AIA COTE Top Ten Student Winner” Throughout her career in AIAS, all 4 years of undergraduate school and two years of graduate school, Elizabeth Seidel has shined. Holding spots on the board such as President is no small feat and “Liz” kept advancing from there. She has been a recipient of multiple AIAS honors and scholarships that show her committment to and excellence in both AIAS and her studies. When Liz went to apply for the position of National Vice President of AIAS, these accolades helped prove her right to that position. Elizabeth now resides in Washington D.C. for the 2017-2018 school year where she works every day alongside the AIAS National President in all matters AIAS related. We are truly proud as a Chapter to have this legacy to follow in. Thank you for your dedication and love for AIAS Liz! “It’s exciting to know that we are helping to develop the narrative for what the future of the organization will look like”, Burk said. Montana State University Chapter