Landscape Architecture Undergraduates Shine at Spring Research Conference

Split image showing a landscape design rendering labeled “Gary Elevated” with highlighted green and community spaces, alongside four students posing together against a brick wall.

Two undergraduate research teams in our Landscape Architecture program were honored for outstanding work at the 2026 Purdue University Spring Undergraduate Research Conference. These prestigious awards competing across the university highlight the extraordinary impact of HLA’s vibrant research culture in landscape architecture, from transforming urban infrastructure to advancing environmental comfort.

Gary ELevated: A Community-Based Approach to Rails to Trails Initiatives

Award: Presentations with High Distinction

This project earned the highest honor for its inspiring exploration of how landscape architecture can revitalize Gary, Indiana. By creatively reimagining abandoned rail corridors as vibrant community assets, the team demonstrated a powerful connection between historical infrastructure and social-ecological progress.

Student Researchers: Grace Marie Caffee, Odin Charles Johnson, Jennifer Audree Kerr, and Grace Anne Ackerman.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aaron Thompson, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Center for Community & Environmental Design (CCED).

Two students give thumbs up in front of a Purdue backdrop, alongside a poster showing a thermal image and data charts titled “Analysis of Playground Materiality.”

Analysis of Playground Materiality: Temperature and Comfortability

Award: Presentations with Distinction

This study brought to light valuable new understandings of playground material and their performance under extreme weather conditions, providing essential data on material selection and its impact on children’s safety and comfort. The team’s evidence-based insights pave the way for the design of climate-resilient public spaces.

Student Researchers: Odin Charles Johnson (presenter), Matthew Alexander Spinazze (presenter), Grace Ackerman and Jennifer Audree Kerr
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yiwei Huang, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Lead of the Supportive Environments and Evidence-based Design (SEED) Lab.

Leading the Way in Research

These honors are a true testament to our students’ passion and persistence, the research growth and capacity in the field of landscape architecture, as well as the outstanding mentorship within the CCED and SEED Lab.