A three-dimensional visualization showing inundation depths in Providence, Rhode Island, from a hypothetical storm dubbed "Hurricane Rhody."

Office of Research and Creative Activity

Research | Creative Activity | Graduate Studies

A&A is home to a vibrant community of artists, performers, and designers engaged in leading-edge scholarship and creative practice. Our work leverages design thinking and arts-based practices to produce novel approaches and new insights to tackle the significant challenges of our times.

Our mission is simple: to act as a catalyst for faculty and students in attaining their research and creative practice ambitions, and to position these activities as a central component of the research enterprise at Penn State.

We aim to foster within the college a vibrant culture of inquiry that promotes excellence within our disciplines, while at the same time leveraging the potential of a comprehensive research university.

If you are a member of our community, we invite you to use the resources here to further your research agenda. Please be in touch with the Research Office to discuss your research and creative practice needs.

Contact

Office of the Associate Dean for Research, Creative Activity and Graduate Studies
102 Borland Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-0408
814-865-2018 (fax)

Mallika Bose
Professor of Landscape Architecture

Barbara A. Cutler
Research Administrator

Tracie Mehalick
Administrative Support Coordinator

Faculty Research Proposal Development Process

A&A faculty are invited to visit the Research Proposal Resources page to learn more about identifying funding opportunities and engaging with the college to support your efforts.

Research Proposal Development Resources

Graduate Research and Creative Achievements

Explore. Design. Create. Perform. Inspire. The College of Arts and Architecture is delighted to present the work and celebrate the achievements of our graduate students.

Visit the Graduate Thesis and Capstone Website

Centers and Initiatives

The College of Arts and Architecture provides research and creative activity space, funding and project development opportunities through a variety of Centers and Initiatives.

Image of two bright red and dark red colors displayed above research text. From the research of Sarah Rich, Political Economy of Colorants.
Glowing firefly-like sculptures arrayed across a dark, nighttime field as part of the "Luminos" energy art installation.

A&A Sustainability
ADRI Heart Symposium lecture on The Anxiety Project.

ADRI - Arts and Design Research Incubator
white tables and black desk chairs, people in business wear talking under colorful lights

C-PAD - Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design
Red dye in clear glass held by blue gloved hand

Center for Virtual/Material Studies
An aerial view of a small urban area surrounded by trees and a small body of water.

Ecology plus Design (E+D)
Hamer Center for Community Design and Landscape Architecture collaboration "Shine a Light" three dimensional drawing involving LED and water.

Hamer Center for Community Design
Panels of textured felt hanging in front of a glass window.

Stuckeman Center for Design Computing
Collage of paintbrushes arrayed across Pennsylvania's rolling fields topped with wind turbines.

Studio for Sustainability + Social Action (S3A)
Close up texture of mycelium spores on linen from Felicia Davis research related to textile architecture, bio-sensing smart garments that can improve health outcomes.

Close up texture of mycelium spores on linen from Felicia Davis research related to textile architecture, bio-sensing smart garments that can improve health outcomes.

Credit: Rebecca Kiger for The Washington Post
insight-incite wordmark

In its inaugural fall 2023 issue, “insight/incite” highlights a selection of exciting research and creative practice centered in the college. We invite you to explore, be inspired, and engage.

View the insight/incite publication

Issue contents plus links to additional information related to featured scholars’ work and activity.

Graphic novel cover for "First There Was Chaos" by Joel Priddy.
Formal dress in green and gold fabrics that is part of a Theatrical costume archive.
Collage of colorful drawings of healthcare workers – part of a short film by Bill Doan titled "Frontline Nurses: Dispatches from the COVID-19 Pandemic"
View through a faceted polygonal structure with tensioned support strings into an exhibition area with people in the background examining content posted on walls.
Men and women in health clinics and shops in Sierra Leone and Senegal.
Health workers and patients in clinics and street scenes across Ecuador and Sierra Leone.
400-year-old Maya Christian artist's colorful mural painted in blues, greens, and coral shades, inside a church located on the Yucatán peninsula
Students grouped at the base of a towering tree in the Amazon jungle near Claverito, Peru.

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