Education
M.F.A., Winthrop University, 1994
BUS, Oklahoma State University, 1987

Research
Professor Isham has been teaching university level interior design courses since the fall of 1994, where his teaching has focused on visualization skills and the beginning design student. His creative activities have produced award-wining designs in architecture, 2D, and 3D categories.  He has been actively engaged in the construction of straw bale buildings. In 2009 lead a group of volunteer students in the construction of the McCrory Outdoor Classroom at McCrory Gardens, in Brookings, South Dakota. This is a 900 s.f. general purpose building will be the focus of a children’s garden area that will emphasize sustainable gardening practices. hThis is the first straw bale structure with a living roof in South Dakota.  He also maintains the active design firm, Isham Design Resources..

Current Scholarship:
Researching the importance of hand skills to the design process and the recruitment/retention beginning design students.

Design projects:
Gabe’s Room, patient room remodel, Make-a-wish Foundation - Johnson City, TN
Reynolds Residence - Deck Design - Jonesborough, TN
Bates Residence – Straw Bale Construction – Columbus, OH

List of Presentations/Publications
Isham, D. (2018, Aug).  Einstein’s dreams.  Student project description accepted into the Interior Design Educators Council’s (IDEC) 2018 Innovative Teaching Ideas.  National award given to the years most innovative student projects.