Two UF interior design professors receive national teaching awards

April 3, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two interior design professors at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning have received national teaching awards in interior design education.

Jason Meneely, assistant professor of interior design, won first place nationally for the Council for Interior Design Accreditation’s Innovation in Interior Design Education Award.

Candy Carmel-Gilfilen, assistant professor of interior design and undergraduate coordinator, won the national Interior Design Educator Council’s 2012 Teaching Excellence Award.

Meneely and Carmel-Gilfilen were honored at this year’s Interior Design Educators Council conference on March 21 in Baltimore.

Meneely’s award recognizes and celebrates innovative teaching and program-related practices that advance the cause of excellence in interior design education. He was acknowledged for demonstrating innovative approaches to blending technology with free-hand drawing, real-time critique and collaborative teamwork.

Last year, Meneely worked with Steelcase, Inc., to construct and pilot the college’s new Media:scape Learn Lab — informally known as the “co-Lab,” which breaks down the traditional barriers of teacher-to-student lecture rooms.

“Jason received this prestigious accolade from the organization that accredits interior design programs across North America,” said Margaret Portillo, professor and chair of the department of interior design. “The CIDA Innovation Award recognized Jason’s progressive approach to integrating digital media into learning. For example, the co-Lab space that he designed with Steelcase is absolutely cutting-edge. It allows students to easily work in teams, connecting their laptops to large monitors and white boards that flow floor to ceiling — providing the perfect opportunity for brainstorming sessions.”

Carmel-Gilfilen’s Teaching Excellence Award recognizes an individual’s success in the development and delivery of a specific educational experience that yields exceptional student learning. In addition to mentoring student competition teams, Carmel-Gilfilen coordinates the department’s design field experience program, which requires students to gain field experience.

“Candy has been masterful at connecting our students with opportunities in practice,” Portillo said. “For example, she has placed students in internships across the country and even internationally. She is most deserving of the IDEC Teaching Excellence Award based on her success in integrating design practice with design education to advance a progressive model of evidence-based design, an emerging research model in the profession.”

Additionally, Carmel-Gilfilen won the Fairchild Topical Issues Grant 2012 for her project titled “Incorporating Sensitivity into Healthcare Design.” The grant is awarded for scholarly activity with the potential to expand knowledge and enhance the role of interior designers in helping communities around the world cope with significant current events, such as the rebuilding of Haiti.

UF’s undergraduate program in the department of interior design was recently ranked 3rd nationally in DesignIntelligence’s 13th annual survey of America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools 2012. In addition, the interior design graduate program ranked 7th in the nation.