The Auburn University chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) received three awards including the Community Service Honor Award and Chapter President Honorable Mention Award at the AIAS 2007 National Honors Awards held at the Grassroots leadership conference in Washington, D.C.

Senior Anna Bevill was awarded an Honorable Mention award for her work as chapter president, while the chapter’s fifth grade architecture project won the Community Service Honor Award. The Auburn AIAS chapter also received Honorable Mention in the Chapter Honor Award category.

Auburn has the largest AIAS chapter in the country with more than 200 members. This year marks the third consecutive year the Auburn chapter has earned honors in the AIAS national awards program.

“This tradition of winning national awards illustrates that our AIAS chapter has outstanding leadership and a solid commitment to service,” David Hinson, School of Architecture Head and AIAS Chapter Advisor, said. “Our AIAS chapter is known across the country as one of the best student organizations to be found in any architecture program.”

Bevill, a senior from Houston, Texas, is earning a dual degree in architecture and interior architecture and received the award in the Chapter President Honor Award category of the event. Bevill was instrumental in organizing the Auburn AIAS Internship Fair that featured a record number of 58 firms on campus to interview students. Bevill also led the chapter’s efforts to host the AIAS South Quad Conference, the annual Pumpkin Carve and the chapter’s collaboration with Auburn area fifth grade students.

The chapter earned the Community Service Honor Award for their work with the Auburn City Schools in the fall of 2006. The project allowed 40 architecture students to share their experiences as students with children in each fifth grade class in the Auburn community. As a result, the children were exposed to an understanding of the built environment and the rewards of working in the field of architecture.

Due, in part, to the Auburn chapter’s work with area fifth graders the chapter received the Honorable Mention award in the Chapter Honor category. The award jury noted the chapter’s many community service projects, including Pumpkin Carve and Beaux Arts Ball, along with the its continued growth and financial stability in presenting the award.