Eaton Announces Next Generation of Lighting Designers

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. —Power management company Eaton announced the student winners of its 41st Annual SOURCE Awards. The lighting design competition is an integral cornerstone of the company’s commitment to celebrating future lighting designers and building the pipeline of talent. Nine awards were presented to university students from across the United States. The winners, including overall student winner Laura Blythe from Purdue University, were recognized on Monday, May 7 at LIGHTFAIR® International 2018 in Chicago.

The annual competition, which began in 1977, focuses on furthering the understanding, knowledge, and function of lighting as a primary element in design and requires the predominant use of lighting and controls products from Eaton’s lighting solutions. This year, the SOURCE Awards focused on inspiring and encouraging the next generation, as the submissions were open to students using Eaton’s lighting fixtures and controls products in a conceptual interior or exterior lighting design. SOURCE Awards entries are judged on the blending of aesthetics and creative achievement while meeting project constraints and design concept goals.

“The future of lighting depends on the next generation of designers. Our awards program is designed to give students the opportunity to apply their creative thinking and education to achieve real-world experience,” said Kraig Kasler, president, Eaton’s Lighting Division. “We are committed to nurturing future lighting professionals and look forward to seeing how the talented winners of this year’s competition will impact the lighting industry.”

Eaton’s 2018 SOURCE Award winners include:

Winner:

• Laura Blythe from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, for her conceptual lighting design of a remodeled barn serving as a contemporary design studio, titled Eclipse Studios, which uses a sustainable and energy-efficient lighting design. Blythe was under the instruction of Kevin Woolley, Ph.D., assistant professor of Interior Design in the Department of Art and Design at Purdue University.

Honorable Mentions:

• Hannah Bulow, also from Purdue University, for her conceptual lighting design firm project, titled Dynamic Design Firm. Bulow was under the instruction of Woolley.
• Ally Mangini, from Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, for her restaurant project titled, A Cultural ‘Twist’ on Turkish Cuisine. Mangini was under the instruction of Jeanne Mercer-Ballard, M.A., associate professor in the Department of Applied Design, Interior Design program at Appalachian State University.
• Casey A. Hine, from Ringling College of Art + Design, Sarasota, Florida, for his conceptual lighting design arcade project, titled Acclaim Arcade. Hine was under the instruction of Seongwoo Nam, IDEC, LEED-AP, MIES, KIA, senior advisor to the president for global initiatives, faculty interior design and office of the president at Ringling College of Art and Design.
• Savanna Vega, also from Ringling College of Art + Design, for her conceptual lighting design stress relieving facility project, titled The Infinity Room. Vega was also under the instruction of Nam.
• Gericel De Los Santos, also from Ringling College of Art + Design, for her conceptual lighting design boutique hotel project, titled The Winter Escape. De Los Santos was also under the instruction of Nam.

Award of Recognition ­ Judge’s Choice:

• Cassandra Crawford, also from Purdue University, for her conceptual interior design firm project, titled New Beginnings, Bringing Light from the Outdoors In. Crawford was also under the instruction of Woolley.

Award of Recognition ­ Sustainability:

• Mercedes Arenas, also from Purdue University, for her conceptual interior design firm project, titled Valleydate Interiors. Arenas was also under the instruction of Woolley.

Award of Recognition:

• Isabel Leon Villasmil, from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, for her conceptual building lighting design project, titled A Creative Building: Department on Architecture + Construction + Landscape Architecture. Villasmil was under the instruction of Dr. Amanda Gale, Ph.D., NCIDQ, WELL AP, LEED AP (BD+C), Assistant Professor, Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Winner Blythe received $2,000 and each of the Honorable Mention students was awarded $500. All winners received a crystal trophy and an opportunity to attend a complimentary class at The SOURCE, Eaton’s state-of-the-art lighting educational center located in Peachtree City, Georgia. The students’ instructors are also invited to attend a class.

For information about the annual SOURCE Awards competition, visit TheLightingResource.Eaton.com.