PhD Program Overview 2018-2019

A Year in Perspective

Abstract

The 2018–19 academic year was a period of transition for our PhD community: Professor Rahman Azari assumed leadership of the PhD program, while Professor Sabatino served as Dean of the College of Architecture. Under the directorship of Professor Azari—whose research interests include energy use and the environmental impacts of built environments—the program became more engaged in technology-related scholarship and academic activities. For the first time, our annual symposium focused on a technology topic, Buildings, Cities, and Performance, and called for research to enhance the discussion of building-related urban energy use. Similarly, our weekly PhD Research Forum lecture series addressed themes related to environmental and energy performance with more than 20 local and international guest lecturers from academia and industry coming to IIT to present research on topics including: solar architecture, optimization of building energy systems, energy performance of high-rise office buildings, curtain walls in the Farnsworth House, and the legacy of the Bauhaus school. If the mythological Greek Titan Prometheus existed today, would such an immortal creature assume a different guise? Instead of fire, I wonder what Prometheus would bring to us that could enhance the search for progress and the maintenance of our natural, cultural, and built environments?

Despite being an academic year of transition for our PhD community, we also saw continuity. The structure of our academic programs remained consistent, reminding us that progress in academia is not only the construction of revolutionary ideas, or a fresh start in a situation of tabula rasa, but is also a constant process of discipline, improvement, and diligence. Certainly, these qualities can be seen in the commitment of my colleagues and their advisors in pursuing innovative research, which ultimately reflects on our accomplishments.