Announcing our 2024-25 Graduate Scholars and Fellows

This fall, we welcome and introduce our new graduate scholars and fellows across our awards programs — recognizing promise and excellence in Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, Universal Design, and Public History.

EDWARD WAYNE BARNETT DEI SCHOLAR

The Edward Wayne Barnett Scholarship was established in spring 2020 in support of the School of Architecture’s commitment to expanding access to education and professional development, and ensuring that the learning and working environments we shape are inclusive in serving all people.

MARY-CLAIRE ERSKINE (MUEP '26)

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Eager to synthesize her passions for social and environmental justice, Mary-Claire Erskine joins the School of Architecture's Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (MUEP) program to further her knowledge in climate change adaptation and climate-driven migration. After completing a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, Mary-Claire held numerous roles in the areas of environmental justice and humanitarian aid. They include working with Mountain Justice focused on organized action against coal mining extraction and with No More Deaths, a grassroots nonprofit that that works to stop the deaths of migrants on the US-Mexico border. Mary-Claire will be mentored by faculty advisor Dr. Andrea Roberts and is a research assistant for the Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT) project led by the Institute for Engagement and Negotiation. She is also using her new GIS skills to help expand the No More Deaths migrant death map to cover the entire Southern border. 

Mary-Claire shared, “I am deeply honored to receive this scholarship. Edward Wayne Barnett’s legacy of strengthening the capacity of local community resonates with me [as] I want to spend my career working on projects that reduce the disproportionate effect of climate change on marginalized communities.” Building on her past experiences in humanitarian aid work and activism, and her skillsets in facilitation and navigating difference, Mary-Claire seeks to learn how urban planning can play a pivotal role in both mitigating and adapting to climate change disasters. “I’m excited to use the tools and skills I have built in my social justice work and to utilize them in the planning field. Collaboration with affected communities in the pursuit of equity is central to how I plan to use my urban planning degree.”

ACCESS FELLOW FOR UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Nola Timmins in the recipient of School of Architecture’s inaugural Access Fellowship for Universal Design, awarded to a student who demonstrates leadership and research interest in universal design. Established in memory of Ronald and Dorie Van Vactor, the award recognizes an incoming graduate student who is committed to making the built and natural environments accessible to all people, including those with physical disabilities. 
 

NOLA TIMMINS (M.ARCH '26)

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Nola graduated from Georgia Tech’s Bachelor of Science in Architecture program (with a minor in French) in May 2024 and joins the UVA Master of Architecture cohort this fall. As an undergraduate, she completed a research project focused on universal design that explores ways to incorporate senses other than vision into the design process. She hopes to continue her research in this area, and eventually focus on designing homes for individuals with disabilities without sacrificing spatial and experiential quality. She explained, “Creating elements to better the lives [of those with disabilities] should be the central theme of the design, as opposed to an afterthought on how to make a building meet ADA requirements.”

Nola has been an advocate for expanding access in public spaces for the blind and visually impaired. While an undergraduate she served as vice-president, and later president, of the Ramblin’ Puppy Raisers Club. This student organization raises and trains puppies for Dogs Inc. in hopes they will one day become guide dogs for visually impaired individuals or service dogs for veterans with PTSD or other disabilities. 

As part of the TEDx Youth Conference in 2020 she presented “Finding Light in the Dark,” sharing her experiences as a legally blind student navigating a design program and elaborating on the role vision plays in architecture. As she embarks on her graduate education, she shared, “I am looking forward to furthering my studies in architecture in such a welcoming and inclusive environment. During my time at UVA, I hope to gain a better understanding of universal design, as well as share its importance with others.”

PUBLIC HISTORY FELLOWS

In fall 2024, the Architectural History Department at the UVA School of Architecture established a new Public History Fellowship program. The program seeks to bring new energy and dynamism to the public experience of historic sites — from house museums and main streets to courthouse squares and former plantation landscapes — by equipping a new generation of graduate students in architectural history with the experience, knowledge, and creativity to bring often overlooked histories and multiple perspectives to life at sites across Virginia. 
 

