Environmental Design

Materials girls: New exhibit highlights the role women are playing in reimagining built environments

Joe Arney — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 18:37:21 +0000

Materials girls: New exhibit highlights the role women are playing in reimagining built environments Joe Arney Thu, 08/28/2025 - 12:37

Sharon Waters

‘The accelerating realities of climate change demand that we reconsider our built environments, our landscapes and our material practices,’ says Caitlin Charlet, who is curating an exhibit on biogenic building materials this fall. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.

Caitlin Charlet never uses the word “sustainability.”

“Anything can be called sustainable,” said Charlet, associate teaching professor in CMDI’s environmental design department. “Like any overused language, it loses meaning.”

That’s why her upcoming exhibit avoids the term altogether. Biogenic Futures: Women Shaping Material Ecologies, which runs Sept. 4 through Jan. 5 at the ��, was curated by Charlet and presents new directions in materials design and research.

If you go

What: Biogenic Futures: Women Shaping Material Ecologies

When: Sept. 4 through Jan. 5. An opening reception is planned for 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4.

Where: CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St., Boulder

Who: The exhibit is curated by Caitlin Charlet, an associate teaching professor, and two student researchers, seniors Kaija Galins and Brielle French.

Learn more

Biogenics refers to timber, mycelium, algaes and other regenerative materials—locally sourced, plant- or soil-based substances that are redefining the future of construction. The exhibit features work from nearly 50 female innovators worldwide, along with samples from ��’s materials library.

“We have extracted from the earth to exhaustion, damaging landscapes and communities,” Charlet said. “But there is so much to reclaim. Healthy building isn’t just about new materials—it’s about reusing, reimagining and building holistically.”

The exhibition assembles samples from the research and practice of nearly 50 women, supplemented by contributions from ��’s materials library. By centering women, Charlet seeks to highlight the quiet revolution within materials science over the past decade—one that diverges from the historically male-dominated spheres of engineering and architecture.

“Materials science is collaborative, tactile and iterative. Experimentation requires repetition, and failure is often the condition for discovery,” she said. “Many women have cultivated laboratories in relative obscurity, conducting extraordinary research into construction and design alternatives that do not inflict harm—on us, or on the planet.”

Her aspiration is for visitors to recognize how profoundly material choices shape lived experience, and to reconsider their own role in those choices.

“The exhibition invites touch and engagement,” Charlet said. “Visitors will encounter biogenic materials firsthand, learning not only about their current applications but also about the ways they are being developed for the future.”

Bringing community perspectives to class

Charlet, who is also head of ��’s Biomodernity Lab, considers herself an educator, urbanist, designer and advocate. She started her career as a visual artist before moving into design architecture.

“As a designer, I learn alongside communities—working with them, not merely in them—and I bring those lessons to my students,” said Charlet, who holds dual master’s degrees in architecture and design and urban ecology from Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments at The New School. “Designers must be prepared to adapt, to function as Swiss Army knives—ready to respond to the complexities of place, project and community.”

Her commitment to biomaterials deepened during graduate study, while living with her young family in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood. Observing widespread asthma, allergies, and sensitivities among local children—including her own—Charlet began examining not only external pollutants from the Superfund site and nearby expressway, but also the hidden toxins within domestic interiors: paint, drywall, upholstery and flooring.

That work helped her realize the potential of regenerative materials to safeguard both human and planetary health.

“Everyone deserves to understand the environments they inhabit, because health, community and ecology are inseparable,” Charlet said. “The accelerating realities of climate change demand that we reconsider our built environments, our landscapes and our material practices—and imagine new, restorative ways forward.”

A materials science expert will showcase the use of regenerative materials in building designs to improve health and limit environmental damage.

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Research awards highlight CMDI’s focus on how art, humanities can empower progress

Joe Arney — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 15:40:00 +0000

Research awards highlight CMDI’s focus on how art, humanities can empower progress Joe Arney Fri, 07/18/2025 - 09:40

Joe Arney

Can art bridge the increasingly precarious divide between Americans?

If so, Teri Rueb said, it’s not likely to be something you see in a gallery or a museum. It’s one reason her canvas is typically a landscape that invites people using a particular space to slow down and be moved by the sound she introduces into particular places.

