EUGENE, Ore.—(Aug. 20, 2009)— Two professors from the School of Architecture and Allied Arts received grants through the 2009 Lokey Request for Proposals (RFP) on Science and the Human Condition awarded by the UO’s  Office of Academic Affairs and Provost. The grant program seeks to foster work between the humanities and sciences. According to the announcement, “this program aims to stimulate new scholarly partnerships and cross- and multidisciplinary collaborations among researchers.” Five university professors were selected from eighteen applications for grants totaling $96,250.

Architecture professor Jim Tice received $25,000 for his proposal, “A Spatial History of Rome: The GIS Forma Urbis Romae Project.” Tice, along with designer Erik Steiner of the Department of Geography’s InfoGraphics Lab, plans to create an interactive online map of Rome based on the famous Forma Urbis Romae cartographic work by Italian archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani and published 1903. Lanciani depicted Rome with a series of superimposed, transparent layers, color coded correspond to historical periods: the Ancient and Early Christian era in black, Renaissance and Baroque Rome in red and Modern in light blue.

The map depicts the evolution of Rome’s history by simultaneously showing spatial relationships horizontally and vertically. Scaled to 1:1000, the map consists of 46 plates each measuring 25 by 36 inches. In addition to stitching the plates together for online navigation, Tice intends to incorporate the 20th century findings that followed its publication and correlate it with current geospatial data using geographic information system (GIS) tools and satellite imagery.  

Kiersten Muenchinger, associate professor of product design, garnered $15,000 for her proposal, “Biomimicry: Biological Science Artfully Designed.” Muenchinger plans to offer a class in winter and spring on design informed by the study of natural forms and processes. As advocated in the book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by consultant and conservationist Janine Benyus, the concept of biomimicry seeks to apply the consequences of natural evolution for unorthodox and sustainable solutions to human problems.

Muenchinger is excited to offer a class that welcomes students in both the arts and sciences. “It’s a class we can do for the whole school,” she said. “We’ll let students apply the lessons to whatever they do, whether something they’re majoring in, or just interested in.” She anticipates an enthusiastic response from students. She said the concept of biomimicry has popular appeal because it’s readily understandable and doesn’t belong exclusively to one discipline. She plans to team with university biologists and physiologists for three, three-week sections devoted to different research areas. The term would end in an exhibit of student designs. “Wouldn't it be great to show the final designs in both Lawrence Hall and the biology corridor?” she said.

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Contact:  Julie Brown, Director, Media Relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Source: Karen Johnson, A&AA External Relations and Communications, 346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu