Ziqi (Zig) Wu, a graduate student with a concentration in facility planning and management in the graduate field of design and environmental analysis (DEA), has won the inaugural International Student of the Year Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation.

The award, given at the IFMA's World Workplace 2010 Conference and Expo, Oct. 27-29, in Atlanta, honors a student who best exemplifies the future of the profession through academic achievement, excellence and enthusiasm for the industry. An international panel of judges from industry and academia selected Wu for the award, which includes an opportunity to publish an IFMA white paper.

After graduation, Wu plans to become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited facilities manager focused on the planning, development and management of health care facilities. Wu previously worked in his homeland of Singapore's Ministry of Health to upgrade the country's hospitals and nursing homes, after completing his undergraduate studies at Oxford University. At Cornell, he has also helped to broaden the field by establishing relations between DEA professors and facility management professionals in Singapore.

"Facilities planners and managers will have a major role to play in mitigating health care costs and improving the quality of care," Wu said. "Also, there has not been enough attention paid to the facilities management field, especially in Asia, where many developers prefer to demolish and build anew instead of prolonging the life of buildings through good facility management practices and adaptive reuse. I aspire to be a socially responsible facilities manager and help developing nations to plan and manage functional and sustainable facilities that will help nations progress, enrich the lives of people and save the environment."

Wu and DEA majors Ana Maria Quiros '11 and Jenna Lipson '11 are among 32 students to earn a $1,500 scholarship award in a separate IFMA Foundation competition.

"Zig is an outstanding graduate student of exceptional character and promise," said DEA professor and chair Sheila Danko. "He believes passionately in the power of facilities planning and design to create social change."

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications in the College of Human Ecology.