Professor Fowler's teaching responsibilities include third year design and
building technology courses, working with a range of independent study students, co
teaching an interdisciplinary fourth year design studio (architecture and architectural
engineering) and directing his award winning digital media facility founded in 1997,
called the Collaborative Integrative-Interdisciplinary Digital-Design Studio (CIDS). This
facility provides students with access to the latest digital technology for use in the
classroom for the design and construction of a range of interdisciplinary community
projects. 

During Professor Fowler's career he has received a number of national and local
awards in recognition of his teaching and research activities which includes: NCARB Prize
for the Design Collaboratory in 2010 with Professors Cabrinha, Doerfler and Dong,
http://ncarb.org/en/Studying-Architecture/Educators/NCARB-Prize-Program/2010-Prize-Winner
s.aspx, ACSA Creative Achievement Award in 2009-2010, the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) Education Honor Award for CIDS in 2008,
http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0314/0314n_edawards.cfm , selected for the AIA
Doer's Profile in 2008, http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0425/0425dp.cfm,
received Cal Poly's College of Architecture and Environmental Design Wesley Award
for Teaching Excellence in 2007, the Architecture Department's Faculty Teaching
Award in 2005, nominated by Cal Poly's College of Architecture in both 2001 and 2000
for both the U.S. Professor of the Year Award and the California State University
System's "Wang Outstanding Teaching Award", received the "Young
Faculty Teaching Award" from the Association of Collegiate Schools of
Architecture/American Institute of Architecture Students (ACSA/AIAS) in 1996-1997, and
was selected as part of the "Young Architects" Competition, Progressive
Architecture Magazine, July 1994. 

Professor Fowler has served as paper referee for numerous conferences, journals, and has
published a range of papers on his design studio teaching methods and interdisciplinary
project activities connected with his CIDS facility. He has had a successful track record
for successful grants (over half a million dollars) to support his research activities.
He has recently published an essay on teaching titled, "A Teacher's View",
in Becoming an Architect, Lee Waldrep, editor, Wiley 2006 (second edition with updated
essay being released for 2009). 

Professor Fowler has served as the third year coordinator for design since 1997. He is
also currently serving as the Assistant Department Head with responsibilities for
assisting with curriculum development along with the the preparation for the next
reaccreditation visit in 2011. He has also served as the Associate Head of the
Architecture Department from 2001 - 2007. 

Selected professional service activities include, elected Secretary to the Board of
National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) from 2007-2008 (board member
2006-2009), elected Secretary to the Board of the Association of Collegiate School of
Architecture (ACSA) from 2004-2006, served as the ACSA faculty representative to the
national AIAS Board of Directors from 2002-2004, chaired a national task force 2007-2008
(the "renovations group") to rewrite the student performance criteria and
conditions and has extensive experience participating on National Architectural
Accrediting Board (NAAB) visitation teams (18 visits - 8 chaired) around the country. 

Professor Fowler is a Registered Architect in New York State and is certified by National
Council of Registration Boards (NCARB), a member of the American Institute of Architects
(AIA), a member of NOMA, and is a member of the Association for Computer Aided Design In
Architecture (ACADIA). 

Scholarship, Teaching and Creative Work 

CIDS provides multidisciplinary linkages and practice-based connections of industry to
all of Professor Fowler's design studio and building technology courses. Use of
advanced digital tools allows for students to focus on building systems integration,
group case study analysis, design research and collaborative interdisciplinary community
design-build projects. Over a third of the undergraduate students have the opportunity to
participate in CIDS in one of four ways: enrolling in a required course; signing-up for
independent design or research study; joining an interdisciplinary team project; or
participating in the competitive annual selection process to join the CIDS work study
team. 

Over 80 interdisciplinary projects have been completed since 1997 (an average of 6 a year
and about 2 a quarter), collaborating in the past with the disciplines of new media arts
(film), english, Liberal Arts and Engineering Program (LAES), computer science, art &
design, architectural engineering, construction management, landscape architecture and
city regional planning. Industry professionals collaborated with included: building
cladding/concrete subcontractors, shade structure manufacturers, virtual reality and
motion tracking software companies. 

Students involved with CIDS acquire an understanding of the theoretical and procedural
foundation for effective utilization of digital media in the design process, while being
grounded in traditional media. Also as important, there is an aim to develop awareness
and skills so students can succeed in today's media driven profession. The CIDS
framework for engaging the students is multi-faceted: a 1-2 day design studio project
conceptualization charrette (short duration intense workshop) for interdisciplinary
community and/or research grant proposals, 3-4 week interdisciplinary design-build
projects, and independent design studio and research projects. The CIDS also provides an
environment, which continually assists the student in efforts to give a voice to
individual creativity, and establishes a learning environment that feeds itself and
evolves as the learners grow. 

Articles

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Design Collaboratory (DC), Architecture (2010)

The Design Collaboratory builds on the successful 46-year multi-disciplinary experience of this academic institution in...

 

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Integrated Project Studio (IPS), Architecture (2010)

A third year building design (BS) studio is integrated with a building environmental systems (BES)...

 

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Collaborative Integrative-Interdisciplinary Digital-Design Studio (CIDS) 2009, Architecture (2009)

The ultimate goals of research and community service projects are to improve how students learn....

 

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Collaborative Integrative-Interdisciplinary Digital-Design Studio (CIDS), Architecture (2008)

CIDS provides for an intensive three-quarter course sequence designed to familiarize undergraduate students in a...

 

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Journals of a Digital Design Studio (with Sarah Jester), formZ Joint Study Journal (2008)
 

Contributions to Books

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A Teacher's View, Becoming an Architect (2006)