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SERVICE LEARNING COURSE TO CONSTRUCT CHILDREN’S LIBRARY by Amy Milgrub Marshall , Writer/Editor, College of Arts & Architecture
AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2001
Penn State students, faculty, and alumni will work together with American Indians during an innovative service learning project this summer on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana. The group will spend several weeks on the reservation in July, helping the community to build a children's library on the Dull Knife Memorial Tribal College campus. Led by Architectural Engineering faculty member David Riley, along with School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture faculty Scott Wing and Michael Rios, the trip is a component of a three-part course that explores how sustainable building methods, including strawbale construction, can help improve the poor living conditions on American Indian reservations. The course, titled “Community-Built Sustainable Housing,” is part of the American Indian Housing Initiative, which Riley helped started in 1999 while a faculty member at the University of Washington. When he joined the Penn State faculty in January 2001, he decided to join forces between the two universities to develop the initiative further. University of Washington students and faculty are collaborating with the Penn State contingent on architectural designs and will participate in the building project this summer in Montana. One goal of the American Indian Housing Initiative is to help American Indians take advantage of their natural resources, such as straw. Strawbale construction uses bales of straw-normally a waste product of grain production-to build a structure's walls. Those walls are then plastered with stucco, creating a highly energy efficient building that is more affordable than traditional wood-framed structures. “Wood-framing and carpentry can be intimidating,” says Riley. “Straw and stucco are easier to work with, so people feel more comfortable participating in the building process,” he adds. The benefits of strawbale construction are one of the topics discussed during the first part of the three-credit course. During the spring 2002 semester, the class meets once a week to address other topics such as American Indian culture, participatory design, and cross-cultural interaction. This summer, the students and their instructors will travel to Montana for a two-week stay, when they will work with the American Indians to build the library. Penn State alumni are invited to get involved by participating in the trip or by making a donation (see details below) to support this unique educational experience. In the final part of the course, in fall 2002, the students will make recommendations for future research on housing programs for American Indian tribes in the Northern Plains. Although the actual building will be completed over the summer, the fall semester's work is just as important, says Rios, an associate professor of architecture and landscape architecture and director of the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance. “Service learning often does not have a reflective component-students do the project and that's it,” he says. “The fall semester will allow the students to reflect on what they've learned and accomplished,” he adds. Collaboration among the Northern Cheyenne Indians, the University of Washington, and Penn State is another important component of the course. Penn State's Raymond A. Bowers Program for Excellence in the Design and Construction of the Built Environment, which provided start-up funds for this American Indian Housing Prof. David Riley helps lead hands-on experiences for students Initiative, was created in 1994 by architectural engineering alumnus Raymond Bowers to foster collaboration between the departments of Architectural Engineering, Architecture,. According to Wing, the faculty involved in the American Indian Housing Initiative believe strongly in collaboration. "In our professional lives, we've all seen how important it is," he says. According to Riley, the collaborative aspect of the project appeals to the American Indians because it represents more than a “Band-Aid solution” to their housing problems. “If we work together to build a community building, such as a library, we can build a trusting relationship with the reservation community,” he explains. For the Penn State community, the goal is to raise awareness of service learning. “Our ultimate goal is for service learning to be recognized as an effective teaching tool,” says Riley. The American Indian Housing Initiative is supported by several Penn State partners, including the Schreyer Honors College, the Penn State Alumni Association, the Rock Ethics Institute, the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance, the Kellogg Leadership for Institutional Change (LINC) Initiative, and the College of Engineering's Leonard Center. The Red Feather Development Group, a national non-profit housing and community development organization, serves as liaison between Penn State and the American Indians. Alumni are invited to participate in the trip to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (cost is $1,100 for one week, including education materials, meals, and modest accommodations), sponsor a student for $200, or make a donation. For more information, visit: http://www.engr.psu.edu/greenbuild .

SERVICE LEARNING COURSE TO
CONSTRUCT CHILDREN’S LIBRARY

by Amy Milgrub Marshall , Writer/Editor, College of Arts & Architecture

AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2001

Penn State students, faculty, and alumni will work together with American Indians during an innovative service learning project this summer on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana. The group will spend several weeks on the reservation in July, helping the community to build a children's library on the Dull Knife Memorial Tribal College campus.

Led by Architectural Engineering faculty member David Riley, along with School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture faculty Scott Wing and Michael Rios, the trip is a component of a three-part course that explores how sustainable building methods, including strawbale construction, can help improve the poor living conditions on American Indian reservations. The course, titled “Community-Built Sustainable Housing,” is part of the American Indian Housing Initiative, which Riley helped started in 1999 while a faculty member at the University of Washington. When he joined the Penn State faculty in January 2001, he decided to join forces between the two universities to develop the initiative further. University of Washington students and faculty are collaborating with the Penn State contingent on architectural designs and will participate in the building project this summer in Montana.

One goal of the American Indian Housing Initiative is to help American Indians take advantage of their natural resources, such as straw. Strawbale construction uses bales of straw-normally a waste product of grain production-to build a structure's walls. Those walls are then plastered with stucco, creating a highly energy efficient building that is more affordable than traditional wood-framed structures. “Wood-framing and carpentry can be intimidating,” says Riley. “Straw and stucco are easier to work with, so people feel more comfortable participating in the building process,” he adds.

The benefits of strawbale construction are one of the topics discussed during the first part of the three-credit course. During the spring 2002 semester, the class meets once a week to address other topics such as American Indian culture, participatory design, and cross-cultural interaction. This summer, the students and their instructors will travel to Montana for a two-week stay, when they will work with the American Indians to build the library. Penn State alumni are invited to get involved by participating in the trip or by making a donation (see details below) to support this unique educational experience. In the final part of the course, in fall 2002, the students will make recommendations for future research on housing programs for American Indian tribes in the Northern Plains.

Although the actual building will be completed over the summer, the fall semester's work is just as important, says Rios, an associate professor of architecture and landscape architecture and director of the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance. “Service learning often does not have a reflective component-students do the project and that's it,” he says. “The fall semester will allow the students to reflect on what they've learned and accomplished,” he adds.

Collaboration among the Northern Cheyenne Indians, the University of Washington, and Penn State is another important component of the course. Penn State's Raymond A. Bowers Program for Excellence in the Design and Construction of the Built Environment, which provided start-up funds for this American Indian Housing

Prof. David Riley helps lead hands-on
experiences for students

Initiative, was created in 1994 by architectural engineering alumnus Raymond Bowers to foster collaboration between the departments of Architectural Engineering, Architecture,. According to Wing, the faculty involved in the American Indian Housing Initiative believe strongly in collaboration. "In our professional lives, we've all seen how important it is," he says.

According to Riley, the collaborative aspect of the project appeals to the American Indians because it represents more than a “Band-Aid solution” to their housing problems. “If we work together to build a community building, such as a library, we can build a trusting relationship with the reservation community,” he explains. For the Penn State community, the goal is to raise awareness of service learning. “Our ultimate goal is for service learning to be recognized as an effective teaching tool,” says Riley.

The American Indian Housing Initiative is supported by several Penn State partners, including the Schreyer Honors College, the Penn State Alumni Association, the Rock Ethics Institute, the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance, the Kellogg Leadership for Institutional Change (LINC) Initiative, and the College of Engineering's Leonard Center. The Red Feather Development Group, a national non-profit housing and community development organization, serves as liaison between Penn State and the American Indians.

Alumni are invited to participate in the trip to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (cost is $1,100 for one week, including education materials, meals, and modest accommodations), sponsor a student for $200, or make a donation.

For more information, visit: http://www.engr.psu.edu/greenbuild .

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