Student, Faculty, Staff & Alumni Profiles

Ash Avila

Meet Ash Avila ’23 BS SBE, 2022 Transportation Research Board Minority Student Fellow

Ash Avila, a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments student from Nogales, Arizona, who will graduate in 2023, has been awarded an acclaimed Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Student Fellowship for 2022. Avila is one of 24 students selected by TRB.

Eric D. Weber

The Materials and Methods of Construction: Eric D. Weber, Associate Professor of Architecture

Associate Professor of Architecture Eric D. Weber joined the college this fall, where he is teaching Design-Build and Techne. Learn more about Eric, including his background in architecture, his construction-focused research and his advice for architecture students.

Kenneth J. Kokroko

Addressing Social and Environmental Issues: Kenneth J. Kokroko, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

Kenneth J. Kokroko, a CAPLA Master of Landscape Architecture alumnus, joined the college this fall as assistant professor of landscape architecture. Learn more about Kenneth, including his passions for community-based projects, a positive studio experience and plants.

Athba Al Radaan

Designing for the Future: Athba Al Radaan '23 B Arch

Bachelor of Architecture student Athba Al Radaan, who is from Kuwait, took advantage of remote learning due to the pandemic to participate in two informative internships in her home country. In this profile, she shares what she loves about architecture, how she's overcome challenges and more.

Lawrence G. Paull

From ‘Safeway Architecture Student’ to Oscar-Nominated Production Designer: New Scholarship Honors Lawrence G. Paull ’64 B Arch

Lawrence G. Paull '64 B Arch, who passed away in 2019, created award-winning sets for such films as Blade Runner, Back to the Future, City Slickers and Romancing the Stone. His wife Marcy Bolotin has endowed a CAPLA scholarship in his name.

Nader Chalfoun with students in Materials Lab

Inspired Energies: Celebrating Nader Chalfoun, Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Environmental Sciences

In 2020, Nader Chalfoun retired after 36 years as a beloved, innovative University of Arizona professor. This profile celebrates his work at the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.

Rachael Varin

The Future of Building: Rachael Varin '21 B Arch

B Arch student Rachael Varin, who was born and raised in Tucson, has used her CAPLA studio and design/build experience, as well as her internships in Arizona and California, to build upon her passion for construction.

Dyron Murphy

Designing for the Human Factor: Dyron Murphy ’88 B Arch

Dyron Murphy, who is from Window Rock on the Navajo Nation, learned many things as a Bachelor of Architecture student—time management, design skills, flexibility—but what he didn’t anticipate was how close his cohort would become and has since remained.

Christian Aguilar Murrieta at Park(ing) Day 2020

A Passion for Sustainable Gardening: Christian Aguilar Murrieta ’23 MLA

Master of Landscape Architecture student Christian Aguilar Murrieta is from Ciudad Constitucion, Baja California Sur, Mexico, a small city surrounded by agricultural fields and chirinolas. She moved to Tucson in 2013 after earning her undergraduate degree in sustainable tourism at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur.

Greg Veitch

Design Negotiation: Greg Veitch '23 M Arch

Greg Veitch, who is from New Haven, Connecticut, entered CAPLA's Master of Architecture program after receiving his undergraduate degree in English from the University of Connecticut. Prior to enrolling at CAPLA, he worked for two years at a design firm in Aspen, Colorado.

Seattle Public Library drawing by Robert Miller

A Form of Meditation: Robert Miller, Director, School of Architecture and Professor of Architecture

Robert Miller, who joined CAPLA in 2010 as director of the School of Architecture, is stepping down as school director in June 2022. Learn more about Miller's experience at UArizona and before, as well as his passion for drawing, insight on academic administration and more.

Emma Nakpairat

A Balanced Mindset: Emma Nakpairat '23 BLA

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Emma Nakpairat came to CAPLA and the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program in Tucson to be inspired by the Sonoran Desert—and to combine her love of the outdoors with her thirst to improve the environment in which we live.