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NOT ONE BUT TWO HES INTERIOR DESIGN GRADS NAMED 30 UNDER 30 BY NKBA

9/17/2018

The National Kitchen & Bath Association annually celebrates future rock stars of the kitchen and bath industry. NKBA chooses a group of 30 talented industry professionals from around the country who are standard-bearers and examples for their peers. The 2019 NKBA class of 30 Under 30 honorees include standout designers Mary Lauda Corwin and Amanda Smith. They will be recognized at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) which will be held Feb. 19-21, 2019 in Las Vegas. Corwin and Smith, along with 28 other honorees, will be tasked with walking the show floor to seek "Best of" products and innovations to provide insights about what the next generation views as important developments in kitchen and bath spaces.

Both women are graduates of the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Corwin, a 2014 interior design graduate, works for Toulmin Cabinetry Inc. in Tuscaloosa. Smith is employed by c|s Design Studio LLC in the Baltimore/Washington area and earned a bachelor's in interior design in 2012 and a masters in consumer sciences in 2015.

Congrats to these graduates for making a mark in their chosen field. We look forward to what the future holds for these talented designers!

Improving lives around the world

9/12/2018

Dr. Maria Hernandez-Reif traveled to Dubai recently to share insights about the science behind touch for normal infant development. She delivered her lecture at an International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) conference. Hernandez-Reif also conducted two breakout workshops where attendees heard a lecture about the "science" of touch, followed by a video of infant massage. The midwives then had an opportunity to practice infant massage techniques on dolls.

Midwives from the Middle East, Africa and Asia attended the conference. Dr. Hernandez-Reif found them to the very engaged in learning, knowledgeable and ultramodern especially in terms of social media. A highlight of the conference was meeting the conference keynote speaker, Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan.

One of Dr. Hernandez-Reif's take-aways from the experience was – “how much alike women are all over the world in terms of values related to children and parenting.”

HES DESIGNERS HAD THE EDGE OVER THE COMPETITION AT STATE-WIDE ASID STUDENT CONTEST

9/10/2018

Four interior design students from UA stole the show at the 2018 Daisy Bond Student Design Awards on Friday, Sept.7. Claire Gustafson, Sara Onks, Carly Roberts and Logan Glover won 12 of the coveted awards at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Alabama chapter Impact Celebration in Birmingham.

The celebration was the culmination of a day-long conference that included a product exhibition, educational CEUs in which students participated, a keynote address by Jennifer Quail, Editor-in-Chief of i+D Magazine and a social media talk for students and emerging professionals. Students also had portfolio time to meet with professionals and receive feedback. ASID student chapter faculty advisor, John Peaslee, and instructor, Casey Faulkner, shared the conference experience with HES students.

Congratulations to our hard-working, talented students!

Claire Gustafson (graduate)
- Best of Show
- 1st Place – Design Concept Residential
- 1st Place – Rendering Computer Generated
- 1st Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 2nd Place – 3-D Visualization
Sarah Onks (graduate)
- 1st Place – 3-D Visualization
- 3rd Place – Rendering Computer Generated
Carly Roberts (senior)
- 1st Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Product Design
Logan Glover (junior)
- 3rd Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Residential

Check out their prize winning work in the Winners’ Gallery on the Alabama Chapter of ASID’s website.

Council aims to maximize early childhood wellbeing

9/6/2018

The Alabama Project LAUNCH Young Child Wellness Council (YCWC) recently took another step towards improving early childhood mental health and wellbeing in West Alabama. Out of 140 communities nationwide, the Tuscaloosa YCWC was selected to receive funding and support from the NOW Learning Community out of Boston. A diverse group of local stakeholders came together on Tuesday, August 28, to develop a consensus for cross system collaboration in order to support and strengthen the continuum of services for maternal and child wellbeing.

Members of the Council will attend four convening NOW events to work with other grant awardees across the country. The group expects to bring back specific action plans.
NOW builds on Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Vital Village Network approach to: promote child wellbeing; align systems of care and education in early childhood; and improve neighborhood opportunity structures that promote optimal wellbeing and reduce inequities in child health and education.

“Our Tuscaloosa community of partners, including Stephanie Covarubbia with Early Intervention of CSP, and Trendle Samuel with ADPH to name a few, work hard to address gaps and inequities in children’s health and wellbeing. We are honored to be among those selected nationwide to participate in NOW and receive additional support for our ongoing work,” says Dr. April Kendrick, UA’s Director of Child Development Resources.

The NOW Learning Community will support participants in building a robust set of tools to transform early childhood education and health systems in their neighborhood, city, or county. Each recipient will receive in-depth and tailored technical assistance in mobilizing community leaders; using data and storytelling tools; and communicating with diverse stakeholders.

“Creating a connected community around child health and wellbeing is a goal of the Young Child Wellness Council. We are excited to participate in the NOW Learning Community because breaking down silos in our community will only help all of Tuscaloosa County to support its children and families,” says Amy Crosby, Alabama Project LAUNCH Young Child Wellness Coordinator.

Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Vital Village Network is working with communities across the country to promote child health and opportunity. Through a $2.2M grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Vital Village selected local organizations to form the Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW) Learning Community. The Young Child Wellness Council, housed within the College of Human Environmental Sciences, was one of ten communities chosen to address barriers and develop innovative partnerships aimed at improving the early childhood experience.

Interior Design Students Share Italian Learning Experience

8/27/2018

After a summer study abroad trip, interior design students gathered at the start of the new semester to share what they learned and how well they dined while in Italy.
The group spent the morning in Doster’s Food Lab preparing Italian dishes and getting a lesson on how to make homemade tortellini from Dr. Mary Kay Meyer.
While sharing culinary creations with HES faculty and staff members, they described their experience learning about Italy’s contemporary and timeless interiors and world famous landmarks.
Eighteen students made the trip along with faculty members, Casey Faulkner and Michelle Rose. Base camp was the Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA) in Florence but the trip also included stops in Milan, Venice, Portovenere, San Gimignano, Pisa, Chianti and Rome.