e-SPAN Alumni Newsletter
Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s e-SPAN Alumni Newsletter features exclusive interviews with alumni who have unique, impressive or valuable stories to tell about the paths they followed after graduation.
e-SPAN also features the work of current students and faculty to highlight how the school community is tackling the three challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence and social justice. Published six times per year, the digital newsletter showcases design, research, travel, projects, coursework and alumni news for an audience of over 3,000 subscribers.
In this issue of e-SPAN, we honor the work of Valentina Vavasis, Sarah Rafson and Steve Lee, three beloved faculty members. We speak with Valentina, whose expertise in real estate, community development and professional ethics is braided together with her deep care for—and curiosity about—humans and human community. Sarah reflects on her years as Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s Curator of Public Programs, and the inquiry they’ve opened and the conversations they’ve inspired. And we highlight Steve, alumnus, professor and former Head of School, who is retiring after 43 years with the school.
In this issue of e-SPAN, we talk to faculty and students about their recent work engaging artificial intelligence (AI). Thesis work from Vina Wei (PhD-CD ‘28) focuses on architectural fabrication and AI, and Manuel Rodríguez Ladrón de Guevara’s (PhD-CD '23) thesis addresses AI and creativity in AI-generated paintings. In the studios, Jared Abraham shares student work from his “Mobile Home” course where students incorporated Midjourney into their rendering process. And new faculty Vernelle A. A. Noel shares work on machine learning and raises questions about semiotics, semantics, syntax and society in text-to-image generator tools.
In this issue of e-SPAN, we talk to two alumni who are pioneers in sustainable design: Tanya Eagle (B.Arch ‘07) and Jensen Ying (B.Arch ‘13). They each share insights about how to nudge the architectural field towards more sustainable practices and how to find meaning in your work. We also highlight recent happenings at the school, including the new Carnegie Mellon Architecture brand identity and website, a residential project by associate professor Gerard Damiani that was featured in Architectural Record, and remembrances of Professor Delbert Highlands who passed away in July 2023.