Sandra Bernal Cordova

Sandra Bernal PhD, LEED, GA, is a lecturer at the School of Architecture since 2018 and actively joining research and projects in the School of Architecture around energy conservation, health and wellbeing, museum design and design practice. At the Department of Religious Studies and Classics at UArizona, she develops curriculum and provides instructional expertise in shifting large courses to online to avoid excessive environmental footprint and human health threads of in-person classes. Bernal is a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for Arizona, awarded for this twice as a person of the year (2017 and 2019). She collaborates with multiple organizations such as the Consulate of Mexico, Arizona Online, UArizona Mexico Initiatives, the Southern Arizona Green Business Alliance, Tucson 2030 District, Local First Arizona, and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute. Bernal's independent research and practice focus on health and the built environment, cultural implications in sustainability, online education, sustainability for museums and galleries and art curatorship. Her main focus is studying the contemporary use and advancement of architectural design exploring options to improve air quality and responsible use of natural resources. Her interest in the arid regions of the Southwest U.S. and Northwester Mexico impacts urban communities that anticipate a future increase in energy and water consumption and the effects in human health.

Courses

• PLG 497/597 Sustainable Urban Development and Design
• CLAS 300 as Instructional Specialist
• Classics 329 as Instructional Specialist (UA Main and Arizona Online)

Publications

• Bernal, S., Engineer, A., and Chalfoun, N. Implications of Natural and Mechanical Ventilation in the Exposure to Dust in Housing: Case of Study in Tucson, Arizona, US. Vivienda y Comunidades Sustentables. 4 (7) 77-91 ISSN: 2594-0198, 2020.
• Crosson, C., and Bernal, S. "The Citizen-Architect: Collaborative Solutions between the Public and Profession for Long Term Design Performance Success", 2020.
• Engineer, A., and Bernal, S., Co-Pi, 25% contribution, 2019, July, Towards a human-centered approach to art museum design. The International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design, 13(2),1-12, 2019.
• Bernal, S., Socially Constructed Narratives for Exploring the Impacts of Air Pollutant Infiltration in Built Environments. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2128028111), August 2018.
• Bernal, S., Participatory Housing Adaptive Design To Contribute A Solution Of The Harmful Effects Of Dust Indoor. The Macrotheme Review A multidisciplinary journal of global macro trends, 3 (7), July 2014.

Awards

• U.S. Green Building Council September Shero, Women in Green, 2020
• The University of Arizona Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) Fellow, 2020
• Volunteer of the Year, U.S. Green Building Council Arizona, 2017, 2019
• Darryl B. Dobras Awards, 2023