Sources: Neal Hubbell, 785-532-5992, nhubbel@k-state.edu;
and Diane Potts, 785-532-1090, potts@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, mayes@k-state.edu

Thursday, May 21, 2009

K-STATE STUDENT RECOGNIZED FOR CREATIVE LIGHT FIXTURE DESIGN

MANHATTAN -- Ali Johnson, Topeka, a May 2009 master of interior architecture and product design graduate from Kansas State University, has received a citation for her presentation in the Robert Bruce Thompson Charitable Trust 2009 Student Light Fixture Design Competition.

Her project was one of five out of the 163 entries in the competition that received special recognition. Her prize included a plaque and a $500 cash award.

For the competition, participants had to create light fixture for the fitting rooms of a national retail clothing chain. The lighting was to flatter both the clothes and the customer. The students' design solutions could be mounted on the wall or the ceiling, were to take aesthetics, color rendering, glare and maintenance into consideration, and had to use energy-efficient, long-life lamps.

Johnson was recognized for her design "Wrapped," that consisted of a glowing translucent wall backlit with light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. A graphic description of her project is available online at: http://www.capd.ksu.edu/gallery/news/2009-annual-student-light-fixture-design-competition/

The annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition is administered by the Robert Bruce Thompson Charitable Trust of San Francisco. The trust was established to encourage the study of light fixture design. Competition entrants must be full-time students majoring in architectural engineering, architecture, interior design, theater or industrial design and must be enrolled in accredited degree programs in the U.S.