Research and Creative Practice

Helpful Resources

  • College of Design Research and Creative Practice Forum (Thursday October 17, 2024)

    • Presentation information below

  • Webinar on Research and Creative Practice (Fall 2023)

    • Presentations by Rich Margerum and Kate Petcosky-Kulkarni (Research Development Services)
    • Zoom link  Use Passcode to access: 65+Sh$v9
    • Some minor changes, but information is still relevant

College of Design Dean’s Faculty Awards (2025 Awards due December 16 2024)

The College of Design offers funding to Tenure Track Faculty for research and scholarly work through an annual awards process. The awards are given by the Dean based on evaluations by the Deans’ Faculty Advisory Committee. The overall goal of the awards is to invest in tenure track faculty who will have an impact through research and scholarly work. Note that the number of awards and amount available for distribution could change based on the performance of the endowment funds.

Timeline: 2024-25

  • Award applications due: Monday December 16
  • Award notifications in February 2025
  • Awards spending period: Spring 2025 to June 15, 2026

How to Apply–Check back for updated procedures

  1. Complete cover page and budget template Download Cover Page
  2. Prepare an abbreviated CV of no more than 2 pages that summarizes your research, teaching, and service
  3. Prepare a word description (max 500 words) of you proposed research or creative work that includes:
    • Jargon-free description of the project
    • Significance of project as it relates to your research/creative work program
    • Anticipated outcomes and impact of the work
    • Plan and timeline of project, including travel and geographic location of the project
    • You may also submit up to 5 images that support your proposal (maximum 2 pages)
  4. Optional: Research/Creative Work partners (collaborative projects must include names of all partners/participants)
  5. Optional: Letters of funding commitment from partners or other organizations (only include if part of your total budget)
  6. Create SINGLE PDF of your application
  7. Submit Proposal via Submission Smartsheet

Review Criteria:

The committee will use the following criteria to review all applications:

  • The quality and completeness of the proposal in relation to the award criteria
  • The likely success given budget and timeline
  • The anticipated outcomes and impact of the work

In the case of closely rated proposals, the committee may use the older date of the last award (or the lack of any prior award) as the tie breaker.

Limitations and Eligibility

  • Faculty who resign or retire from the University during the funding period, are currently Emeritus, or in the Tenure Reduction Program
  • Faculty who do not have a contract by spring of this academic year.
  • Individual faculty may not receive more than one College of Design Dean’s Research and Creative Work Award in an academic year.
  • Awards will not be given to support dissertation research.
  • Awards will not be given to support travel abroad programs.
  • Faculty who fail to report on activities from past College of Design awards may be excluded from eligibility
  • Tenure track faculty who received any College of Design Dean’s Research and Creative Work Award in the prior academic year are not eligible for (1) College of Design Board Fellowship, (2) Frances Bronet Award; (3) Dean’s Award; and (4) Finrow Award
  • All Tenure track faculty are eligible for the Tinker Hatfield and Scandinavian Design awards, except for those who previously received a Hatfield or Scan Design award
  • Faculty may submit a single application and indicate that they are eligible for multiple awards and the award amount is the same
  • Faculty may submit multiple award applications (if eligible for each award)

Awards for All Faculty

Tinker Hatfield Award for Innovation (usually one award of approx. $25,000)

The purpose of this award is to provide tenure-related faculty with support for the creation and delivery of a major, innovative design project that connects two or more areas of the college, preferably with student involvement. “Design,” for this award, is understood to encompass creative/critical work as practiced in all disciplines in the College of Design. The types of work eligible for the award encompass all forms of creative problem-solving and creative problematizing, and include, but are not limited to, creative works, design proposals, published papers, exhibitions, etc. Faculty are encouraged to submit joint applications in cases of collaborative projects. Successful proposals will be visionary, ambitious, and result in significant external dissemination and visibility.

Scandinavian Design Award (usually one award of approx. $10,000)

The purpose of the award is to provide support for faculty in the College of Design to explore and advance knowledge on the impact and influence of Scandinavian design practice in mid-century, modernist, and contemporary forms of architecture and design, including, but not limited to, its local relevance in the Pacific Northwest. Preference will be given to multi-disciplinary research/creative work collaborations in the School of Architecture & Environment, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, and the Department of Product Design. Funds can be used for (but won’t be limited to) independent faculty and graduate student research, sponsored studios, lectures, and student and faculty travel. The most recent award supported the 2022 John Reynolds Symposium, which focused on the work of Finish modernist and architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), who designed, among many other notable buildings worldwide, the Mount Angel Abbey library in Saint Benedict, Oregon, using innovative methods in daylighting and luminaries. The award also supported faculty research travel to Denmark and Switzerland to study 3D printing and robotic fabrication, as well as innovative construction of experimental timber design, which will inform future studio teaching. All tenure-related faculty are eligible to apply.

