Department of Landscape Architecture News

LArch graduate student, Alejandro Bechtle, was recognized as one of six 2026 Olmsted Scholar finalists! Named for Frederick Law Olmsted, the LAF Olmsted Scholars Program is the premier leadership recognition program for landscape architecture students. Now in its 19th year, the program honors students who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits. Undergraduate LArch student, Josie Paik, was recognized as one of thirty-seven 2026 LAF Olmsted Scholars (undergraduate), which denotes distinguished student leadership in landscape architecture.

UO alumnus, Adam DeHeer, attributes the seeds of his Bend company, Waterleaf, and sustainable entrepreneurship was first planted as a University of Oregon graduate student researching public sanitation in South America. Kory Russel, assistant professor in the Landscape Architecture Department and the Environmental Studies Program, and the whole department was credited by DeHeer for supporting his individual aspirations and letting him go beyond academics. The work and passion led DeHeer to a patent, a business and a novel environmental technology.

Pro Tem Instructor, Joan Honeyman, ASLA, was selected by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) this year as an ASLA Fellow for their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large. Congratulations, Joan!

Kory Russel's work was recognized by Office of the Provost's Teaching Engagement Program. This particular Sustainability Award recognizes faculty who have developed pedagogy and curriculum that reinforce and advance principles of sustainability through course design and instruction. For more information, watch Russel's video on Youtube!

School of Architecture & Environment Landscape Architecture students, advised by Visiting Assistant Professor Ellee Stapleton, earned a 2024 ASLA National Student Honor Award for their project, titled Letitia Carson’s Legacy. The award-winning project utilizes the skills of landscape design to uplift several community organizations dedicated to honoring Letitia Carson, one of the first Black homesteaders in Oregon, and addressed many challenging concepts, including the delicacy of telling a history embedded in narratives of race, gender, displacement, and colonialism, all while supporting current agricultural land use.

Using Portland as a case study, a team of UO researchers has developed a more comprehensive way to evaluate urban green space equity. The study was published May 21 in the journal Land. Read more about this study and hear how Landscape Architecture PhD graduate, Evan Elderbrock, was able to help create the landmark study alongside other UO researchers.