WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation is proud to announce its scholarship and award recipients for 2016. Open to ASID members and non-members, the scholarship and awards program has been a part of the ASID Foundation's outreach since its founding in 1975. The Joel Polsky Prize and Joel Polsky Academic Achievement winners will be recognized during the ASID State of the Society address on July 16 in Minneapolis.

"The trustees are pleased to honor the recipients of these scholarships for their innovative research and study. These studies add to the body of knowledge of the interior design profession and further the goals of the ASID Foundation to value and acknowledge academic excellence," said ASID Foundation Chair, Lisa Henry, FASID. "These studies will also add momentum to the core purpose of ASID: to advance the profession and communicate the impact of interior design to enhance the human experience. We are grateful to our many donors and for our endowments which enable us to award these scholarships."

The Irene Winifred Grant awards $5,000 to individuals or groups developing an educational program or project that is dedicated to health, safety, and welfare. Nastaran Arfaei is a student at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and the winner of the 2016 Irene Winifred Eno Grant. Her winning project submission presents an interdisciplinary approach to the perception of space and focuses on human-centered responsive environments.  Judge Lisa Fitzpatrick, MA, ASID, said, "This project takes an approach that allows our innate senses the ability to bridge gaps in workplace, education, healthcare, aviation, etc. without stopping forward momentum."

The Joel Polsky Prize awards $5,000 for academic contributions to interior design and wellness through print or digital communication. Types of entries can include books, whitepapers, blogs and videos. Dr. Adeleh Nejati is a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University. Her award-winning doctoral dissertation on "Restorative Design Features for Hospital Staff Break Areas" has been published in several prestigious and highly cited peer-reviewed journals. Nejati has recently joined HKS Architects and CADRE as a designer and researcher focused on integrating research into the practice of healthcare architecture. ASID Foundation scholarship judge Corey Allen Davey, Allied ASID, said, "This is very practical information that designers should use as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities when planning interior environments."

The Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award provides a $5,000 grant to recognize an outstanding interior design research project related to wellness and design conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student. Sara Bayramzadeh, Ph.D., Allied ASID, EDAC, LEED Green Assoc., is a lecturer at the University of Kentucky. Her doctoral dissertation explored the role of interior environment on the physical and psychological safety of psychiatric patients, one of the most vulnerable and underrepresented patient populations; this mixed-method study utilized seven years of retrospective patient incident data, staff surveys and focus groups. Judge Lisa Fitzpatrick, MA, ASID, said, "I applaud Dr. Sara Bayramzadeh on this research. I have felt that healthcare has finally received much more attention as of late but addressing the psychological needs especially in psychiatric facilities has not been touched. Very insightful to see this need."

The Legacy Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students award $4,000 to one undergraduate student in his or her junior or senior year, and one graduate student enrolled in an interior design program at an accredited university. Each winner is awarded on the basis of academic accomplishment, creative achievement and personal statement. This year's Legacy Scholarship undergraduate winner is Sarah Treutel, a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Madison studying Interior Architecture. Paola Oliveras is the Legacy Scholarship graduate student winner. Oliveras is pursuing her second master's degree in Interior Architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension.