Johnson College

Johnson College will be offering a course on Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software beginning in February 2010. The course will cover the basics of Revit® Architecture and the concepts of Building Information Modeling. Students will be introduced to the tools for parametric building design and documentation.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to understand the benefits of Building Information Modeling, use the fundamental features of Revit® Architecture, use parametric 3D design tools to design projects, create detailing and drafting views, and use the presentation tools for presenting models.

This is a forty hour program that will take place over ten weeks. Classes will meet on Tuesdays from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. beginning February 2, 2010.

Tuition is $850.00 per person or $795.00 for Johnson College alumni.

No prior experience with computer-aided design (CAD) is necessary. However, students should have experience with architectural design, drafting, and/or engineering.

To register for this course, please contact Stephanie Henkin, Administrative Assistant, Johnson College Department of Continuing Education, at (570) 702-8979 or shenkin@johnson.edu.

Architectural Drafting and Design Technology students participated in multiple community service projects prior to the end of their semester at Johnson College. They created a bike rack design for the County of Lackawanna Transit System, and drafted a design for a portable bar for the Scranton Cultural Center, which will be built in the upcoming Fall 2009 semester by Johnson College’s Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology students. As a final community project, they decided to aid another member of the Scranton community, Rabbi Benny Rapoport, Director of the Jewish Discovery Center in Clarks Summit.

Rapoport requested that the students create a schematic and space planning design that he could present to his community, board members, and potential donors in order to raise awareness and generate community support for a Jewish Visitors Center for travelers and tourists passing through Scranton and Northeastern PA. The plans include, but are not limited to, a dining room, multiple hospitality suites, a state of the art theater, and a youth activity center. Once the designs are approved by the community, Rapoport can then take the drawings to an architectural firm to present what he would like. Rapoport has his eye on a couple of locations in the Abingtons, but a single place has not been solidified.

“If it’s something we can do, we like to contribute,” said John DeAngelis, Chairperson of Architectural Drafting & Design Technology, “It was fun to put it together. It’s a planning and fundraising tool for them.”

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Judges include Bill Jones, from the Palumbo Group, Ron Moskalczak, owner of Imagina Graphics, and Dennis Wargo, an alumnus of Johnson College in 1957 and a former Johnson College Instructor. Also judging were Johnson College alumni: Valerie Widaman, from KBA Engineering, Heath Middaugh, from GPI Engineering, and Don Baron, from CEE Group.

The ten students’ design portfolios were judged on a scale of 1 to 10 with the highest total score winning 1^st place.

The purpose of the contest is to encourage students to produce work they can be proud of throughout their career. Though, according to student, Matthew Sinbaldi from Clarks Summit, you win “bragging rights,” the true prize is a sense of accomplishment and an award that may make a difference on a resume.

Barron said, “The [students] every year are getting better and better. [The contest] helps them follow direction and see that there’s a way to do things instead of their own way. It shows a progression of where they started and where they’re finishing.”

Chairperson of Architectural Drafting and Design Technology, John DeAngelis, challenged each senior at the beginning of the year to recreate Albrecht Dürer’s 1498 woodcut illustration Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to teach them to be detail oriented and keep a sharp pencil.

Chris Garges, Warren Center, received honorable mention, Barbara Tibus, West Wyoming, received 3^rd place, Chris Arndt, Scranton, received 2^nd place, and Michael Kornhoff, Dingmans Ferry, received 1^st place.

Kornhoff said of his win, “I think anybody in the class could have won… Actually it’s the mark of a good teacher to take a bunch of [us] and turn [us] into good students.”

Left to Right: John DeAngelis, Architectural Drafting and Design Technology Chairperson, Chris Arndt of Scranton, Michael Kornhoff of Dingmans Ferry, Chris Garges of Warren Center, Barbara Tibus of West Wyoming, and alumni and judges: Valerie Widaman, ‘06 from KBA Engineering, and Heath Middaugh, ‘07 from GPI Engineering

A student’s replication of Albrecht Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Judges evaluate the students’ work.

From back to front, left to right: Dennis Wargo, Bill Jones, Don Baron, Valerie Widaman, Ron Moskalczak

Former Johnson College Instructor, Dennis Wargo, gives a final inspection of a portfolio.

John DeAngelis, Chairperson of Johnson College’s Architectural Drafting and Design Technology Program, was one of several judges for the Northeast Pennsylvania’s 21^st Annual Regional Bridge Building Competition on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

The event was held at the Viewmont Mall in Dickson City, PA. DeAngelis was asked by the organization to help judge the contest, which challenges high school students from regional schools to build model wooden bridges that can withstand a certain amount of pressure and weight.

DeAngelis said of the experience, “I wanted to participate because… it’s related to what we do… It’s interesting to see students who may be future engineers. They are there because they are interested.”

 DeAngelis evaluates a competitor’s work.

Finished projects are lined up for judging.

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