Dr. Michael Rabens, a high-class bookworm with an IQ of 160, has just received a doctorate in art history from Princeton. With a love for architecture and history, and a deep desire to discover truth, the sophisticated graduate begins his very own research expedition in Rome, a region rife with social and political conflicts. There he makes a sudden surprising discovery: a series of letters describing a mysterious project in Renaissance Florence, commissioned by the powerful Medici family. But when the letters are stolen by an unlikely enemy, he finds himself at the center of a dangerous plot. After being rescued by renegade spies, he must work to stop the plot from happening, using his knowledge of architecture and history to unearth the Medici Project before its contents end up in enemy hands. Yet Dr. Rabens soon realizes his book knowledge can only get him so far, as he must find the courage to confront his own fears.

Nature, light, and architecture converge in Expedition 2116, as we return from Design Studio One. From a Birdhouse to a Chapel in the Gardens, a series of eccentric projects takes us by surprise. And as our friendships strengthen and our stories multiply, the once strange world of studio starts to become our second home.

Explore the origins of sex and gender through a scientific lens and understand social constructionism, its reliance on regressive gender stereotypes, and its pathological doctrines. Social constructionist theory tells us that boys and girls are not born different but are rather made different through socialization. Yet something strange has happened: Across the world's most gender-equal liberal democracies, the differences between men and women have not gone away. Paradoxically, gender differences in personality, interests, and occupational preferences have grown larger. This should not be happening. If men and women are made different through socialization, shouldn't the most gender-equal societies be, after all, gender-equal? Gender, like the Penrose Triangle, is an optical illusion. Many people think they know its properties, but it's wildly deceptive. If we can just find the correct angle, then maybe we can observe gender's actual properties, and with it, perhaps we can solve The Gender Paradox.

"Architecture is the frozen music. Music is the flowing architecture." After being accepted into professional school, we begin the second phase of our education in Studio Four. Professor Jerry Stivers, the bard of this new adventure, leads the sixteen students of 3116 on a journey to discover the timeless relationship between music and architecture, phenomenology and performance. Throughout the semester we discover new perspectives on design through the avenue of song. From a model project for a musical component to a humble performing arts center in OKC, traditional paradigms of architecture are challenged and reignited through this new parametric symphony.

With a leather journal in one hand and a fountain pen in the other, Design Studio goes abroad in Urban USA. In a nine-day expedition across the East Coast of the United States, the eminent Professors Moh and Suzanne Bilbeisi take their students on a trip to Washington D.C. and New York City. Through the art of sketching, with perception and observation, the surprising novelties of these two famous places start to come alive as the students explore the dramas of the city.

It's the last studio before professional school, and the pressure is on... Representing the synthesis of our first year of architecture school and our shared identity as designers, Studio Three is the final test of our pre-professional education, using the fundamental skills we learned from the past two studios. With an eight-week competition focused on redesigning CEAT, a six-week project in the heart of the Los Angeles Arts District, and the pressure of professional school admissions looming over us, there will be no break for us here in the new west wing.

The architectural design studio is one of the most unique places in the world. For over a century, students who desire to become architects have attended these prestigious studios to learn and experience the fundamentals of architecture and design. They challenge the student's ability to manage multi-variable conditions under intense time restraints and teach them lessons about the roles that hard work and perseverance play in creating a successful design. But more than anything, these studios have provided students with friendships that last a lifetime. The School of Architecture at Oklahoma State University, one of the top architecture schools in the nation, is no exception. In this book series, follow me and my classmates as we embark on our new journey through OSU's five year architecture program and its eight design studios. Written in a short story format, this series recounts the true events of design studio through a student's perspective. Design Studio One is the story of how it all began.