April 6, 2021 Fox Named as a Fulbright Scholar to Poland
David Fox will be breaking down walls. As a recently named Fulbright Scholar, Fox will spend a semester teaching in Poland to break down barriers in architecture curriculum.
Fox, associate professor of Architecture, will embark on his Fulbright experience at the Cracow University of Technology in spring 2022. He will take his years of experience of teaching foundational courses to Poland to help bridge the gap between two aspects of design that often are polarized: Hand drawing and digital literacy.
“Learning digital platforms must not be at the expense of traditional media such as ink, graphite and charcoal,” Fox said. “Drawing with one’s hands and eyes is a powerful asset that must adapt to the time demands that technology exerts on learning curves and now assume a new role in the creative process.”
Originally scheduled for spring 2021 but deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox will teach a radical foundation-level class in spring 2022 that combines digital, machine-built models and simulation software with freehand drawing, creating a curricular model for the revision of Cracow University’s first-year design courses.
Fox’s goal is to help students become digitally fluent in using simulation software to envision space in ways previously not possible at this early level. Hand drawing accesses the imagination by making images that represent a space, while simulation software directly engages the senses to perceive a space.
This mind-body connection is essential for today’s designer.
To develop the curriculum, Fox collaborated with administrative leaders at Cracow University, who are eager to incorporate simulation into their successful and long tradition of hand drawing. Additionally, near the university are fabrication spaces, similar to the college’s Fab Lab used every day by students in the College of Architecture and Design, so Fox also will help make connections with the Polish fabrication spaces and encourage Polish professors to seek opportunities to teach at UT to get first-hand experience in the Fab Lab.
“Ultimately, my work will be beneficial to both institutions,” Fox said.
Fox’s holistic approach to teaching foundational architecture courses, which uses his years of experience at UT in partnership with the leaders at Cracow University, will break down barriers to innovation and visual literacy across the world.
Fox served as a Fulbright Scholar to Poland in 2013, and with this additional success, nine Fulbright Scholar appointments have been achieved by faculty in the College of Architecture and Design.
The Fulbright Scholar Program is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world. The program offers more than 500 teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in more than 125 countries. Scholars are chosen based on their leadership and ability to teach, conduct research and contribute solutions for shared international concerns.
Learn more!
Read about our college’s long-running study abroad program with Cracow University.
Learn about the School of Architecture.
