Where passion meets possibility

If you could dig deeper into any of your creative and intellectual passions, what would you explore?

For students in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, the Student-Initiated Research Grant (SIRG) program offers that very opportunity. Designed to support independent research and creative scholarship, the program provides students with up to $750 to bring their ideas to life — whether those ideas take shape as sculptural animatronics, eco-conscious materials, experimental acoustics, or imaginative forms of mapping.

The 11 projects selected for funding this year span a range of disciplines and interests, but many of them share a commitment to sustainability, sensory experience, and the human relationship with place and material. Students are rethinking how we engage with sound and space, how we can repurpose waste into functional design, and how subjective human experiences can inform architecture and art.

These projects underscore the power of research that is not only hands-on, but also deeply personal. Many of the student researchers have rooted their work in their hometowns, long-held curiosities, or personal values. Through experimentation and persistence, they’re developing new skills and perspectives — while also making discoveries that could influence everything from health and well-being to sustainable product development.

In the spotlights that follow, four Student-Initiated Research Grant recipients reflect on the goals that guide their work, the lessons they’ve learned, and the advice they have for others looking to turn big ideas into meaningful action.

Making Friends

Ben Hornyak, graduate student in creative technologies

Collaborating faculty member: Nate King, assistant professor of visual arts

What is the goal of your research project?

My goal is to expand my horizons technically and artistically by tackling my own brand of animatronics and making a series of works which feel alive. When someone thinks of animatronics, they likely think of a polished mechanical orchestra of moving parts and tiny servos – uncanny, rigid, and hyperrealistic. (A servo is a motor with a sensor or feedback element.) I aim to tackle animatronics in a less exacting, more expressive format, providing character and life. My goal is to use the lively medium of moving sculpture to explore the mundane beauty of people through spontaneous, expressive creation, and a childlike exploration of movement and mechanism.

Why is this work important? Why does it matter?

My work illustrates that you don’t need the security of perfection or polish to make something. There is value in something ramshackle and flawed. I’m building animatronics out of cheap wood and using drills and blender motors for motion. I’m drawing attention to abstract, artistic expressions of humanity and our body’s captivating mechanical nature, highlighting the beauty of everyday mundane activity.

What have you learned so far?

I’ve learned rudimentary coding and setup of servos, which is a huge bonus going forward. I’ve picked up quite a few fabrication techniques over the past few weeks while working with wood and metal. While I’ve written a few grants before, this was also the first time in a few years that I’ve done one on my own, so it was also helpful to get more experience on that front as well.

What advice do you have for other students interested in envisioning and managing their own research projects?

Apply for grants. There’s always funding for folks who look for it, and often the applicant pools are a lot smaller than you think. Applying for grants is a great way to find yourself working with other people and making discoveries which you might not have had the time or funds to do otherwise.

Mapping Small Town America

Olivia Kastor, undergraduate student in architecture

Collaborating faculty member: Madison Cook, visiting assistant professor of practice in architecture

What is the goal of your research project?

The primary goal of my research project is to challenge conventional perceptions of maps as mere 2D representations of towns and instead explore how personal qualities of a small town can be captured in a tangible way. Conventional maps reduce places to lines and squares that represent buildings, ignoring the intangible, lived experiences of inhabitants that inherently make the place what it is. I’m working on a contemporary methodology for mapping small-town America that uses drawing and modeling techniques to represent the subjective qualities of Statesville, North Carolina – my hometown and case study of investigation.

Why is this work important? Why does it matter?

My work invites a conversation of thoughtful design to a place that is often ignored by the design community: small towns. Design work in small towns is often handed off to developers and contractors, rather than to architecture firms that prioritize attention to detail, craft, and human experience. The lack of attention to personal qualities of small towns can shift the focus of a design project from user experience to financial profit, and it often results in frequent redevelopment or change of ownership. My work highlights the necessity of bringing subjective qualities of towns to the surface to inspire and inform future designs.

What have you learned so far?

I’ve learned that exploring various ways of representing the same feature helps an architect see it in a new light. I’ve discovered that it’s equally important to explore what is present and what is absent in a place in order to blend something new with what already exists. I’ve also learned that a simple conversation with an end user can reveal what is valued and needed in a place. It’s important to listen to all stakeholders in the design process.

This grant also gave me the opportunity to learn about materials through experimentation. This was my first project involving a significant amount of time in the wood shop, learning how to use everything from table saws to laser cutters. I also explored the qualities of acrylic and metal, noticing the differences between a light, transparent material and a more rustic, weathered material.

What advice do you have for other students interested in envisioning and managing their own research project?

Be confident in yourself and your personal interests. You are the driver behind what you get out of this experience. It can be daunting to go out of your comfort zone and learn a new skill or try a new technique, but that is precisely the purpose behind the SIRG grant. It provides flexibility and support to try things you have always wanted to explore, but perhaps did not have the ability to do on your own.

