Zach Maggia and Clay Dobbins, both 2019 Gibbs College graduates now working full-time at TAP Architecture, have partnered with AIA Oklahoma, Bishop McGuinness STEM students, Positive Tomorrows and TAP Architecture to provide Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) Oklahoma first responders with ear savers to wear with their protective masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
3D printed ear saver. Image credit: Zach Magia
The idea, which originally came from Ian and Hailey McDermid, owners of The Pump and The Bunker Club in Oklahoma City, was to create ear savers for EMSA Oklahoma first responders to wear during the pandemic. Maggia and Dobbins got involved with the project when their boss at TAP, Anthony McDermid, mentioned that his son, Ian, knew someone at EMSA that needed ear savers and asked if they could help.
EMSA Facebook post. Image credit: Zach Magia
The ear savers move the point of contact for medical masks from behind the ear to the back of the head, so instead of the elastic resting behind the ear, it has hooks that transfer the strain and make masks more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. The team has completed approximately 250 ear savers for EMSA so far, with a goal of providing 600.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