“When we talk about other people from other parts of the country, it seems we don’t even start from a place of basic humility—like respect for how you live, or what your culture is, or the history of where you live,” said Rueb, a professor of critical media practices at ��’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information.

Rueb is one of six CMDI professors to win Arts and Humanities grants through the university’s Research and Innovation Office. It’s an impressive feat, with CMDI faculty claiming one-quarter of the 20 grants awarded this year; four of the college’s seven academic departments were recognized with funding.

The CMDI faculty recognized with grants are:

Steven Frost, assistant professor, media studies. Threads of Resistance: Sampling Labor Histories Through the Lowell Mill Textile Archives.
Zannah Matson, assistant professor, environmental design. Mine-o-Polis: A Board Game About Mining and Extractive Capital.
Hillary Rosner, assistant teaching professor, journalism. Studies in Nature: Lichen.
Shawhin Roudbari, associate professor; Sophie Weston Chien, chancellor’s postdoctoral fellow, environmental design. Dark Papers: Advancing Forms of Design Justice Discourse.
Rueb, professor of critical media practices. Confluences: Mobile App-Based Site-Specific Soundwalk and Website Archive.

“We’re not trying to replace the peer-reviewed journal. Instead, we’re asking, what are the conversations you need for a journal article?”

Sophie Weston Chien, chancellor’s postdoctoral fellow, environmental design

The Dark Papers project is an initiative of Dark Matter U, a collective of educators, researchers and thinkers that’s critically re-examining design education and practice to be more inclusive.

“Dark papers are really just short, quick, urgent conversations—almost research seedlings,” Chien said. “It is both a record in time and a way to connect and expand dialogues that are happening.”

There is a strong activist strain to this work, which is designed to bring an antiracist perspective to problems in design and architecture. It aims to do so by bringing more voices to the table, including some who have been excluded or underrepresented in academia.

“Dark papers fit in a larger ecosystem of the college, where we have faculty and students doing interesting work in things like extraction, or disability justice,” Roudbari said. “And a bunch of them also do creative dissemination models to raise awareness of these issues.”

The grant will help Dark Matter U complete some badly needed blocking and tackling, like making its website accessible and paying for transcription services. But the project is already getting attention in the professional world, including a takeover of Architect Magazine that examined topics like design justice and how to transform professional practice.

“We’re not trying to replace the peer-reviewed journal,” Chien said. “Instead, we’re asking, what are the conversations you need for a journal article? And how can those conversations be their own kind of instigator to move these ideas forward?”

Rueb’s project, Confluences, is a site-specific sound experience already installed at Ucross, which hosts artists in residency at its Wyoming location, situated amid working ranches. The region is unique—it’s been shaped by agriculture and resource extraction, but is close to arts communities and, of course, Ucross itself. Visitors to the campus who download a free mobile app can hear voices from the community—local ranchers, past artists and field recordings—as they wander the landscape.

The sense of connection in Confluences isn’t just about the land visitors can see, but its original inhabitants. During the course of the project, she worked with Native historians, ethnobotanists and astronomers to better incorporate the narratives of Indigenous people in her art.

Confluences, which Rueb created alongside interdisciplinary artist Laurids Sonne, soft launched earlier this year, and is scheduled to formally debut in August.

“The project has this opportunity to bring people from very different walks of life together, and maybe make the rural-urban dichotomy become more porous,” Rueb said. “There’s simply not enough unscripted, unaffiliated, nonpartisan public space for debate and dialogue at this moment. If we can change that in the tiniest measure, giving amplification to the diversity of walks of life that make up our country, maybe that would help mend some old wounds, and find new ground for conversations.”

Of the 20 projects to earn RIO grants, five are led by faculty from the college.

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A visitor to Ucross uses a smartphone to experience Confluences, a site-specific sound experience in Wyoming. Photo courtesy Ucross Foundation.

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A visitor to Ucross uses a smartphone to experience Confluences, a site-specific sound experience in Wyoming. Photo courtesy Ucross Foundation.

