Rice University’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and School of Engineering selected four students, Kristi Day, Caleb Brown, Nicole Garcia, and Rhodes Coffey, to participate as CCE Fellows in the program’s inaugural year. These students worked with Dr. Matthew Wettergreen of Caroline Collective and Dr. Maria Oden, Professor of Engineering Education, on a collaborative project with the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). The goals of this project were to develop custom archival solutions for pieces in the museum’s permanent collection and to establish a curriculum for a course that would be taught at Rice in the fall, adapting this multidisciplinary approach to solve other community problems. The team utilized digital workflow to enhance the exchange of ideas and to document the design process. The students gained a better understanding of business and entrepreneurship practices and investigated real-world applications of this multidisciplinary approach through the Innovation Norway course offered through Rice Alliance.
Caleb Brown
Caleb Brown is an undergraduate from Friendswood, Texas. After spending a year majoring in theatre at the University of Evansville in Indiana, Caleb transferred to Rice University to double major in bioengineering and visual and dramatic arts. Caleb has ridden motorcycles as long as he could walk. He loves fishing and spending time outdoors. Caleb is happiest when he is writing songs with his piano and guitar. As a member of the engineering design team, Caleb will be the team leader in the housing and storage project for Head of a Child, a wax sculpture created by Medardo Rosso in 1892.
Rhodes Coffey
Rhodes Coffey is currently a junior at Rice University in Houston, Texas where he is majoring in mechanical engineering. A native Texan, he is from Dallas. Rhodes has decided to spend his junior year at Rice doing community service in Argentina. In Argentina, he will be assisting at a medical clinic as well as at a local orphanage. As a member of the engineering design team, Rhodes will be the team leader in the housing and storage project for Portrait of a Gentleman, a marble bust created by the workshop of Gian-Lorenzo Bernini in the end of the 17th century.
Kristi Day
Originally from Aurora, Colorado, Kristi Day is currently a civil engineering major at Rice University in Houston, Texas. At Rice University, Kristi is very involved in student life and athletics. She plays various intramural sports including volleyball, water polo, and inner tube water polo. She also very artistic and works on the spirit committee for Hanzen College, where she paints some of the bests banners on campus, including the famed birthday banner. Kristi is also an enthusiastic member of Agape, a campus, Christian organization. As a member of the engineering design team, Kristi will be the team leader in the housing and storage project for The Bronco Buster, a bronze sculpture created by Frederic Remington.
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia is an undergraduate from El Paso, Texas. She is studying at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where she is majoring in chemical engineering. Currently, Nicole is a Cultural for Brown College. As a Cultural, she investigates the Houston area for entertaining things to do and places to go, as well as searches for the best restaurants and keeps up with local concerts. Nicole also enjoys the simple things, such as taking walks, watching movies, or just being around other people. As a member of the engineering design team, Nicole will be the team leader in the housing and storage project for History Dress #1, a paper dress created by Ginger Owen-Murakami in 2007-2008.