Associate Professor Rebekah Matheny presented two papers at the AMPS (Architecture, Media, Politics & Society) conference in Barcelona in July.   The conference, titled “Urban Futures – Cultural Pasts”, was held from July 15-17 by AMPS in association with Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. The conference focused on the question of building sustainable cities within the existing context of the cities’ culture. Some themes of the conference included community design & user autonomy, governing the ecosystem commons, and sustainable lifestyles.  

Her first paper, Designing for Intersectionality: Ecofeminism, Environmental Equity, and Gender Fluidity’s Impact of the Future expanded her research into sustainability in retail design and consumer behaviors. Her second paper, Engaging Student Voices: A Fiver Year Study of the Higher Education Learning Ecosystem, featured the insights gathered from her Junior Interior Design studio which collaborates with Ohio State’s OTDI Learning and Collaborative Environments team. The studio is also sponsored by MillerKnoll  and supported by Gensler’s Higher Education Design Studio.  

While in Barcelona, Rebekah took time to explore some of the iconic architecture, such as the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van Der Rohe and Antoni Gaudi's buildings to bring back content for her Interior Materials and Lighting Design classes.