Designer label

Amanda J. McManus — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 19:11:50 +0000

Designer label Amanda J. McManus Tue, 07/01/2025 - 13:11

All things CMDI

Visit our CMDI resources page for more on the college name and FAQs about the opportunities this change will afford to students and alumni.

By Joe Arney
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm'18)

Art by Cuauhtémoc Campos

A childhood trek to visit Aztec temples in Mexico was the first time Cuauhtémoc Campos thought about a future in architecture.

It wasn’t the last.

Long before the first-year landscape architecture student set foot on the �� campus, Campos helped his father design a porch and a patio area for their home. Now, in his environmental design courses, he’s refining those skills and interests to bring his visions to life, from reusing physical space on campus to a design of his name that borrowed from those Aztec ruins that inspired him.

“Most of the projects we do are hands-on and challenge us to experiment with our creativity,” Campos said. “But also, we do a lot of presentations to prepare us for when we need to talk about our work publicly.”

He said he hopes to further strengthen his communication skills once the environmental design program becomes fully integrated with the College of Media, Communication and Information. On July 1, Campos and his peers will formally become part of CMCI, at which point the college will rebrand itself as the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, or CMDI.

“I was a little shocked when I first heard we were becoming part of CMCI,” he said. “But I feel like the resources we’ll have from being part of the college will add more to what we’re able to learn, while hopefully introducing CMCI students to what makes ENVD special.”

An important charge for Lori Bergen, founding dean of CMCI, was structuring the integration in a way that added value for ENVD students, alumni, faculty and staff without disrupting the cultures of either entity. As a department within the college, environmental design will be able to retain its identity while benefiting from enhanced and expanded services and networks.

“When we created CMCI, we had three concepts that guided our vision—think, innovate and create,” Bergen said. “Now, as we become CMDI, those principles are just as relevant to our identity. If anything, the intensely hands-on nature of an ENVD education reinforces our mission as a college that brings different, but related, disciplines together, to help us bring interdisciplinary insights to increasingly complex problems.”

Azza Kamal, right, works with a student on a project to refresh the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.

First forays at collaboration

Faculty and staff from environmental design became part of the college in July 2024, so some collaboration has already begun. Azza Kamal, an associate teaching professor of sustainable planning and urban design, is working with Pat Clark, an assistant professor of critical media practices, to give her students access to the college’s Immersive Media Lab later this semester.

“In my studio, we’re working on a virtual reality/augmented reality model for retrofitting neighborhoods in Denver to comply with green building codes and emission reduction bills, and we’ll use his facility so that students can work on their models, but also to explore and get hands-on with the technology,” Kamal said. “I was going to buy the equipment, but then found out Patrick had everything we needed in his lab. And he’s just amazing—he works around our schedule, students will have access to the lab 24/7, I couldn’t ask for more.”

That kind of collaboration is something Stacey Schulte hopes faculty will build on as the players begin to work together.

“No discipline exists in a vacuum,” said Schulte, director of environmental design. “I am excited to see how environmental design will collaborate with communication- and media-related disciplines, and vice versa.

“As our students continue to create impactful work, they learn how to tell the story of their projects—the problems their designs are intending to solve, and how those solutions create positive community impact—in ways that resonate with stakeholders.”

CMCI's emphasis on communication and presentation skills has Ella Seevers excited about environmental design becoming part of the college.

Kamal said she’s still learning about the players in CMCI who would be good fits for collaboration, “but there is a lot of potential where technology meets storytelling.

“Communication has always been a challenge for architecture and planning students—how to communicate in lay terms. Helping students to take technical, complex designs and be able to tell a story through them—so their clients and the public can appreciate their vision—will be incredibly helpful in their careers.”

That’s a need students recognized, as well. Sophomore Ella Seevers, a landscape architecture student, got some professional communication experience last year, when she worked on a project for the city of Boulder and was challenged to make better use of sites along its creek path. Earlier this month, she went on a site tour and presented her vision to city officials and landscape architects working on a pop-up installation for the summer. Hers is one of three student projects that will influence the final design.

