man's business here is know for the sake of living, not to live for the sake of knowing.
like most post-secondary academics, i received little formal training in matters of education. however, i do have a position regarding it. my long years as a student coupled with my diverse interests exposed me to a wide range of educational techniques, some more effective than others. in addition, my experiences of teaching at three different universities have made an important contribution to the development of my credo regarding education in general, and design education in particular.
my set of values concerning research is related to my education. i was not educated as a researcher in the conventional sense. i was educated as a designer. consequently, i use the design activity to "pull inquiry" beyond its conventional paths. this practice is not without precedent. for example, the design of herman miller's aeron chair produced 25 patents. 25 patents did not produce the aeron chair. this approach results in research efforts that are "ends driven". a real world application is always at the heart of my research initiatives.
i do not see research as separate from or a substitute for education. it is simply another form of learning. it may not occur in the classroom but it is vital to keeping the classroom information current, accurate, and vital. it can have a major role to play in affecting positive, meaningful changes for the public at large. i believe it is important for students to participate in research activities, both undergraduates and graduates alike. aside from being an important learning opportunity for the students, i find it an equally stimulating learning situation for myself. the students provide new perspectives, fresh ideas, and inspiring convictions, affecting my research in unforeseen and wonderful ways.
the primary theme of my research concerns sustainable design issues in the built environment. rather than focus on developing a narrow research focus, as is the norm in academia, i am pursuing this line of inquiry on a number of different levels, all mutually reinforcing a central but constantly evolving theme related to ecological design. at its most fundamental philosophical level, i am investigating notions of ethics and aesthetics as they pertain to the relationship between built and natural environments. on a design level, i generate prototypes to test new technologies or express new values. i also evaluate existing designs in terms of their environmental impacts. on a pedagogical level, i have been researching the changing state of environmental design education in north america, including new educational approaches for affecting ethical behaviors. these efforts have resulted in a number of papers.
finally, i am interested in doing research that has a moral agenda as much as a pragmatic one. i would like to make a difference through all of my academic endeavors. this leads to the last of my positions, that of service.