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September 14, 2018 Teston Researches, Teaches Abroad as Fulbright Scholar

Liz Teston in Romania

Liz Teston, assistant professor in the School of Interior Architecture, researched and taught abroad in Romania as a Fulbright Scholar in spring 2018.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is perhaps the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world. Scholars are chosen based on their leadership and ability to teach, conduct research and contribute solutions for shared international concerns.

Teston spent seven months in Romania as part of the interior architecture faculty at . She taught 150 interior architecture and product design second-, third- and fourth-year students. Her classes focused on urban spaces, the way people use urban spaces and politics related to design.

鈥淢any of students were independent thinkers and accustomed to working individually on their assignments,鈥 stated Teston. 鈥淚t was fun to introduce collaborative projects into this large-format lecture course and see the new connections made through the student teams.鈥

In addition to teaching, Teston used her award to further her research while in Romania. Teston鈥檚 research focused on Romania鈥檚 capital, Bucharest, and how its culture is translated into the built environment. She presented her work at two conferences, including and the .

Teston鈥檚 research in Romania relates to her larger research efforts in 快活视频 as the James Johnson Dudley Faculty Scholar. In her work, she compares public exterior places that feel like interiors, or public interiorities, in 快活视频, Nashville and Bucharest.

鈥淢y research, overall, is about people and observing how we engage with our built environment,鈥 explained Teston. 鈥淚 think of interiority as a human-scaled issue, rather than an issue of enclosure.鈥

Teston makes it a priority to bring her research into the classroom. 鈥淚n my studios at UT, teaching design for the human-scale is my first priority. Another aspect of this research is to confront the notion of what interiority is, and I likewise encourage my students to challenge the status quo in their work.鈥

Teston鈥檚 experience as a Fulbright scholar also connected her with professionals in other cultures. She hopes to continue the relationship with her colleagues at UAUIM by forming an international student exchange program, conducting workshops or offering other study abroad opportunities.

Want to learn more about our faculty鈥檚 innovative research?

Read about Marshall Prado, who was chosen as a Design Research Fellow: /design-research-fellow/

Read more about our student Fulbright Scholar, Dillon Dunn:聽/graduate-stories-dillon-dunn/