Broadly defined, IDRO's overall mission is to stimulate creative approaches to solving design problems. It strives to promote interdisciplinary design research, to facilitate communication with design professionals and the public, and to respond to the needs of the people of Iowa in areas associated with the design disciplines. Current focus areas include community sustainability, environmental awareness and responsiveness, implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), historic preservation, spatial analysis using geographic information systems, and nonprofit management training. Programs are organized around these areas of emphasis and expertise. Projects often are conducted collaboratively, and individual faculty may be involved in several different programs at the same time.

 

Technology Transfer and Economic Development
IDRO works with Iowa industries on projects of mutual interest. Student groups and faculty teams explore concepts for new products and new applications. When students and faculty work with business groups, local government units, citizen groups, and design professionals, they are carrying on the long tradition of Iowa State University and the College of Design in providing extension services through integrated outreach.

 

Outreach efforts both respond to the needs of the state and anticipate emerging needs in areas that are represented by the design disciplines. Design faculty work primarily in the area of applied research, exploring and developing solutions for design problems within specific contexts. The products of this research can range from problem-solving processes to bodies of information to pieces of equipment to works of art. Faculty and students have, for instance, worked in partnership with the Iowa Energy Center and supermarket owners to design display shelves with energy-efficient, built-in lighting. Other partnerships with business and industry have worked on the applications of computer-to-window treatments and recreational vehicle designs.

 

Professional Development
IDRO's professional development programs respond to the call for integration of research, theory, and practice. Programs are conducted in cooperation with the Iowa chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Planning Association (APA), and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), as well as the Iowa Architectural Foundation and the Iowa Geographic Information Council (IGIC).

 

Professional Partnerships
The college's research and outreach activities are enhanced by the network of relationships that IDRO maintains with all levels of government, professional organizations, and other departments and agencies of Iowa State University. Joint projects are pursued with such state agencies and organizations as the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED), Iowa Department of Management (IDOM), Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), Iowa Emergency Management Division (IEMD), Iowa Finance Authority (IFA), Iowa Arts Council (IAC), Iowa Energy Center (IEC), and the Iowa Transportation Center. Collaborative ventures have involved the state chapters of professional associations as well as representatives of professional design firms.

 

At the national level, IDRO has collaborated on projects funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

 

 

Tim Borich Director, Extension to Communities and Economic Development  Associate Dean, College of Design Associate Director, IDRO Associate Professor, Community & Regional Planning 126 Design (515) 294-0220 borich@iastate.edu Krishna Das Program Coordinator Nonprofit Management Academy Johnson County Extension Office 4265 Oak Crest Hill Road Iowa City, IA 52246-5824 (319) 337-2145 krdas@iastate.edu Linda Doering Secretary 126 Design (515) 294-8707 ldoering@iastate.edu Susan Erickson Lecturer Landscape Architecture PLaCE Program Coordinator 326 Design (515) 294-1790 susaneri@iastate.edu Monica Haddad Assistant Professor Extension Specialist Community & Regional Planning 583 Design (515) 294-8979 haddad@iastate.edu

Christopher Seeger Assistant Professor Landscape Architecture Extension Landscape Architect 280 Design (515) 294-3648 cjseeger@iastate.edu Gary Taylor Assistant Professor Extension Specialist Community & Regional Planning 286 Design (515) 294-2973 gtaylor@iastate.edu Lois Warme Associate Professor Extension Specialist Interior Design 278 Design (515) 294-8708 warme@iastate.edu Mary Kay Kirsner (Wilcox) Assistant Professor Landscape Architecture Community & Regional Planning 276 Design (515) 294-7734 mkwilcox@iastate.edu

Links Iowa State University Extension Iowa State University Extension to Communities and Economic Development