EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Two Eastern Michigan University interior design students have secured the top three for the sixth consecutive year in the 16th annual National CET Student Rendering Awards, earning second- and third-place honors. The awards are sponsored by Configura, a major Swedish software company. 

Avianne Cole and Autumn O'Halloran, seniors in the interior design program, were recognized for their rendering skills and creativity. Cole’s rendering depicted a University Multicultural Center, while O’Halloran featured a redesign of EMU’s Roosevelt Hall. Former EMU interior design student Jenneken Buschur took first place and created her rendering in Diane Guevara’s IDES 310 Studio 5 class. Buschur recently transferred to Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

“When I teach interior design and a challenge presents itself, I seek any way possible to help my students feel successful,” Diane Guevara, professor and program coordinator of the Interior Design program said. In addition to teaching, Guevara’s research focuses on spatial presence within virtual reality, and she enjoys hiring EMU students to assist with the research.

Students used CET Designer, a highly visual and intuitive space-planning software that simplifies the specification and selling of products in various industries. With the assistance of Guevara, the interior design students implement the software to design and create building spaces, in the end, creating a virtual reality view that is brought into a virtual reality headset.

“I’d like to thank Configura for having a CET student rendering category and Doctor Diane for teaching us CET and always pushing our creativity,” said Cole.

Cole and O’Halloran were recognized at the virtual awards ceremony on October 11, 2023. 

To learn more about the Interior Design program, visit the website. 

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.