Announcing LAF's 2012 Olmsted Scholars

The Landscape Architecture Foundation is pleased to announce the winner and finalists for its 2012 Olmsted Scholars Program, the premier leadership recognition program for landscape architecture students.

Jack Ohly, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, was selected as the 2012 National Olmsted Scholar and recipient of the $25,000 award. Jack will receive a Master's of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning degree in May and plans to use the award to build on his previous work in agroforestry and community development in Northeastern Brazil to develop a set of regionally appropriate models for more ecologically and culturally vibrant public space.

Also honored are four National Olmsted Scholar Finalists, who each receive a $1,000 award.

An independent jury of leaders in the landscape architecture profession selected the winner and finalists from a group of 46 graduate and undergraduate students who were nominated by their faculty for being exceptional student leaders. These top students earned the designation of 2012 LAF Olmsted Scholars and join the growing community of 175 past and present Olmsted Scholars. See all past finalists and winners here.

Now in its fifth year, the Olmsted Scholars Program honors students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits. Past National Olmsted Scholars include Andrea Gaffney from the University of California, Berkeley (2008), David Malda from the University of Virginia (2009), Emily Vogler from the University of Pennsylvania (2010), and Kate Tooke from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2011).

2012 LAF OLMSTED SCHOLARS

Kjirsten Alexander, The City College of New York | Ryan Ball, University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Jim Brown, Morgan State University | Christopher Cabezas, Florida International University | Laura Culver, University of Oregon | Brian Curry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | Seth Denizen, University of Virginia | Lu Ding, University of Idaho | Jeffrey Dzikowski, Utah State University | Steven Eilers, Oklahoma State University

Peter Ellery, Ball State University | Jennifer Engelke, Kansas State University | Heather Faivre, University of Illinois | Colby Fangman, Iowa State University | Matthew Gonser, Cornell University | Walter Graeber, University of Wisconsin | Christie Green, University of New Mexico | Sean Haviland, Clemson University | Caitlin Jackson, Michigan State University | Brenna Jones, University of California, Davis

Brett Kordenbrock, The Ohio State University | Elaine Kramer, Chatham University | Taylor Ladd, University of Georgia | Thomas Mahone, Philadelphia University | Nhasala Manandhar, University of Texas at Arlington | Benjamin Matthews, University of Toronto | Matt McCreary, Texas A&M University | Patsy McEntee-Shaffer, University of Colorado-Denver | Preston Montague, North Carolina State University | Kristen Murray, University of Minnesota

Christopher Murton, University of Texas at Austin | Sandra Nam , Virginia Tech | Jana Perser, Cal Poly Pomona | Benjamin Roush, North Carolina A&T State University | Caitlin Smith, Pennsylvania State University | Shawn Stankewich, University of Manitoba | Lee Streitz, University of Arizona | Chris Torres, University of California, Berkeley | Lucy Wang, University of Maryland | Yifei (Wendy) Wang, Purdue University

Kelley Woodacre, University of Rhode Island

THANK YOU TO OUR 2012 JURY

The 2012 jury members were:

• Lucinda Sanders, FASLA, President, LAF Board of Directors and CEO, OLIN
• Tom Tavella, FASLA, President-Elect, ASLA and Director of Design, Fuss&O’Neill
• Joseph J. Lalli, FASLA, President and CEO, EDSA
• Douglas Reed, FASLA, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand
• Joseph Ragsdale, ASLA, FAAR, Interim Department Head and Associate Professor, Cal Poly Pomona
• Brad McKee, Editor-in-Chief, Landscape Architecture Magazine
• Kate Tooke, 2011 National Olmsted Scholar and Design Associate at Dodson & Flinker Associates.