Advanced Molding Techniques for Mycelium Composites

Avery Gendell, graduate student in architecture

Collaborating faculty member: Jonas Hauptman, associate professor of industrial design

What is the goal of your research project?

My goal is to demonstrate the potential of mycelium-based composites (MBCs) to serve as materials for consumer product applications. Mycelium, the root-like body of mushrooms, can grow on organic materials such as sawdust and agricultural waste, binding them together to create plastic-free composite materials that are fully biodegradable and compostable. I am exploring different methods of molding and processing MBCs in hopes of creating environmentally friendly products that are both functional and desirable to consumers.

Why is this work important? Why does it matter?

Many materials used in consumer products such as plastics, particleboard, and fiberglass are nonrenewable, nonrecyclable, and do not biodegrade. When a product breaks or becomes unnecessary to the user, it is likely destined for a landfill. It’s important that we transition toward a circular economy model – a system where materials rarely become waste. Mycelium-based composites can be highly circular and eco-friendly, and they can range in properties from foam-like to wood-like, depending on how they are produced. If properly understood and applied, MBCs could replace a wide range of unsustainable materials used in consumer products.

What have you learned so far?

I learned how to make simple and complex molds that are easy to pack with mycelium and what materials are appropriate for different mold designs and treatments. For example, 3D-printed PLA forms work well for molding less dense and more complex objects, while coated wood, metal, and reinforced concrete forms work well for molding less complex but more dense objects. (PLA is a common plastic filament used in 3D printing that is made from plant-based resources and is industrially biodegradable.) I have also learned that smaller substrates, the base material the mycelium grows on, are easier to process and mold and generally result in stronger and more desirable composites.

What advice do you have for other students interested in envisioning and managing their own research project?

Pick a topic you have a lot of personal interest in, one that excites you. Keep the focus specific to avoid the project getting too large to handle. Create a research schedule early on that builds in plenty of time for direction changes or things to go wrong, especially if it’s on a topic that is new or unfamiliar. Also, failures are normal and part of the process. Don’t get discouraged when things go wrong; you often learn more from failures than from successes, and learning is what research is all about.

Exploring the Restorative Potential of Indoor Acoustic Environments Through Real-Time Auralization

Megan Wysocki, graduate student in architecture

Collaborating faculty member: Alaa Algargoosh, assistant professor of architecture

What is the goal of your research project?

Real-time auralization involves capturing the acoustic characteristics of a space and allowing individuals to experience the room’s acoustics in a virtual or augmented environment. My research explores the impact of real-time auralization on attention restoration (regaining focus), asking if interaction with an acoustic environment provides a greater restorative advantage, which enhances health, well-being, productivity, and focus.

Why is this work important? Why does it matter?

My research will contribute to evidence-based design guidelines for creating restorative indoor environments. The conclusions of this experiment could shape design parameters for improving indoor acoustics that enhance well-being and productivity through architectural design. Further studies could explore how acoustic environments could provide a coping mechanism for neurodivergent populations such as individuals with ADHD, given its potential to enhance attention and focus, as well as offering as a therapeutic tool for people with cancer to reduce stress and enhance well-being.

What have you learned so far?

I have learned more about the acoustic impact in architecture, theories, the research process, and protocol in general. This research experience has taught me how to apply theories to design parameters. I am so grateful for the guidance from Assistant Professor Alaa Algargoosh and the introduction she has given me to architectural acoustics and research.

What advice do you have for other students interested in envisioning and managing their own research project?

My advice is to research something you are passionate about, something you want to dig a little deeper into. It’s important to remember your educational background and skills and be confident in what you do know. Architecture school has the power to shape you as a person. It revealed to me the resilience, passion, and determination necessary to be able to complete a research project. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance from the faculty; they are a wealth of knowledge and advice.

Other projects

Additional Student-Initiated Research Grant projects funded by the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design are:

• Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design Project; Efe Akusu, graduate student in creative technologies; collaborating faculty member is Meredith Drum, associate professor of visual arts
• Biomimicry in Architecture Using Algae-Based Material Composites to Create a Building Skin; Hasti Bhayani, graduate student in architecture; collaborating faculty member is James Jones, professor of architecture
• A “Museum in Exile”: Restoring the Mariupol Theater in Occupied Ukraine; Michael Cavicchio, undergraduate student in architecture; collaborating faculty member is Bryan Green, visiting associate professor of practice in architecture
• Urban Water Management in New Orleans Through Ecological Methodologies; Sarah Gates, undergraduate student in architecture; collaborating faculty member is Sharóne Tomer, associate professor of architecture
• A Broken House: An Architectural Installation about Homesickness and Memory; Camila Mancilla, graduate student in architecture; collaborating faculty member is Paul Emmons, the Patrick and Nancy Lathrop Professor in Architecture Chair
• Kinetic Facade Design Utilizing Polarization Technology for Indoor Light Control; Julia Rocha, undergraduate student in architecture; collaborating faculty member is Sida Dai, assistant professor of architecture

Written by Ashley Falat, a junior communications major