糖心vlog

Assistant Professor
Iowa State University

Virginia Ellyn Melnyk is a computational architectural researcher and designer, and an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Iowa State University. Her work focuses on soft architectural systems and deployable structures that integrate textile craft, particularly knitting, with computational design methods. Centered on tactility, material behavior, and embodied interaction, her research explores how architecture can be shaped through touch, movement, and use rather than representation alone.

Teaching is a central component of her practice. She has taught studio and design courses at multiple universities, where she emphasizes deployable systems, textile-integrated construction, and hands-on making as critical modes of architectural inquiry. Her pedagogy foregrounds material experimentation, digital-to-physical workflows, and feminist approaches to design education, positioning craft and tactility as essential drivers of architectural thinking. Through both teaching and research, she advocates for a responsive, lightweight architecture grounded in soft design, transformation, and embodied modes of making.

Associate Director of SADAH, Architectural Design Program Coordinator, Professor of Architectural Design
James Madison University

Jori Erdman is a Professor of Architectural Design at James Madison University, where she serves as Program Coordinator for the BFA in Architectural Design and Associate Director of the School of Art, Design and Art History. Her teaching, research, and writing examine architecture as a civic, ethical, and cultural practice, with a particular focus on place, care, and community engagement in the American South. She is the author of Witness, a book-length study of the Mississippi-based firm Duvall Decker, and has published on resilience, coastal and rural design, and architectural pedagogy. Erdman holds a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University. She currently serves as Chair of the 糖心vlog Education Committee, contributing to national conversations on architectural education, curriculum, and equity.

Associate Professor, Architectural Studies Co-Advisor, Urban Studies Advisor
College of the Holy Cross

Amy Finstein is Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban History in the Department of Visual Arts at College of the Holy Cross, where she advises the Architectural Studies and Urban Studies programs. A scholar of modern architecture and urbanism, she has written on subjects ranging from elevated highways in Chicago, New York, and Boston, to high-style houses by Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. Her book, Modern Mobility Aloft: Elevated Highways, Architecture, and Urban Change in Pre-Interstate America (Temple University Press, 2020), won the Kniffen book award from the International Society for Landscape, Place, and Material Culture; and received honorable mention for the Kenneth Jackson Prize from the Urban History Association. In 2024, her students鈥� collaborative urban history research project about Boston, 鈥淏efore Displacement,鈥� won the Vernacular Architecture Forum鈥檚 Paul Buchanan Award, recognizing excellence in the study and preservation of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Brandeis University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Architectural History from the University of Virginia.

Professor and Chair
North Dakota State University

Susan Schaefer Kliman is a professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture + Interior Design at North Dakota State University. An architect and educator whose work bridges professional practice, academic research, and public engagement, her efforts focus on the social, cultural, climatic, and urban dimensions of the built environment. Susan has taught design studios and seminars that emphasize critical thinking, interdisciplinary inquiry, and the role of architecture in shaping civic life.聽 In her role as an academic administrator, she has developed curricula for several programs connected to architecture and the built environment. Susan鈥檚 affiliations reflect deep engagement with both academia and the broader architectural community, where she contributes as a mentor, scholar, and thought leader. She draws on her background and experience to connect theory with real-world impact. Susan received her B.Arch. from Cornell University and her M.Arch. and PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the University of Arizona.

Director, B.Arch and BSAS Undergraduate Degree Programs; Professor of Practice
University of Southern California

Lauren currently holds the positions of Director of the Bachelor of Architecture (B.ARCH) and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies (BSAS) programs. Previously, she served as the Director of Pre-College Programs and Interim Director of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism. Lauren has been teaching at USC Architecture since 2007. In 2020, Lauren, along with Amy Murphy, was honored with the 糖心vlog Diversity Achievement Award for their work on A-LAB and the School鈥檚 diversity initiatives. She has also received multiple USC Good Neighbors grants to support A-LAB’s mission of expanding opportunities for local high school students. Her main focus at USC Architecture has been on engaging young architecture students. Lauren teaches fundamental courses in design, drawing, culture, research, and shelter to undergraduates. In 2019, she was recognized with the Provost鈥檚 Office Teaching Award. Lauren’s dedication to creating a supportive mentorship culture for new students demonstrates her commitment to their success.

Lauren is a Professor of Practice and a licensed architect in California. Her research interests, which include architectural education and pedagogy, the intersection of architecture with health and wellness, and architecture and socio-cultural practices, are central to her work. Her recent papers, “Achieving Educational Equity: Architecture Development Programs as Transformative Models to Increase Inclusivity in University Admissions” and “Creating an Academic Community of Inquiry: Educating Architects to Replace Parameters with People,” reflect these interests. Lauren holds a Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arizona.

Professor
Marywood University

Jim Sullivan is a Professor of Architecture with over 25 years of experience design studios and construction technology coursework, and former Dean of the College of Creative and Professional Studies at Marywood University.聽 Before joining Marywood University, Sullivan served as Chair of the School of Interior Design and Undergraduate Coordinator of the School of Architecture at Louisiana State University.聽 His scholarship and creative work investigate architectural interiority, with an emphasis on the work of Rem Koolhaas. In addition to his academic work, Sullivan is a licensed architect who worked with Joseph Rykwert, Bernard Tschumi, and Marco Frascari, as well as his own architectural and interiors practice that won numerous AIA Design Awards in Louisiana (see LA-ab.com).