Design students learn from public service engagement

The creativity of University of Georgia students provides vitality to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s partnership with military installations – as well as a fresh take on existing infrastructure that will help guide future use.

In spring 2025, 15 interior design students in the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art were tasked with reimagining a historic gas station at Fort Benning into a workspace for architects and an archaeology lab. Students also designed an exhibition space for artifacts discovered on the installation.  

The experiential learning opportunity complemented class instruction, said Catherine Trugman, UGA interior design faculty.  In addition to classroom instruction, students took a field trip to Fort Benning and had regular check-ins with installation leaders.

“The core part of professional practice is knowing how to communicate with clients, conduct research, review case studies and present them, and seek feedback. That’s not something students often get in a usual academic setting,” she said.

Carson Willcox, a third-year interior design major, appreciated the real-life training.

“I didn’t know we’d be doing anything like this in my four years here, and once we got to do it, it added so much to the semester. I think it made us more excited about the project because we felt like we were doing the work that we’re studying for,” she said.

Continue reading...

Image: Third-year interior design students from the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. (Photos by Sara Ingram, UGA)