Bright future for architectural engineering students

Hinkle, eleven others recently recognized for lighting achievements

4/8/2019

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Twelve Penn State architectural engineering (AE) students recently received recognition and funding for their achievements and promising potential in the field of lighting.

The largest merit award was granted to Laura Hinkle, a fourth-year student in the five-year integrated bachelor and master of architectural engineering at Penn State. Hinkle received a 2019 Designers Lighting Forum of New York (DLFNY) Student Achievement Award, which comes with a $5,000 prize. The award is administered by Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education and was presented to Hinkle at LEDucation, the largest LED-only tradeshow and educational forum in the United States, according to their website.

“I am very honored to have been selected for this prestigious award. It is humbling to receive support from the lighting industry,” said Hinkle.

She acknowledged her Penn State professors as playing a positive role in her success, saying, “The professors in the architectural engineering lighting/electrical department are incredibly dedicated to student learning. I am grateful to have them as mentors.”

Hinkle said that part of the appeal of architectural engineering in general and lighting design in particular was the opportunity to combine creativity with technical knowledge.

“Lighting design allows me to use both sides of my brain,” she said. “I am able to influence how a space feels, and I accomplish it through an integration of art and science. As an architectural engineering student, I have the technical background to design innovative and sustainable lighting solutions.”

Hinkle was not the only AE student recognized for her achievements; she and eleven other lighting students were recently selected by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Education Trust as recipients of travel awards to various professional conferences.

Brennan Drapeau, Zhiyao Jia, Samantha Komber, Adam Melnik, Yash Patil, John Sloane and Jiajing Zhang received their merit-based travel stipends to attend LIGHTFAIR International 2019 in Philadelphia, Pa. Jeffrey Mundinger will use his funds to attend the 29th Quadrennial Session of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in Washington, DC. The remaining four students—Maria Fernanda Del Castillo, Laura Hinkle, Tessa Kisenwether and Pamela Meighan—will attend LuxLive 2019 in London, England.

“This is a very talented and deserving group of students,” said Kevin Houser, professor of architectural engineering. “These conferences are fabulous professional development opportunities, with technical sessions and networking events that complement on-campus learning.”

 

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Sarah Small

ses1079@psu.edu

“The professors in the architectural engineering lighting/electrical department are incredibly dedicated to student learning. I am grateful to have them as mentors.”
—Laura Hinkle

 
 

About

Globally recognized as a leading architectural engineering department, the mission of the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State is to advance the built environment through the development of world-class architectural engineers and research. The vision of the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State is to lead the world in innovative education and research to achieve high-performing built environments. Our program emphasizes the scientific and engineering aspects of planning, designing, and constructing buildings, providing our architectural engineering graduates with outstanding education and research opportunities. 

Department of Architectural Engineering

104 Engineering Unit A

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-6394