McRae Hyphae Cover Letter

3/24/2016 Dear Hyphae, I am drawn to Hyphae Design Lab for its ability to extend and weave through a diversity of professional strata, becoming highly integrated and intensively functional. Like myself, Hyphae exists at the interface of architecture and science, striving to create multi-faceted solutions that are rich and ecologically sound.

It is important to use regional ecosystems as references to create resilient analogs, I am interested in what systems naturally occur versus what can be achieved artificially. My time has been spent acquiring the tools necessary to help pioneer innovation and take green infrastructure to a performance level supported by science and data.

I have practiced art for my entire life, exploring the broad range of mediums and I have steeped myself in the theories of science to better understand the processes underlying the subjects that inspire me. I have practiced entomology, working in orchards and vineyards calculating dispersal regimes of pheromone as an alternative to pesticides. I have scaled-up bioreactors, determining the feasibility of commercial scale algal biofuel production. I have systematically analyzed the patent archives to classify and define innovation within the field of landscape architecture.

I explore the world, painting murals in exchange for food and lodging. I study, using remote sensing and GIS, how urban parks can help diminish heat island effects and provide ecosystem services. I draw, because I love to.

Landscape architecture is the means by which I hope to navigate the interfaces of these different disciplines and Hyphae is the opportunity to make that a reality.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Ian McRae Molecular Env. Biologist Master (C) of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning UC Berkeley (916)254-9421