Construction and interior design students national finalists
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Written by: Seminole State Staff
Photo: Standing L-R: Construction students Jeffrey Stout, Michael Miller, Windy Pierre-Louis, Dr. Tan Qu. Seated L-R: Interior design students Tamara Noftsinger and Tiffany Theodore.
For the second year in a row, students from the construction and interior design programs at Seminole State College of Florida placed first in the 2019 Southeast Regional Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) student competition.
Under the advisement of Construction Program Manager Dr. Tan Qu, the five-member team composed of construction students Jeffrey Stout, Michael Miller, Windy Pierre-Louis and interior design students Tamara Noftsinger and Tiffany Theodore, beat teams from top construction programs at the University of Florida, Auburn University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Led by senior Miller (B.S., Construction), he and his team members Stout (A.S., Construction Management), Pierre-Louis (A.S., Construction Management), Theodore (B.A.S, Interior Design) and Noftsinger (A.S., Interior Design) each played a critical role in the first phase of the competition.
As part of the competition the team had to submit a Request for Qualification (RFQ) proposal to design and construct a 40,000-60,000 square foot performing arts center on a college campus located in the Midwest. The students conducted extensive research and created preliminary designs for the structure as part of the proposal.
The Seminole State team advanced to the second phase, competing against the nine other regional winners from across the country: NewSchool of Architecture & Design, California Polytechnic State University, University of California, University of Colorado Boulder, Washington State University, Roger Williams University, Oklahoma State University, University of Cincinnati and Iowa State University.
The 10 finalists responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP), and on Oct. 31 Seminole State was announced as one of the top three teams alongside Oklahoma State University and NewSchool of Architecture & Design. The remaining colleges will present in person at the 2019 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nov. 6-8.
The article was updated Oct. 31, 2019 to announce the College's advancement to the DBIA student competition finals.
Seminole State College of Florida's School of Engineering, Design and Construction offers more than 50 degrees and certificates, including bachelor's degrees in construction, engineering technology, information systems technology and interior design. The programs prepare students for a wide variety of careers in the built environment and information technology.