Student ASLA Chapter

The student chapter of the ASLA hosted an array of extracurricular and social programs during the 2019-2020 academic year. These successful programs—‘Genius Hour’ luncheon presentations, community BBQ’s, the LAEP Christmas Party, and the student’s collaboration with the ASLA Utah chapter through the mentorship program, Winter Social and portfolio review night—all enriched student learning and professional networking.

A successful student ASLA CREATE 2020 differential tuition proposal allowed the department to send fourteen students to the National ASLA Conference in Los Angeles, California. During the conference, the LAEP students won second place in the school spirit award competition, which earned ten free student registrations to the next conference (slated for 2021). Building on that success, the student chapter applied for and was awarded a CREATE 2020 funding that will pay for registration, travel and housing for fifteen students total to the next conference.

The incoming 2020-2021 student ASLA officers include: President-Kali Clarke, President-Elect-Hallee Kinikin, Public Relations Specialist-Gabby Hawkes Blackburn, Professional Development Coordinator-Josh Quigley, TreasurerAlison Gowans, Outreach Coordinator-Helen Lea, Events Coordinator-Chandler Christensen and Secretary-Landis Wenger.

Professor David Anderson serves on the ASLA Utah Executive Committee and continues to strengthen the LAEP connection to the professional community. Professor David Evans serves as the faculty advisor to the student ASLA.

Community Design Teams

The Community Design Team (CDT) program generates costrecovery fees that support the student chapter of the ASLA and match graduate students to funded thesis opportunities. The CDT projects are service-learning experiences that advance leadership and management skills, enrich portfolios, and provide exposure to community engaged planning and design experiences. The fees generated help the student ASLA host extra-curricular social and educational programs and connect the students to the Utah ASLA chapter through the mentorship program and social events.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, the CDT program developed project opportunities for several studio classes. In the Urban Systems, Theory and Design studio, the students completed the Helper City Plan, an analysis, planning and design document that won a 2020 Student ASLA Honor Award from the ASLA Utah Chapter, and the Riverton 2050 plan, a vision for the revitalization of the downtown into a mixed-use, walkable urban center. In the Recreation and Open Space studio, the students completed a collection of master plans for a memorial park in Springdale, and for two neighborhood parks in Mantua. In the Analysis and Design studio, the studio prepared schematic design concepts for a u-pick farm with indoor dining and shopping facilities in Wellsville.

The CDT program matches LAEP graduate students to funded thesis projects. Recent matches include a parksystem master plan update, a water-wise planting document for real estate investors, and a main street revitalization plan for a rural Utah city.

Professional Practice Associate Professor David Evans serves as the faculty advisor to the CDT program, and Travis Lindberg served as the student program manager for the past two years.