"...one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in the world..."

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=17996

Internet Education in Haiti



Image from http://buildingaschool.wordpress.com/



The Research and Education Network (REN) Haiti report, below, authored by a consortia of organizations from across the Western Hemisphere and France, explains the importance of improving healthcare and education in Haiti. The authors propose, among other things, a country-wide Internet network connecting schools, universities and clinics, to promote and support K-20 education and health services and medical resources throughout the nation. 

Please click the  link below to read the report:

Research and Education Network (REN) Haiti: A Collaborative Proposal to the Inter-American Development Bank 7 November 2011

Authoring organizations:

CLARA-Cooperation for Latin American Research and Education
CKLN-Caribbean Knowledge Learning Network
The Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania
MAGPI -Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2
CyberBridges at the Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment (CIARA)
AMPATH-Americas Pathway Research and Education Exchange
University of Miami TeleHealth



Image from http://www.the-private-eye.com/



Spotty Horses

Pech Merle cave art depicting spotted horses













In Art History class, you may remember studying the captivating cave art of prehistoric painters. Their artwork appeared on the walls and ceilings of caves throughout the world, including the Lascaux, Chauvet, and Pech Merle caves  located in modern day France. 

Recently, scientists found that the spotted horses painted in Pech Merle were based on real-life versions, and were not simply creative twists of the artists' imaginations.

Read more on the exciting evidence in the two articles below:
Spotted Horses in Cave Art Weren't Just a Figment, DNA Shows
Ancient Cave Painters Were Realists, DNA Reveals



Occupy the Classroom

The messages of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and similar demonstrations now occuring in cities and towns worldwide are critically important: People want economic equality. We also want corporate greed and injustices to stop.

In a similar vein, Nicholas Kristof of the The New York Times writes an article about Occupy the Classroom.

Like our friend and colleague Marky Jean-Pierre, President of the Honor for Haiti Foundation (FONHOH) with whom we're working to design an educational center in rural Haiti, Kristof believes it is of utmost importance to improve early childhood education.

Education in Haiti: The Way Forward

The Partnership For Educational Revitalization in the Americas (and the Caribbean) issued a report by Laurence Wolff on the subject of educational system improvements in Haiti, entitled Education in Haiti: The Way Forward.

Haiti Here We Come!

From top left to right: Joan Rockwell, Bill Austin, Chris Farley,

                                      Marky Jean-Pierre, and Anne Perkins
















Husband-and-wife team Bill Austin, Architect, and Joan Rockwell, Landscape Architect, will be traveling this month with Marky Jean-Pierre, President of the Honor for Haiti Foundation (FONHOH), to the Caribbean island nation of Hispaniola. They will visit land that has been donated to FONHOH to build an educational center in rural Haiti.

Originally from Haiti, Marky Jean-Pierre is dedicated to the improvement in the country's educational system and is a founder of FONHOH, a not-for-profit organization based in both Amherst, Massachusetts and Bon-Repos, Haiti. The organization focuses on adult learning and literacy, language education, teacher education and K-12 school improvement in Haiti.

Austin Design and Joan Rockwell & Associates have been working on site analysis and schematic designs for the educational center. The trip will be an exciting mission to delve deeper and improve our understanding of this important project.

UMass Grad Aids His Native Haiti By Improving Educational Access

Take Me Home, Country Roads

This newly renovated home is an urban family's countryside retreat and will eventually become the primary residence upon the husband's and wife's retirement.

Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts, the homeowners wished to integrate their more relaxed, rural lifestyle and surroundings into the design of their new home. By adding new living spaces, including a three-season porch, library, and additional second floor bedrooms, the family can soak in the spectacular views and serenity of the surrounding landscape.

From the diamond patterning in the exterior cedar shake detailing to the Stickley furniture interiors, the husband-and-wife team showcase their passion for Arts-and-Crafts-style architecture and interior decorating.

To view more photography of this project, please view our Flickr photostream.