December 21, 2020
Meet our ARC fellow candidates for next year
These graduate students are preparing for ARC fellowships in the 2021–2020 academic year.
Alondra Garcia (M Arch / MLA)
Alondra Garcia joined the University of Washington in Fall 2020 and is pursuing a dual degree in Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, she attended NC State University and received a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture and a minor in Landscape Architecture. Alondra worked for three years at a local architecture firm that specialized in public projects concerning wellness, recreation, and civic service. Her professional experience helped strengthen her interest in sustainable design, user experience, the integration of nature and architecture, and particularly, equity and environmental justice in design. She is interested in using research methods such as observations, surveys, and experiments.
Markus Johnson (MUP)
Marcus Johnson is a first-year student pursuing a Master of Urban Planning degree. Originally from Florida, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland and his Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. His research interests include climate change adaptation in urban settings, including strategies such as biophilic design, urban nature, and green infrastructure. Marcus is also interested in researching how urban planning and design can impact racial and social justice; topics of particular interest include middle-income housing, housing typologies, and spatial and built forms of reparations.
Bobbie Koch (M Arch / MS Arch, Program in History and Theory)
Bobbie Koch is pursuing a dual degree in Master of Architecture (2-year program) and a Master of Science in Architecture, Program in History and Theory, as well as a graduate certificate in American Indian Studies. As a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota) and a first-generation Urban Indian, her research interests include community-driven, culturally-responsive architectural design and Indigenous placemaking/reclaiming within urban built environments. She will begin her M Arch thesis in Winter 2021, which will focus on designing an urban Indigenous community center in her hometown in Mni Luzahan Otonwahe (also known as Rapid City, South Dakota) through storytelling. Professionally, she has five years of experience working with urban and Tribal communities ranging from educational research to architectural design and planning. She is both honored and excited to be on this ARC fellowship journey.
Zining Cheng (MS Arch, Program in Design Computing)
Zining Cheng is a third-year student pursuing a dual degree in Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture, Program in Design Computing, as well as graduate certificates in architectural lighting design and urban design. Her thesis next year will focus on designing an affordable, low-carbon-emission healthcare center in south China using local materials, such as bamboo. She will also research how daylighting influences the outcome of patients with autism and dementia. While pursuing undergraduate degrees in Economics and Mathematics, she developed an interest in applying public health and data analysis to improve living environments. Since 2013, Zining has worked as an intern at several Chinese institutions including the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, and the Academy of Forestry Inventory and Planning (State Forestry Administration). In these internships, she researched air and water pollution within the urban areas of Beijing. Also in Beijing, she worked for The Palace Museum, a national museum housed in the Forbidden City, where she conducted architectural historic preservation. In summer 2019, in Seattle, Zining was an intern with Schacht Aslani Architects.