“It was an amazing experience to share our ideas and see that they were actually valued by professional designers who have been doing this for decades,” said Seevers, a teaching assistant in ENVD’s design studios and a mentor to first-year students. “So, I’ve had this opportunity to work with the city already, which is very exciting, because that usually doesn’t happen with a first-year project.

“If you can’t present your design well, and tell other people what you’re thinking and how it’s going to be implemented, then you won’t be a very effective designer,” she said.

Helping students to take technical, complex designs and be able to tell a story through them—so their clients and the public can appreciate their vision—will be incredibly helpful in their careers."
Azza Kamal
Associate Teaching Professor
Environmental Design

‘The story we live in’

While both entities value hands-on learning, critical thinking and creativity, at first glance, it may not be immediately obvious how ENVD and its four majors—architecture, environmental product design, landscape architecture, and sustainable planning and urban design—fit into CMCI. However, “when you think about the stories we hear, tell and watch, environmental design becomes another dimension of the story that we live in,” said Stephanie Marchesi, president of WE Communications, a global integrated communications firm.

“Storytelling is verbal, written and visual—but through their environmental designs, these talented individuals are bringing stories to life in 3D,” said Marchesi (Jour’85), who sits on CMCI’s advisory board. “This will be something very defining for the college, because it’s taking storytelling to new dimensions—literally.”

That’s something faculty in the college are excited to explore in depth.

“My initial reaction to the news was one of intense joy and excitement over what’s possible,” said Bryan Semaan, chair of CMCI’s information science department. “Design intersects so many different spaces. Environmental design researchers are looking at many of the same problems and topics as people across CMCI and within our disciplinary communities, but they’re operating on a scale of how humans will experience and be shaped by the natural and built environments in ways that are important to a sustainable future.”

That could be anything from a database that governs an algorithmic system to the impact of a data center on the environment and people who live nearby.

Elena Sabinson, an assistant professor of environmental design, said an important part of her program’s culture is recognizing and creating things that match the needs of their users. It’s something she works on very closely as director of the Neuro D Lab, which studies how design can trigger innovations that support wellbeing and accessibility to those who are neurodivergent.

“I would say my colleagues in ENVD are interested in bridging those mismatches between the environment and the needs of a user,” she said. “And I think CMCI is already doing a lot of that in its own way, whether it’s documentary or information science or any of those spaces.”

‘Who needs to learn about argument more?’

Alumni like Christopher Bell (PhDMediaSt’09) are watching to see how the college prepares students for the kinds of challenges he sees at work. Bell, a consultant and president of CreativityPartners LLC, said he’s excited to see student and alumni collaborations going forward, such as social media managers who can raise money and awareness for life-changing products coming out of environmental design.

“People who believe they are ‘just’ technically focused are the people who need the most instruction in communication,” said Bell, also a member of CMCI’s advisory board and an instructor who teaches courses in screenwriting and cultural studies. “Those are the people who need us the most, because they are making arguments and sending messages.

“Architecture and city planning are arguments. They’re arguments about what matters, who matters and doesn’t, how we see ourselves in relation to other people, and what is important to spend resources on. So, who needs to learn about argument more than environmental designers?”

When you think about the stories we hear, tell and watch, environmental design becomes another dimension of the story that we live in.”
Stephanie Marchesi (Jour’85)
CMCI Advisory Board member

Meet the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information.

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Spring 2025

CMCI and ENVD share a tradition of hands-on learning, a thirst for innovation and a passion for solving problems in ways that move the world. Those shared values will guide them as they join together and CMCI renames itself the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Art by Ella Seevers.

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CMCI and ENVD share a tradition of hands-on learning, a thirst for innovation and a passion for solving problems. Those values will guide them as CMCI renames itself the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Art by Ella Seevers.

Connect, protect, restore

Regan Widergren — Wed, 07 May 2025 20:32:12 +0000

Connect, protect, restore Regan Widergren Wed, 05/07/2025 - 14:32

Blending her design education with influences from ecology and evolutionary biology, Rachel Martino is on her way to design landscapes that connect, protect and restore. As this year’s distinguished graduate in landscape architecture, Martino reflects on what she considers to be one of the biggest lessons from her time at ENVD.

