MAPP News
Student Team “Cements” Win in National Design Competition
The design for a Southern California fire station that doubles down on its civic duty blazed a trail to victory this week in the 2025 Concrete Masonry Student Competition. University of Maryland architecture graduate students Alvaro Nunez ‘26 and Wenjie Zhuang ‘26 scorched the competition with Underhill—Encitas Fire Station #01, to take honorable mention in the national contest, sponsored by the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ASCA).View Article Details for Student Team “Cements” Win in National Design Competition 
A Life at the Museum
This story was originally published in Terp Magazine, written by Sala Levin '10.Cleaning the 11-ton, 13-foot taxidermy pachyderm that welcomes visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History isn’t a job for your average garden hose—or even a pressure washer.View Article Details for A Life at the Museum Juan Luis Burke Promoted with Tenure to Associate Professor Open configuration options
Dr. Juan Luis Burke has been promoted with tenure to Associate Professor of Architecture by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.View Article Details for Juan Luis Burke Promoted with Tenure to Associate Professor Open configuration options Joseph Williams Promoted with Tenure to Associate Professor
Dr. Joseph Williams has been promoted with tenure to Associate Professor of Architecture by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.View Article Details for Joseph Williams Promoted with Tenure to Associate Professor 
The “Art” of Building an Idea
To develop an idea for his final graduate school project 25 years ago, Architecture Clinical Professor Michael Abrams didn’t draw inspiration from his favorite architects: He riffed off his passion for music.View Article Details for The “Art” of Building an Idea 
Finding Friendship in Warm Waters
A conversation with a stranger—in the checkout line, riding a quiet elevator or waiting for class to start—can spark a human connection that brightens an otherwise ordinary day. Yuval Zohar ’08 has had plenty, with one distinction: He’s usually naked. In these cases, he has disrobed and descended into the mineral-rich, blistering pools found in Japanese onsen: hot-spring bathhouses fueled by the country’s highly volcanic landscape that for centuries have been a source of community, healing and friendship.View Article Details for Finding Friendship in Warm Waters