Investing in knowledge
Hands-on learning
A fundamental value of a School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) education is practical problem solving. Education, research, and application are inextricably linked and intertwined, and the opportunity to put into practice the lessons learned in the classroom lies at the core of what we do. Our laboratories can’t be built here on campus. They are the buildings, cities, regions, and countries of the world, and our effectiveness as educators and researchers depends upon our ability to provide real-world lessons on the ground and around the globe.
Curriculum development
On-site learning: studios and practica
Travel opportunities
Equipment renewal
Curriculum development
As discovery opens up new ways of knowing and doing, SA+P works to remain at the forefront of what we teach and how we teach. As disciplines shift and technologies evolve, faculty need the ability to invest in new approaches to the content and structure of their courses.
In SA+P, we initiated a new undergraduate course called Cityscope. With an emphasis on cities at risk, this course is designed to demonstrate that problem solving in complex environments is different from solving complex problems. Team-taught by faculty across the School, Cityscope gives students practical experience on the ground in the focus city—most recently, New Orleans—to research history, physical design, social, and economic policies and technology to assess and propose possible solutions. By placing students in this tangible learning experience, their lessons and homework serve the dual purpose of offering practical alternatives.
We seek support that will provide resources to encourage the most creative and imaginative curricular development with the greatest path-breaking potential.
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On-site learning: studios and practica
Hands-on problem solving is a core educational value at MIT. In SA+P, this means the buildings, cities, regions, and countries of the world are our classrooms. SA+P has long sought faculty and students committed to a global perspective and, as a result, has developed long-held partnerships with international communities, in some cases spanning more than two decades. Seeking practical learning experiences beyond the classroom, SA+P undertakes both concrete and visionary projects around the world, sharing our expertise and pursuing knowledge wherever it’s being created.
In the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, graduate students are required to provide practical planning solutions through an international practica. This offers the opportunity to work with client organizations in cities and regions throughout the world to develop an effective approach, often in the face of difficult tradeoffs, resource constraints, and complex political dynamics. This hands-on experience challenges students to see and experience the world not as tourists, but as grounded practitioners with a commitment to learning from others and sharing their own privileged knowledge and body of skills.
Each semester, the Department of Architecture offers several international studios, often held in collaboration with other universities. From Bratislava and Torino to India and Japan, our students and faculty work on specific design challenges. How can structurally safe housing be built in an area of Turkey prone to earthquakes, or in the Mississippi Delta Region prone to hurricanes and ocean surge? How can affordable housing powered by the sun be built with inexpensive, durable materials? International studios connect mind and hand in a real world context, and as a result, environments can be transformed.
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Travel opportunities
Travel is fundamental to an SA+P education. Students travel to conferences to present scholarly papers to their peers. Students fly half way around the world to understand real-time real estate development in China and India. Students travel to and from New Orleans for internships over the summer and during IAP. Gifts to student travel funds make it possible for each department, center, and program to enhance the student experience by educating them on the ground.
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Equipment renewal
Consider the slide rule. Once commonplace, this is now a collector’s item. In SA+P, electronic tools like digital cameras, computers, and printers become obsolete quickly. Construction tools like model-making and manufacturing machines need constant maintenance. Gifts to support the renewal of technology and equipment enable SA+P to guarantee our students the basic equipment they use daily in their studies and research, while allowing us the ability to invest in the fundamental resources of innovation.
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To explore how your gift can foster any of these initiatives to build a better world, you may wish to search or browse for other giving opportunities within SA+P, or make a gift today by using our secure online giving form.
If you wish to speak to someone about a special gift in support of the School of Architecture and Planning, or any of its departments, centers, or programs, please contact Tia Tilson, assistant dean for resource development, at ttilson@mit.edu or 617.253.8896.
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