March 2007 -- Alejandra Hernandez, who received her Master of Architecture degree in December 2006, has won the coveted 2007 Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism.  Her thesis project for the waterfront in Valparaiso, Chile, was also awarded a thesis prize by the School in December 2006.  Ms. Hernandez’s committee included professors Tom Schumacher, Matthew Bell and Robert Dorgan.

In addition, the ARCH 700 Urban Design Studio project "Connecting the City of Water to its History," that focused on Castellamare di Stabia, was also selected for recognition at this year's CNU awards program.  Professor Matthew Bell lead the student team. 

Out of twenty projects submitted this year, only five received awards, two of which were given to students from the School.  No other architecture program has won as many CNU Charter awards as the program at the University of Maryland.  For more information regarding the CNU awards, visit www.cnu.org/awards.