Last month, Gibbs architecture students represented OU’s chapter of NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architect Students) at the 2024 National Organization of Minority Architects Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The annual NOMA conference brings together NOMA members, allies and students to engage in thought-provoking seminar sessions, connect with industry experts and celebrate member achievements.
Accompanied by their NOMA faculty advisor Shooka Motamedi, students Terry Chishimba, Ashley Gonzalez, Grace Hill, Hishaam Ramoly, and Roy Nitzan presented the OU chapter’s of NOMAS project, SEAM, and competed at the Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition. For the competition, the students focused on the repurposing of an abandoned highway that bisects an urban community with a new transit hub, housing and commercial development.
OU NOMAS students present their design solution.
The full OU NOMAS team consisted of Hishaam Ramoly - President, Roy Nitzan - Vice President, Grace Hill - Administration, Whit Hull, Drew Ngo, Charles Kim, Sasha Alexander, Terry Chishimba, Ashley Gonzalez, Daniel Kyabayinze, Eryne Degeorge, Seaira Hull, and Albert Rogers.
The OU NOMAS team.
While attending the conference, OU’s NOMAS group was invited to the White House, an opportunity provided by their parent organization, the National NOMA Organization. OU was one of the few universities nationwide whose students had the chance to visit the White House.
This trip to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., was made possible by the support of Gibbs College faculty members, with special thanks to Dean Hans Butzer, Director of Architecture Daniel Butko, Chief of Staff Camille Germany, and Faculty Advisor Shooka Motamedi.
OU NOMAS students at the White House.
Reflecting on their experience, group members say they shared a common sense of pride—pride in their organization and its mission, pride in the university’s support in achieving their goals and aspirations, and pride in being part of something greater than themselves.
While they did not win the competition, they are incredibly proud of the project they created. The full 2024 Barbara G. Laurie Student Competition Submission Gallery can be viewed on the SEAM website.
Learn more about the OU chapter of NOMAS on their Instagram @nomas.ou and their blog.
Learn more about SEAM by watching the video below.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
