CROWNPOINT, NM – On Thursday, April 26, 2018, Navajo Technical University’s Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree program in Building Information Modeling (BIM) will host an open house to celebrate a year of achievement that was highlighted by an articulation agreement developed with the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) School of Architecture and Planning. The agreement allows NTU students to transfer into UNM’s Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Planning and Design (B.A.E.P.D.) program after graduating with a degree in BIM.
“The articulation agreement allows us to provide current and incoming students the accessibility to begin their higher educational career in a two-year program and advance into a four-year program,” explained BIM program director Elisha Wortham. “I am truly excited to continue building and supporting the capacity of this joint endeavor. I can only imagine great things unfolding for my students, both institutions, and furthermore, the reservation.”
The open house will begin at 2:00 PM with a welcome by Wortham, who will discuss the significance of the articulation agreement as well as introduce her students. Following the introductions BIM candidates Elberta Largo, Wacey Martin, and Johnny Yellowhair will present their semester research projects on applied technology and its application to Navajo architecture and planning. The students will also present virtual reality capacity by optimizing collected point cloud data of Chaco Canyon, the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Mission Church in Zuni, NM, and NTU’s Registrar’s building in Crownpoint.
NTU has been working on the articulation agreement with UNM for the past five years, and received its final signatures in December of 2017. The agreement was developed around a 2 + 2 framework that articulated a course of study recognized as equivalent to a course sequence required by the B.A.E.P.D. program at UNM.
In addition to the articulation agreement, the collaboration with UNM is expected to lead toward long-term joint projects with UNM’s School of Architecture and Planning’s Indigenous Design and Planning Institute. The two institutions will work closely with local tribal organizations and entities in utilizing laser scanning technology and various software methods in documenting indigenous architectural structures throughout New Mexico. The effort will be for purposes of historic preservation, but also to display the scanned structures at an Indigenous architecture exhibit launching at the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM in 2020.
NTU offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in BIM that requires 69 credits to graduate. The goal of the program is to advance students with a flexible knowledge in the areas of architecture, management, technical skills, sustainable products and rural architecture. Areas of study include: architectural drafting, building codes, 2D and 3D modeling, construction management, and laser scanning.
For more information about Navajo Technical University’s Building Information Modeling program, please contact Elisha Wortham at [email protected] or by calling 505.786.4100.