Student Profiles
– "I love cities, I want to learn how they can work for everyone"
– Inter-cultural student takes a look at continuous urban planning
– Can Paris be a kitchen garden?
– Sustainable design in a modern French architecture firm
– Integrating a housing project into a community in the Paris suburbs
(See overview page for important information on profiles and lists.)
I love cities, I want to learn how they can work for everyone |
| Name: Cathy L. Undergraduate major field(s): Economics, Geography with special focus on urban ecology Goals for her Paris Field Study semester: Build on introductory knowledge of urban geography and public finance, and develop comparative perspectives on urban public policy. Placement: APUR (City of Paris center for the analysis of urban and social change and urban policies ) Responsibilities as intern: – Exploit unique database of thermographic data for all Paris buildings. – Research on all existing incentive measures in favor of insulation and energy conservation. – Establish fact sheets on available building technologies, their costs and effectiveness. – Disseminate findings and sensitize actors. Subject of research: Cost-effectiveness of measures to promote energy efficiency in Paris buildings. And... As a year-long student in the French Field Studies program (with Sciences Po), Cathy went on to an IFE internship with Urban Affairs of the Ministry for Ecology, where she worked to improve economic conditions in disadvantaged urban districts. |
Inter-cultural student takes a look at continuous urban planning |
| Name: Isabel R. Undergraduate major field(s): Romance Languages, Cross-Cultural Studies Goals for her Paris Field Study semester: Improve French skills but also understand French society, see what it is to work in French culture. Placement: Le Pavillon de l’Arsenal (information and exhibition center for urbanism and architecture in Paris and its region) Responsibilities as intern: – Solely responsible for preparation of daily press review for internal and external use. – Assist in preparations for coming exhibits. – Manage database renewal project. – Translate correspondance to and from English, French, Spanish. Subject of research: A Urban Site in Perpetual Change: Paris’ Les Halles district today and tomorrow And... As the product of a bi-cultural background, Isabel accomplished her goal of adding another cultural perspective. And also to returning to campus to take up duties as a (highly-skilled) French Teaching Assistant. |
Can Paris be a kitchen garden? |
| Name: Ariel D. Undergraduate major field(s): Environmental Studies Goals for her Field Study semester: To learn about French approaches to issues of urban food access, nutrition, local food, preserving food traditions, and/or urban gardening. Placement: Inter-disciplinary collective for urban development and social architecture Responsibilities as intern: – Develop and construct a model for a reproducible vertical garden module – Translate publication on eco-social education in Europe – Design a window display on urban gardening – Conduct research on greening urban spaces Subject of research: Can Paris be a Kitchen Garden?: Analysis of agricultural potential of two underutilized sites And... Ariel continues to work for environmental justice and urban spaces, having managed a Farm to Families site in Philadelphia and contributed articles on urban ecology to the blog Hidden City Philadelphia. |
Sustainable design in a modern French architecture firm |
| Name: Caroline S. Undergraduate major field(s): French, History of Art & Architecture Goals for her Field Study semester: To work in a French architecture firm, building on current knowledge of architectural design, to make a meaningful contribution to the firm Placement: Leading French architecture firm Responsibilities as intern: – Participate in the creation of models for projects in Metz and Bordeaux – Help in finishing a submission for a large competition; work extensively creating plans and models with the software AutoCAD – Organize the archives of the firm’s projects dating back several years Subject of research: How will Christian de Portzampac Reconcile his Sculptural Architectural Style with HQE and LEED Norms for Green Buildings? And... Caroline has kept in touch with the architect Christian de Portzampac, for whom she worked. |
Integrating a housing project into a community in the Paris suburbs |
| Name: Norabelle G. Undergraduate major field(s): Architecture and Urbanism, French Studies Goals for her Field Study semester: To learn about different aspects of the field of urbanism and gain experience in a French workplace Placement: Urban planning organization focusing on urban renewal in Paris suburbs Responsibilities as intern: – Conduct a study (normally part of a master’s program) essential to the organization – Create a reference document on the redevelopment of a square in a housing project in the town of Romainville – Complete theoretical reading on subject of urban renewal and conduct field research to collect data on usage of public space in the housing project – Participate in team meetings, present findings to director of the organization. Subject of research: A study of urban renewal and redevelopment of a housing project in a town in the Paris suburbs And... Norabelle’s internship was a big step on her path in the field of urbanism; she completed her master’s degree in Urban studies at Colombia university, where she traveled to Chile to participate a study of low-income housing Santiago |
