Document Actions
Gillem's 'America Town' lauded for scholarly excellence
The Environmental Design Research Association has selected a book by the University of Oregon's Mark L. Gillem for one of its 2008 EDRA/Places awards. Gillem was chosen for "America Town: Building the Outposts of Empire."
EUGENE, Ore. -- (April 2, 2008) -- The Environmental Design Research Association has selected a book by the University of Oregon's Mark L. Gillem for one of its 2008 EDRA/Places awards. Gillem was chosen for "America Town: Building the Outposts of Empire."
Gillem, professor of architecture and landscape architecture, is among seven winners in four categories who will be honored May 29 during EDRA's 39th annual meeting in Veracruz, Mexico. The award program recognizes professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design.
America Town, a 392-page book published in August 2007 by the University of Minnesota Press, provides an overview of U.S. military outposts around the world. It considers land-use issues, their construction and their feel-at-home environment. The bases, he argues, have become symbols of not just American power but also consumer consumption.
Gillem, an 18-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve, discussed the book in a slideshow presentation last fall before addressing NATO about his work.
EDRA and Places -- a peer reviewed journal that covers design, the arts and social sciences -- initiated the award program in 1997. This year, it includes a partnership with Metropolis Magazine, a publication that examines contemporary life through design, including architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, crafts, planning, and preservation.
Winners were chosen in four categories -- design, planning, place research and book. Entries can include aspects of other social science areas such as environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology and geography. Gillem was the only winner selected in the book category.
The UO's Kenneth L. Helphand, professor of landscape architecture, was a 2007 EDRA/Places award winner for his widely acclaimed book "Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime." Jenny Young, professor of architecture, and Eugene-based Rowell Brokaw Architects were a 2006 winner for their joint Paleo Project in Fossil, Ore.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Media Contact: Jim Barlow, Director of Science and Research Communications, 541-346-3481, jebarlow@uoregon.edu