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.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2025 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
On November 21, 2025, the Mainsite Contemporary Art gallery was transformed into a showcase of innovation and craftsmanship for the University of Oklahoma’s furniture design build studio exhibition, “Purpose in Form.”
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