“I think that the greatest lesson ENVD taught me is how to visualize a better world and then develop innovative and well-researched solutions to make that world a reality,” she shared.

In the moment

Reminiscing about the past four years brings back fond memories for Martino. One of her favorite memories is participating in a tree planting event hosted by the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). “I was able to help select trees, including a Ginkgo–one of my favorites–to be planted on the Wolf [Law Building] lawn,” she shared. Seeing the project through, from start to finish, is what stands out the most for her.

Considering the future and when it comes to advice for other students, Martino encourages her peers to embrace growth by exploring design outside their comfort zone. “You will get what you put in,” she said. “One thing I wish I knew in the beginning is that the only way to grow as a student and a designer is to push yourself beyond what you are capable of.”

Designing for resilience

Martino is especially proud of her design proposal for her senior capstone project. Titled Reclaiming the Floodplain: Creating a New Ecological Edge at the Gateway to Boulder, the design site is located in �� South and addresses the issue of flooding in the area.

“I focus on expanding the South Boulder Creek floodplain to inundate a series of constructed wetlands, while a berm and a floodwall help protect nearby residents from extreme flood events,” she said.

Graduation and beyond

Martino describes graduating as a culmination of effort and perseverance. “It also represents all the wonderful love and encouragement that I have received from family and friends,” she shared. “I am so thankful for their support.”

After graduation, Martino will pursue a career in landscape architecture. She is confident in her degree and the experience she’ll carry with her into the real world.

“I can’t tell you where I'll be in six months, but ENVD has prepared me to be adaptable and take advantage of opportunities,” she said.

Blending her design education with influences from ecology and evolutionary biology, Rachel Martino is on her way to design landscapes that connect, protect and restore.

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Designing with purpose

Regan Widergren — Wed, 07 May 2025 20:23:21 +0000

Designing with purpose Regan Widergren Wed, 05/07/2025 - 14:23

The Collaborator received top honors in the Synthux Hackathon 2024, a global competition supported by his ATLS sound lab class.

From global UX hackathons to instructing a tech series to underclassmen, Nick Lankau, this year’s Distinguished Graduate in environmental products of design, leaves ENVD with a toolkit shaped by creativity and empathy, with a drive to make things that matter.

Pairing his ENVD major with a minor in creative technology and engineering, Lankau’s education blended artistry and engineering, combining creativity with purpose. He considers The Collaborator to be one of his standout projects.

“The prompt was virtual human connection,” Lankau said. “Our group settled on making a four-person, collaborative music device, with quantized inputs to allow people of any music ability to jam with their friends.”

Teaching with empathy

When Lankau was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. School experiences were challenging to navigate. “I always swore that if I were ever in the teacher’s position, I would be more empathetic and aware of students’ challenges, especially those with learning disabilities,” he recalled.

That vow came full circle when Lankau got to instruct the ENVD tech series for four semesters. “It was incredible to meet all these students who were one to two years younger than me, and to teach them through the experiences of going through the exact same class, and what I would’ve done differently on projects,” he said. “I tried to make it as exciting and as engaging as possible.”

Lankau’s cheat sheet for underclassmen

These aren’t just motivational phrases–they’re key strategies from someone who’s experienced designing, prototyping, and pulling all-nighters to bring an idea to life.

Procrastination is your enemy. Perfection isn't real. Using the right tool for the job will save you hours of frustration AND give you a better result. Take learning into your own hands. The internet usually has the answer. You're more capable than you think. Starting is the hard part. Put in the work. Try hard. Play hard, and if you're not having fun, then you're doing it wrong.

College in candid moments

It wasn’t one specific moment that defined his college experience, but rather the collective rhythm of it all. Late nights in the studios. Celebrations after a final pinup. Field trips to art museums and tea houses. A warm day at the creek. Seeing a local band play at a house concert. Stopping to appreciate the design of something or trying to see how it works, having the best company to do all the above with.

Reflections and the road ahead

As Lankau prepares for the big day, it’s a transition he recognizes as bittersweet. “It’s been a wonderful experience here at CU,” he said. “It’s strange not to be a student anymore and to enter the ‘real world,’ but equally exciting. I just hope that I keep having the ability to make the things that I’m passionate about.”