College of Design Board Fellowship (usually one award of approx. $4,500)

The purpose of this award is to support tenure-related faculty working with students on team-oriented research and creative work during the summer term or academic year, including foreign or domestic travel, student wages, and related-project expenses.

Frances Bronet Innovation Award (usually one award of approx. $4,500)

The purpose of this award is to support tenure-related faculty research and creative work during the summer term or sabbatical year, including domestic or foreign travel, and related project expenses for testing initiatives that advance the mission of the College of Design, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research projects.

Awards Only for Pre-Tenured Faculty

Dean’s Award (usually one award of approx. $4,500)

The purpose of this award is to support pre-tenured faculty research and creative work during the summer term or academic year, including domestic or foreign travel, and related project expenses.

Awards Only for Post-Tenured Faculty

Jerry and Gunilla Finrow Research & Creative Work Award (usually one award of approx. $4,500)

The purpose of this award is to provide tenured faculty research and creative work during the summer term or sabbatical year, including domestic or foreign travel, and related project expenses.

Spring 2024 Awardees

  • Tinker Hatfield Award $25,000
    Kiersten Muenchinger (Product Design) Anya Kivarkis (Art) Five Rings
  • Scandinavian Award $15,000
    Cory Olsen (Interior Architecture) The Folk, the Icons, and the Future: A survey of Scandinavian Furniture
  • College of Design Board Fellowship $4500
    Dylan Wood (Architecture) Towards Ultra “Light Timber structures – Prototyping and testing of a flat fact, re-deployable wood system with extreme utilization of material with a team of outstanding students
  • Dean’s Research and Creative Work Award $4500
    Mariachiara Gasparini (History of Art and Architecture) Across the Tuyuhun-Tubo Kingdom: Material Culture from Dunhuang to Sichuan between the Sixth and Ninth Century
  • Jerry and Gunilla Finrow Research & Creative Work Award $4500
    Nina Amstutz (History of Art and Architecture) A Multispecies Framework for Art: The Bowerbird Across Disciplines, Cultures,and Time
  • Frances Bronet Faculty Innovation Award $4500
    Anne Brown (Planning, Public Policy and Management) How Can Integrating Public Transit and Shared Micromobility Expand Access?

Spring 2023 Awardees

  • Tinker Hatfield Award $25,000
    Ihab Elzeyadi (Architecture), Taylor Richard (Physics), Sereno Margaret (Psychology) “The Impact of Fractal Spatial Patters on Human Performance and Wellbeing”
  • Scandinavian Award $15,000
    Eleonora Redaelli (PPPM) “Denmark, Museums, and Participation”
    John Arndt (Product Design) Arndt Wonhee (Product Design) “A Responsible Chair”
  • College of Design Board Fellowship $4500
    Kiersten Muenchinger (Product Design) Bartell Mike (Product Design) “Reduce, Replace, Recalculate”
  • Dean’s Research and Creative Work Award $4500
    Ceara O’Leary (Architecture) “Spaces of Resilience: Documenting Emergent Community Hubs”
  • Jerry and Gunilla Finrow Research & Creative Work Award $4500Amanda Wojick (Art) “The Merrymaking Screens: Weeping/Whirling, Painting/Sculpture”
  • Frances Bronet Faculty Innovation Award $4500
    Jack Snell-Ryan (Art)“Resonant Histories: Cultural Space & Political Landscapes”

Spring 2022 Awardees

  • Tinker Hatfield Award $25,000 –Not awarded
  • Scandinavian Award $15,000 –Not awarded
  • College of Design Board Fellowship $4500
    Yizhao Yang: Aging in Place – Understanding the Enabling Factors and Exploring Actions ($4,500).
  • Dean’s Research and Creative Work Award $4500
    Cory Olsen: Project: Tree Rock Robot Series ($4,500)
  • Jerry and Gunilla Finrow Research & Creative Work Award $4500
    Kristen Seaman: Field Research for the book entitled: Art, Work, and Identity in the Ancient Greek Sculpture Industry  ($4,500)
  • Frances Bronet Faculty Innovation Award $4500
    Siobhan Rockcastle and Kyuho Ahn: The Impact of lighting design on occupant perception and behavior in a healthcare environment: an experiment in virtual reality ($4,500).