Category I Dana Talks: Cara Armstrong
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Dec 2, 2026
- 12:00 - 12:50pm EST
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Cyber Fusion Center
The innovative Cyber Fusion Center hosts a Security Operations Center, a collaborative work environment, multipurpose meeting and event spaces, classrooms, and various labs. The large open meeting space is equipped with cutting-edge projection, audio, and video conferencing capabilities, complemented by smaller spaces for more individualized needs.
Cybersecurity and advanced computing, criminology, communications, and geointelligence will be among the disciplines integrating their strengths in this comprehensive academic space. The externally focused facility further paves the way for Norwich faculty and students, in cooperation with NUARI staff, to explore idea creation in partnership with the private sector, military, and government.
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Cyber Fusion Center
The Charles A. Dana Category I Lecture Series presents "Learning to See: Drawing, Attention, and the Architecture of Everyday Life" with Cara Armstrong, associate dean for the College of Professional Schools and associate professor of architecture and art.
About the Lecture
A familiar mountain. A well-worn doorway. A toothbrush holder. Objects and places we encounter every day often disappear into the background of our lives. As a designer, artist, educator, and researcher, I have come to see drawing not simply as a way of representing the world, but as a way of paying attention to it. What began as an exploration of architectural observation has evolved into a broader inquiry into perception, attention, and the ways we come to know the world around us. This presentation traces that journey from architectural education and immersive drawing to neuroscience, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary teaching at Norwich University and considers how learning to see can reshape not only our understanding of buildings and landscapes but also the ways we learn, create, and care.
Event Details
Lecture to be held in the Cyber Fusion Center, Room 112.
About Professor Armstrong
Cara Armstrong is an artist, writer, and educator whose work explores how paying close attention changes the way we see. As associate professor of architecture at Norwich University, she examines perception, place, and the built environment at the intersection of architecture, neuroscience, and the creative arts. She is the author and illustrator of "A Trick of Living," co-author of "Wright Panorama," and author of the chapter "Drawing from Within: Immersive Sketching as Neuroscientific Inquiry" in the "Routledge Handbook of Neuroscience and the Built Environment." Her recent creative work includes the solo exhibition "Windows and Horizons: Light, Dwelling, and Memory" at the T.W. Wood Museum, as well as exhibitions at the Sullivan Museum and History Center and the North Branch Nature Center. Through her teaching, research, and creative practice, she investigates how sustained attention can deepen creativity, enrich education, and help us see the everyday world with greater care and clarity.
About the Charles A. Dana Category I Grants
The Charles A. Dana Category I Grants are supported by an endowed fund from the Dana Foundation for the purpose of attracting and retaining faculty of exceptional caliber. Grants are awarded annually to tenure-track faculty who demonstrate superior scholarship, teaching ability, and University service.
Grant recipients participate in the Charles A. Dana Category I Lecture Series during the year in which they receive their awards.