Education
BS, University of Missouri, 1969
MA, University of Missouri, 1970
PhD, University of Wisconsin, 1981

Research Interests
Health, safety and welfare issues in design (especially fire safety); multi-modal sensory applications in design; environmental navigation, memory and mapping; formal design methodology; industrial design-- furnishings, lighting and tools; application of "pattern languages" to design.

Current Projects

National Incident and Injury Database Analysis. National accident and injury databases are being analyzed to assess the impact of interior components on user safety. Records from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) are being reviewed in terms of the frequency and severity of accidental injuries involving interior furnishings and materials. In a similar manner, data in the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) is being evaluated to identify the most significant interior design factors contributing to fire ignition and spread. Initial findings were presented at the 8th Annual Conference on Fire-Related Research and Developments (RE08), at the Fire Services College, Moreton-in-Marsh, UK (November, 2008). Most recently, progress was updated at the Interior Design Educators Council annual conference in Denver, CO (March, 2011).

Facilitation of Emergency Wayfinding. Research is on-going concerning the speed and efficiency of emergency egress as influenced by various components of the built environment-- formal and informal.  A paper addressing the frequently antagonistic (contradictory) relationship between conventional EXIT signs and adjacent general interior lighting was presenting at the [English] Fire Service College's 2009 Fire-Related Research and Developments conference (November, 2009). Related research is currently underway (with ISU's Paul Bruski, Graphic Design) concerning the emergency wayfinding behavior of interior firefighters and their ability to communicate useful directions to fellow firefighters outside.

Contact Information
Phone: (515) 294-4147
Email: malven@iastate.edu
Office: 283 Design

Mailing Address
Art and Design Department
146 College of Design
Ames, IA, 50011