After graduation, he’s heading to Denver to begin his design career, with plans to launch his own company one day. As he translates his education into the job market, he holds deep appreciation for the unique perspective the EPOD major instilled in him. “What makes this program special is that we’re taught to care deeply about the impact of what we create,” he shared.

Navigating a world where values and viability often collide, Lankau leaves �� equipped with the conviction and clarity to seek out the balance. “It’s a hard balance–to want to make meaningful work, to need to support yourself, and to not compromise your values in the process–but ENVD gave me the awareness, the empathy, and the drive to keep navigating that tension,” he said.

From global UX hackathons to instructing a tech series to underclassmen, Nick Lankau leaves ENVD with a toolkit shaped by creativity and empathy, with a drive to make things that matter.

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Finding community

Regan Widergren — Wed, 07 May 2025 20:16:49 +0000

Finding community Regan Widergren Wed, 05/07/2025 - 14:16

For Jillian Draheim, this year’s Distinguished Graduate in sustainable planning & urban design, graduating from environmental design isn’t just a milestone, it’s a launching pad. Over the past four years, she’s built a rich academic foundation, forged deep friendships, and discovered a design philosophy rooted in community engagement, creativity and sustainability.

Transforming industrial waste

Reminiscing about past projects, Draheim is most proud of one from her 2100 planning studio. The task? Redesigning an abandoned industrial site, on the edge of downtown Longmont, into a thriving community. “It was based around a transit station and focused on providing more opportunities for affordable and missing middle housing,” Draheim said.

This was her first semester-long studio. One where she and other students got to dive into details and use new programs to create more professional graphic presentation elements. “My favorite part of this project was balancing technical planning elements with elements of fun and whimsy,” she said.

Spring in Copenhagen

Draheim’s junior year took her across the Atlantic to Copenhagen. Living abroad blossomed new memories, and through her spring classes, the experience offered new opportunities and perspectives. “Going abroad was inspirational,” she reflects. “The new landscapes and even just being in a new studio environment were invaluable. Copenhagen is such a sustainable and people-focused city, and it has influenced my approach to planning and urban design.”

More than coursework

The heart of Draheim’s college experience wasn’t just completing coursework or spending time in the design studio–it was in the community. “The relationships you build in the four years at CU are just as important to the college experience as the education,” she said.

“Finding your people and having a support system is imperative, and I have learned far more from my friends and peers than I could’ve from just formal education.”

At an end-of-year jubilee event, during her freshman year, there’s a moment that stands out as her favorite. “It was one of those times where you look around at the people surrounding you and have a feeling–you know you made the right decision coming to Boulder and being in ENVD,” she said.

What’s next?

With graduation on the horizon, Draheim acknowledges this accomplishment. “As much as I feel that I have grown in the last four years, I know this next step will be another time of self-discovery, which is equally terrifying and exciting,” she said. So, what’s next?

She is setting her sights on Chicago, where she hopes to enter the private sector of urban planning and design. “ENVD has helped prepare me by giving me a strong interdisciplinary education that balances elements of design and technical planning,” she said. “This has opened the different types of work that I feel interested in and qualified for.”

For Jillian Draheim, graduating from environmental design isn’t just a milestone–it’s a launching pad. She spent the past four years building a rich academic foundation, forged deep friendships, and discovered a design philosophy rooted in community engagement, creativity and sustainability.

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2025 Latin honors recipients

Regan Widergren — Wed, 07 May 2025 17:55:27 +0000

2025 Latin honors recipients Regan Widergren Wed, 05/07/2025 - 11:55

Each spring, a small group of environmental design students defend their theses to a dedicated thesis committee. Students are awarded Latin honors at the levels of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.

Projects worthy of the honors designation are works of creative expression, including design, research, and theoretical work that demonstrate a high level of intellectual and creative ability and analytical skills. Completing an honors project allows students to investigate topics of interest, provides the opportunity to work closely with a faculty thesis chair, and creates a culminating intellectual experience that produces both a meaningful project and an invaluable learning experience. The Honors project represents the climax of their college careers.

