Assistant Professor of Architecture Ming Hu will spend this semester studying net zero renovation strategies in Europe’s Nordic Region as part of the Fulbright Finland Foundation. Hu, awarded the grant by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, is one of 14 U.S. practitioners and scholars selected for the Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to lecture, conduct research, study or teach in Finland during the academic year 2020-21.
“Ming’s research in the area of net-zero design has elevated the pedagogical and scholarly efforts of the school significantly, connecting to colleagues and projects across the campus,” said Interim Dean Donald Linebaugh. “She is a rising star among our faculty, and we are thrilled that she has this opportunity.”
Hu joins the Transnational Research Group at Tampere University to investigate carbon neutrality in the EU and specifically Nordic buildings, comparing design and construction approaches between the USA and Nordic regions. The research project will be integrated with a proposed course to investigate the difference between the practical renovation strategies to achieve net zero energy (NZE) goal in both regions.
Since 1949, the Fulbright Finland Foundation has funded the exchange of nearly 6,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals between the U.S. and Finland. Participants specialize in the arts, sciences and society, and benefit from collaborative experiences with their trans-Atlantic counterparts.
Hu teaches technology courses focused on the integration of architectural design with structural materials and building performance assessment. Her research focuses on high-performance building design and lifecycle assessment at the intersection of energy, human health and environmental impact. Her new book, Smart Technologies and Design for Healthy Built Environment, explores how the sustainable building movement is ripe to address an emerging facet of green building design: one that is good for a person’s physical, biological, physiological and psychological health.
Meet the 2020-21 class of U.S. Fulbright Grantees in Finland on their website.