MICHAEL BLEDSOE (MARH '26)

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Joining the Master of Architectural History program this fall as an inaugural Public History Fellow, Michael Bledsoe’s interest in architectural history is directly connected to his passion for American history and a desire to study the tangible remains of historic practices and events that continue to shape the American social fabric. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in History with Honors, he focused on the history of the American South. Expanding his academic experience at that time, he also volunteered at the Panama Canal Museum as an archivist, working with historically significant artifacts and increasing the accessibility of the museum’s collection through its digital database. 

Upon moving to Virginia, Michael worked for over five years at a major nonprofit organization, Peter Paul Development Center based in Richmond, as a manager of their volunteer program. There he developed and implemented a wide range of community engagement strategies. By pursuing his graduate studies in architectural history, Michael hopes to “gain a deeper understanding of the built landscape and the practices of architectural history, and to expand public knowledge of the relevance of past events through the recognition and interpretation of surviving structures.” 

In particular, Michael looks forward to the opportunity to conduct field work at significant antebellum structures in and around Charlottesville, and to gain skills in researching buildings on-site, as a complement to archival research. He shared, “I want to drive change through research and education that brings awareness to the American South’s racial history and its ties to the built environment, in hopes of enriching the public’s understanding and contributing to a more empathic society.” 

Michael continues, “I am especially looking forward to the Public History Fellowship and the opportunity to partner with one of Virginia’s many compelling historic sites to engage the public with its history. I am excited to apply what I learn about architectural history practices to conduct meaningful investigations in the field and promote historic preservation.”


MICHAEL S. PHILLIPS (MARH '26)

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With a background as a scholar and curator working with many institutions and collections, Michael S. Phillips seeks to advance his research interest in Virginia material culture, the built environment, and cultural landscapes through his studies at the UVA School of Architecture. His past experiences include curating the first exhibition on early Richmond furniture and material culture, interpreting collections and historic sites with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and working across historic preservation, archeology, and architectural history with Historic Germanna, to name a few.

Micheal joins the inaugural cohort of Public History Fellows and will work closely with Program Director and Professor of Architectural History Louis Nelson. He hopes to pursue research on classical architecture's role in nation-making and its involvement in the project of empire. Additionally, Michael’s interest in an interdisciplinary approach makes him excited to work with colleagues in art history and archaeology at UVA. 

Michael received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Virginia and is a native Virginian. He has served as a consultant to many museums and cultural institutions. Michael has performed collections assessments, curated exhibitions, developed programming, and given lectures and tours. Some of these organizations include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, Historic Battersea, the Decorative Arts Trust, Fraunces Tavern in New York City, and Preservation Virginia. His publications include contributions to The Magazine Antiques and The Journal of Southern History.
 

SARA WILSON (MARH '26)

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Prior to joining the Master of Architectural History program at UVA, Sara Wilson was an archaeology and laboratory technician in cultural resource management. Through this experience, Sara worked with a team that included architectural historians, was introduced to field work and nurtured a burgeoning interest in the field of architectural history. Her past professional and academic experiences have been tied to the study of places through a variety of methodologies, from photographic documentation and architectural surveys to non-invasive archeological techniques. 

Sara received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with High Honors from Davidson College where she completed an honors thesis titled “Critical Race Theory and Human Osteology: Problems of Racism and Colonialism in Biological Anthropology.”  In college, she was also a key member of a research team that founded a project designed to collaborate with the local community to investigate the realities and identities of the enslaved who labored on a plantation during the 19th century.

By pursuing her graduate studies in architectural history as a Public History Fellow, Sara hopes to build upon the intersections between anthropology, archeology, cultural resource management and the history of the built environment. She shared, “I am interested in applying my anthropological background relating to how the treatment and portrayal of historic sites and material culture connect collective memory to architectural history. However, since this is a discipline switch for me, I am looking forward to discovering fields of study within architectural history that are new to me!”

The School of Architecture congratulates our newest graduate scholars and fellows— Mary-Claire Erskine, Nola Timmins, Michael Bledsoe, Michael S. Phillips, and Sara Wilson.