August 04, 2020
Recent architecture alumna awarded funding to pursue architectural lighting
![Portrait of Stella Murray](https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_860xAUTO_fit_center-center_80_none/arch_2008_murray-stella.jpg)
It is difficult to fully express in words my gratitude for having been selected as a recipient of the Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund...however, it is the acknowledgement of my potential as a lighting designer that means the most to me."In addition to the Speirs award, Murray earned a 2020 Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award from Penn State for her thesis titled “Bringing to Light the Qur’an: The Theophany of Allah By Means of Lighting Design in the Süleymaniye Mosque.” She was also recently named the recipient of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Design Research. The award acknowledges students for their innovation, integrity and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research. Murray has been working virtually as an intern with Horton Lees Brogden (HLB) Lighting Design this summer. HLB leadership has been so impressed with her work and passion that she was offered a full-time position at the firm as a design assistant. She will transition into her new role at HLB in October. Murray is also currently studying for the WELL Accredited Professional (AP) exam, which she plans to take in September. Being a WELL AP “denotes expertise in the WELL Building Standard and a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities around the world.”
![Portrait of Stella Murray](https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_680xAUTO_fit_center-center_80_none/arch_2008_murray-stella.jpg)
![The children statues in Hintz Alumni Garden lit by multiple colors as designed by Stella Murray for her Nittany Lights project.](https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_680xAUTO_fit_center-center_80_none/arch_2008_murray-s-nittanylights1.jpg)
![A lighted entry way to the Hintz Alumni Garden.](https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_680xAUTO_fit_center-center_80_none/arch_2008_murray-s-nittanylights2.jpg)
![Rendering of the residential tower under construction at 45-51 Park Place in NYC by Stella Murray.](https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/news/_680xAUTO_fit_center-center_80_none/arch_2008_murray-s-ugthesis.jpg)
Schools and Departments:
Department of Architecture, Stuckeman School
Degrees:
Architecture, B.Arch., Architecture, M.S.