Deborah Oakley, RA, PE
Assistant Professor
Office: 1219 | Phone: 301-405-0754 | Email
B.S., 1982, C.E. Worcester Polytechnic Institiute; M. Arch., 1992, Virginia Tech.
With a dual background of education, professional practice and licensure in the fields of civil/structural engineering and architecture, Deborah Oakley has spent her professional career working toward a synthetic expression and integration of two distinct yet intimately related fields of study. As a structural engineer, she gained wide experience in the design of a variety of structures including highway bridges, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and low- to mid-rise office buildings. Upon completing her graduate studies, as an architect she worked primarily on public-sector projects that were similarly wide in scope, ranging from facility renovations to laboratory buildings. In her own practice work she is presently engaged in the design of a 6000 S.F. private residence in the Pennsylvania foothills near Harrisburg that explores the unique structural potential of insulating concrete forms.
Deborah's teaching areas include structural technology and the graduate level Advanced Technology Studio, which she co-teaches with Professor Carl Bovill, in coordination with the ARCH 600 Comprehensive Studio. She serves on the Visual Resources Advisory Committee, is the faculty liaison for the American Institute of Architects Students (AIAS) chapter, and serves on the Path A graduate admissions committee. Her research interests presently focus on teaching pedagogy as related to the unique concerns of educating architectural students in the area of building structures. In the spring semester, 2005, she is initiating a new course that for the first time will involve students and faculty from the Art Department in an interdisciplinary course with architecture students. The new class will explore structure as a sculptural art form and will focus on hands-on studio-type projects based on fundamental structural principles.
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland, Deborah taught at the School of Architecture and Design at Philadelphia University, where she taught and coordinated courses in building structures, construction technology and computer-aided design. Her outside interests include, fine art, architectural photography, acoustic/classical guitar and martial arts (Karate and Aikido).