"Is Design Research?" DCP's first of four Spring Research Seminars! | Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience

Written by DeJaya Hardy

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026, FIBER hosted its first seminar of the Spring 2026 DCP Research Seminar Series. The team has overseen a series on resilience in the the built environment in the 2025-26 academic year, and this was undoubtedly portrayed in this event. This seminar, titled From Studio to Scholarship: Design as Research Method, highlighted the role of design thinking as a critical research engine within the College of Design, Construction and Planning.

Held from 12:00–1:00 p.m. in Antevy Hall 163 and additionally broadcasted through Zoom, the panel focused on junior faculty who discussed how the design process shapes their research questions, methodologies, and the knowledge they produce. The seminar was moderated by FIBER faculty member Andrea Galinski, Assistant Professor of the Department of Landscape Architecture, with co-moderators Sarah Spayd and Desi Roch-Hernandez. The junior faculty panelists included DCP assistant professors Elizabeth Cronin (Architecture), Aishwarya Shankar (Landscape), and Nicolas Serrano (Landscape). The discussion emphasized design as a powerful tool for experimentation, exploration, and shared knowledge creation. The conversation held reinforced FIBER and the DCP’s long-standing commitment to preparing communities for a changing environment and building resilience through innovation and creative practice.

A group of people sit around a conference table in a modern meeting room, with snacks on the table and a large screen displaying a scenic image and graphs on the wall. One person is speaking while others listen attentively.

Galinski is also the FIBER Theme Lead for Education, and she got the Spring seminar series off to a strong start with this research and scholarship based symposium. The event began with introductions and framing of the conversation before moving into provocations and research practices. The round table set up of the event was very welcoming and encouraged an interactive space. The seminar overall was structured to allow for critical reflection between faculty and attendees about the evolving role of design within academic research.

One of the main takeaways from the presentation was the highlighting of design as evidence within design communication workflows, demonstrating how visual methods support each stage of the research process. The workflow contains the site analysis, design articulation and visualization stages. Designers and researchers can use these steps to move back and forth between digital and analog processes.

A group of people sit in a classroom with orange chairs, some using laptops. A large screen behind them displays the word Discussion! and names of speakers.

These are important creative production methods that transform research into tangible design outcomes, which is sure to benefit students and practitioners alike.

The conversation concluded with a discussion of key insights before the session adjourned. This symposium allowed for a lot of connection and knowledge sharing, which is sure to lead into a successful series as these panel-based discussions continue.