Landscape Architecture Student Selected as 2017 National Olmsted Scholar
Landscape Architecture student Lauren Delbridge has been selected by the Landscape Architecture Foundation as the 2017 National Olmsted Scholar (Undergraduate). Lauren receives the $15,000 undergraduate prize and will use the award to further her research to define strategies to remediate coal ash ponds and rethink the design of highly disturbed sites to increase public awareness and environmental literacy. She plans to travel to notable sites where disturbed lands have been successfully reclaimed or remediated, using her observations to create a collection of case studies that can be used as an educational tool, a public resource, and a foundation for further design research.
Now in its tenth year, the Olmsted Scholars Program is the premier national award and recognition program for landscape architecture students. The program honors students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits.
The jury — Adam Greenspan, LAF President-Elect and Partner at PWP Landscape Architecture; Chad Danos, ASLA Immediate Past President and Director at Duplantis Design Group, PC; Kelly Shannon, Director of Landscape Architecture at the University of Southern California; Thomas Donnelly, President of BrightView Group; Brian Jencek, Director of Planning at HOK; Kelly Rodriguez, Executive Director and Editor of ARCADE, Chris Steele, Specification Sales Manager at The Toro Company; and Casey Howard, 2016 National Olmsted Scholar (Undergraduate) and Landscape Designer at Dougherty Landscape Architects — selected Lauren from 31 undergraduate landscape architecture students nationwide, nominated by their faculty for their exceptional leadership potential.