Congratulations to the following students who graduated with Latin honors.

Kinsey Anger, summa cum laude

The Rural Alaskan Energy Hub:

Harmonizing Inupiaq subsistence living practices with energy infrastructure equity in the Bering Strait region through culturally responsive design innovation

Connor Chancey, summa cum laude

Disparities in Biking Infrastructure Development:

Analyzing Policy, Economic, and Social Factors in Colorado’s Front Range Cities

Cameron Cooper, summa cum laude

Engaging With Grief In American Landscapes

Developing a community engagement framework tailored to victims of mass shootings

Maya Handelman, summa cum laude

Mutual Flourishing

Uplifting Mutually Beneficial Relationships Between Humans and Colorado Native Species Through Urban Landscape Design

Olivia Hays, magna cum laude

HydroScape:

Applying New Decentralized Water System Practices to Commercial Building Adaptations within Colorado

AJ Jelonnek, summa cum laude

Natural Delicacies:

Exploring Environmental Preferences and How They Relate to Human Foraging Behavior

Serena Langdon-Dmidjian, summa cum laude

Vitoria Lindenmuth, summa cum laude

Adaptive Reuse Assessment:

Revising Redevelopment Policies in Denver, Colorado to Promote Sustainability

Kate Malloy, magna cum laude

A Case Study in Well Being

Implementing Mental Health-Focused Design in Existing Public High Schools

Mary Miller, summa cum laude

Landscapes from Above:

A layered f ramework of ecology and inf rastructure at regional and municipal airports in Minnesota

Aspen Randolph, summa cum laude

Rhythm and Resistance:

Spatial Design Strategies for Cultural Resilience in Gentrified Areas

Logan Shockey, summa cum laude

MuSE: Multispecies Sensory Engagement

Enhancing Emotional Bonds with Nonhuman Organisms through Human-Computer-Interaction

Georgina Lopez Valle, cum laude

Inside Out: Exploring How Interior Design

Perpetuates Systemic Disadvantages In Mobile Home Communities

Each spring, a small group of environmental design students defend their theses to a dedicated thesis committee. This year 13 students were awarded Latin honors at the levels of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.

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Connections through design

Regan Widergren — Wed, 07 May 2025 17:37:37 +0000

Connections through design Regan Widergren Wed, 05/07/2025 - 11:37

For Serena Langdon-Dimidjian, a graduate with a dual degree in architecture and ethnic studies, design is about building community, asking deeper questions, and making space for connection. As this year’s outstanding graduate in environmental design, she has spent the past four years discovering how architecture can bridge design and social impact.

Hands-on design in Colombia

One of Langdon-Dimidjian's most memorable projects was from a global seminar in Medellín, Colombia, during the summer of her sophomore year. Alongside students from the Universidad de San Buenaventura, she and other ENVD students co-designed and constructed an outdoor kitchen and workshop space. “Living with host families and learning in such a hands-on, cross-cultural environment taught me so much about design practice and process,” she said. “It was a great reminder of how design can build real and lasting connections.”

Community near and far

In addition to spending time in Colombia, Langdon-Dimidjian spent a semester studying in Granada, Spain. She considers this one of the most meaningful experiences from her time at CU, where it taught her the value of exploring unfamiliar places, new experiences, learning both in and outside the classroom, and stepping outside comfort zones.

“More than anything, I’m endlessly grateful for the friendships I’ve built here and the supportive, inspiring community of peers, professors, and staff who made CU feel like home,” she said.

Making memories

One of Langdon-Dimidjian's favorite memories is from this spring when her capstone studio took a “ski day” to Eldora Mountain, a ski area in Nederland, Colorado. “We were working on redesigning one of the lodges there, so getting out on the mountain and actually experiencing the site in person was such a cool way to connect with the project,” she said. “And it was amazing to have a studio day on the slopes!”

Langdon-Dimidjian's cheat sheet for underclassmen

If you press the button twice on the vending machine at CINC, it will give you two Starbucks coffees instead of one. Always go to the end-of-semester clean-out for model materials. Make friends with someone who works at the DMC, and don't forget that McGuckin's has everything!

