LAF Announces Winner Of $25,000 Olmsted Scholars Award

Online, May 4, 2010 (Newswire.com) - WASHINGTON, D.C., May 4, 2010 -- The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) today announced the winner and five finalists for the 2010 Olmsted Scholars Program. Emily Vogler, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, was selected as the national recipient of the $25,000 award. The finalists are David Godshall, University of California, Berkeley; Lauren Hackney, University of Virginia; Christopher Hardy, Cornell University; Caitlin Harrigan, University of British Columbia; and Amanda Jeter, University of Colorado, Denver.

"The Landscape Architecture Foundation is delighted to recognize these outstanding young leaders in landscape design and sustainability," said LAF Executive Director Barbara Deutsch. "Through their talent and commitment, the Olmsted Scholars are demonstrating the power of the landscape architecture approach in solving the complex, interdisciplinary environmental problems faced today."

The Olmsted Scholars Program was established in 2008 to recognize students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable planning and design and foster human and societal benefits. It is the first national scholarship awards program focused on leadership in sustainable design and planning.

An independent jury of leaders in the landscape architecture profession selected the award winner and finalists from a pool of 38 University Olmsted Scholars who were nominated by their faculty. The 2010 jury members were: Susan Szenasy, Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis Magazine; Mark Dawson, ASLA, Principal, Sasaki Associates, Inc.; Forster Ndubisi, Professor and Department Head, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University; Teresa Durkin, Vice President and Senior Landscape Architect, HOK; Jonathan Mueller, FASLA, ASLA President-Elect, Senior Landscape Architect at Landmark/Architects West, Inc.; Skip Graffam, ASLA, Partner/Director of Research, OLIN; and David Malda, 2009 National Olmsted Scholar, University of Virginia.

Olmsted Juror and LAF Board Member Susan Szenasy called the program "extraordinary" and felt energized by the breadth and significance of student work. "The ideas, projects, and commitments are so powerful. These young designers are opening up the dialogue on current issues that this generation and the landscape architecture profession will need to address." Student research and project themes ranged from waste recycling and vacant lots to social dynamics and public health.

The scholarship is made possible with support from Founding Sponsors: EDSA, HOK, the Edith Harrison Henderson Fund, OLIN, the Raymond E. Page Fund and the Harriet Barnhardt Wimmer Fund/Wimmer Yamada and Caughey; Annual Sponsors: Graham Landscape Architects and Hunter Industries; and Special Commitment: ASLA.

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. Established in 1966 to support the preservation, improvement and enhancement of the environment, LAF advances the creation of healthy, sustainable places by: promoting an integrated design approach; supporting and disseminating research on landscape performance; building a body of knowledge on sustainable landscape solutions; and providing scholarship and fellowship opportunities.