Page 49 - LearningSCAPES 2021

SESSIONABSTRACTS continued...
learning environments and explore ways inequality and bias manifest themselves in school design.
• Learn and identify all the various components which make up a typical educational system, and which elements are ripe for
re-design.
John Pfluger, AIA, NCARB, LEED® AP, Principal, Cuningham
John is a Principal at Cuningham and has serves as a Design Principal in the firm’s education studio. Central to John’s design approach is his personal commitment and passion to achieve highly creative, sustainable design results that enhance our clients’ goals through a highly inclusive and co-creative process. He is often called upon to serve a Design Resource for Reimagine America’s Schools, a consortium of national leaders innovating in the design and education space.
Amy Yurko, AIA, Founder, BrainSpaces, Inc.
Amy is Founder and Director of BrainSpaces, Inc. She is both a licensed architect and educator who believes in applying brain- based strategies to the design of learning environments. An internationally recognized expert, Amy is consistently invited
to collaborate, coach and share her knowledge with educators, architects and their communities. She has earned the A4LE distinction of “Lifetime Achievement Award” for her excellence in planning and designing powerful environments for learners throughout the world.
Leonardo Gonzalez, Director of Education, Principal, HKS Inc.
Director of Education at HKS, Leonardo has dedicated his career to the design of educational environments. Grounded in his belief that educational spaces are paramount in the successful future of our society, he aims to advance the building typology in education and create spaces that support progressive educational opportunities. Leonardo leads teams to work tirelessly in advancement of student health and wellbeing, uncovering strategies to impact equity in access to opportunities for all students.
Patricia Joseph, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, Architect, Cuningham
Patricia is a designer in Cuningham’s Grow studio, facilitating multiple school master plans and closely coordinating with project designers. She is a lecturer for the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado, Denver. Motivated by
the potential that building materials have on societal constructs, Patricia serves as Co-Vice President of the local chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, NOMA Colorado. Previously, she served on the AIA Colorado EDI committee.
Friday, October 15, 2021 - 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Harnessing Today’s Challenges & Opportunities to Influence the Future of American Education
1 LU
Over the past year of learning and teaching from home, it has become exceedingly apparent how little has changed since the inception of the modern education system in the late 19th century. How can we harness the challenges and opportunities of today’s historic inflection point to positively disrupt American education in the long-term? How do we scale solutions and make them accessible for all? How can we influence education to prepare students for the ever-evolving workforce? This session aims to discover solutions to these big questions through a two-pronged community engagement approach. As the first part of this approach, our team will facilitate a think tank prior to the conference. Through a process of discovery including surveys, curated roundtable discussions, and Q&A with experts, we will solicit input from a wide variety of stakeholders including students, parents, educators, administrators, education experts, and designers across public, private, charter, vocational, and progressive education. The think tank will explore the history of the modern education system to understand what the barriers to change have been, then study the predictions for what life will be like in 2070 to inform where we are going. Topics of discussion will include the rise of A.I., removing complex external factors that limit change, shifts in the academic calendar, increased anxiety in young people, and future implications of blended learning as children become increasingly sophisticated digital learners. Our