Milestones

For Langdon-Dimidjian, graduating is a key milestone for her education and one she is deeply proud of. “It represents not just years of hard work, but also the support, resilience and determination that my classmates and I have shared throughout our time in the program,” she shared. “We’ve been through so much together, and as we cross the stage, we carry with us our families, our histories, and the stories that shaped us.”

Langdon-Dimidjian will graduate summa cum laude for her honors thesis in architecture, where she conducted a participant-based research study. Following graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school, continuing the research and design thinking that have defined her undergraduate journey.

“That process taught me how to ask better questions, engage deeply with communities, and explore complex ideas through design,” she said. “I was lucky to work alongside an incredible cohort of students who pushed me to grow, and I’m excited to continue this kind of research in the future. ENVD helped me develop a sense of curiosity and taught me to think critically about the built environment and the world around me.”

For Serena Langdon-Dimidjian, design is about building community, asking deeper questions, and making space for connection. As this year’s outstanding graduate in environmental design, she has spent the past four years discovering how architecture can bridge design and social impact.

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Fear

Regan Widergren — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:19:07 +0000

Fear Regan Widergren Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:19

“Have no fear of perfection-you'll never reach it.”

– Salvador Dali

Fear is many things--a manifestation of anxieties and social pressures, a desire to avoid discomfort, an evolutionary predisposition to protect the reptilian self—and its stigma, the sometimes-delimiting factor to its efficacy. Candidly, fear is simply information, albeit information meant to drive our decision-making to achieve an almost always singular outcome: safety.

So how can we reengineer this discomfort as a powerful ally? You might start by interrogating your fears: What am I afraid of? What is the worst thing that can happen? What is the cost of the status quo? What do I miss out by avoiding this decision? How do I know if my fears are real or imagined? How are my fears holding me back? How will taking action impact me? Who do I need to be to own my fears?

As you consider these questions, spend some time reviewing the linked resources below. You might find tools/thought exercises/questions that help you reframe fear as information, opportunity, and ally.

TED | Tim Ferriss: Why you should define your fears instead of your goals

BetterHelp: Using Fear as a Motivator

The Washington Post: Fear and anxiety can help. Here’s how to use them to your advantage

Adventure Collection: 10 Reasons Why a Dose of Fear is Good for You

LinkedIn | Sonia McDonald: Fear To Courage: How To Use The Emotion Wheel To Transform Your Feelings

Psychology Today: Fear Is a Tool of the Trade: Here's How to Use It

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Endings

Regan Widergren — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:15:15 +0000

Endings Regan Widergren Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:15

“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”

― Paulo Coelo

The cyclicality of process and its perpetual reification of the start-iterate-finish paradigm grinds at the two-pronged directive of modern, capitalist living—work hard, get rewarded. However, we know the cycle as we envision it—a pristine linearized radius that mythicizes the inevitability of progress feeding progress—versus the cycle as we experience it, something more akin to this:

Or this...

Or even this...

Given the cultural disconnect between ideal and reality, it becomes important to manage one's own energetic engagement with process and the idea of ending. You might start by interrogating your relationship with these concepts: How would beginning with an end in mind help you? What obstacles could get in the way? What helps you decide to start ending? What do you intentionally do to end well? How do you know that you’ve learned what you needed to learn? How do outcomes/products benefit you? Who do you need to be to end something? What will you do to celebrate ending?

“The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable.”

― Nietzche

As you explore your approach to ending and build a toolkit that supports that outcome energetically, consider what it might take to find, as Neil Gaiman says, “somewhere to rest, to stop reading, and to be content,” and take some time to explore the tools below to challenge and build your relationship with your reason for getting things done.

UFYB: How to Get Sh*t Done

I have ADHD: Podcast Episode #84: When You Get Nothing Done

The Marginalian | Probable Impossibilities: Physicist Alan Lightman on Beginnings, Endings, and What Makes Life Worth Living

Life Hack: 10 Essential Tips to Finish What You Start

Zen Habits: How to Finish

Personal Excellence:How to Finish What You Start

Scott H. Young: How to Build the Habit of Finishing What You Start

Lifehacker: How Do You Know When You're Finished?

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