Departmental News & Events


On June 10 – 12, the HLA department hosted 16 high school students for the 4-H Academy. They participated in several activities: Landscape Architecture, student farm tour, Ross-Ade tour, baseball stadium tour, turf center activities, Exploring Plant Natural Product Chemistry, extraction of pigments from leaves, and a tour of the HLA greenhouses. These activities were…Read more about HLA Hosts 4-H Academy “Living Landscapes”[Read More]


Shivika Aggrawal (advised by Dr. Aaron Thompson) and Miné van der Berg (advised by Dr. Lori Hoagland) both successfully passed their preliminary exams in May. Both students are part of the Environmental and Ecological Sciences (ESE) interdisciplinary graduate program while pursuing their degrees in HLA. Congratulations to Shivika and Miné on this significant achievement—we look…Read more about HLA Graduate Students Passes Prelims[Read More]


Isaac Damer officially returned to HLA on June 1st as the Hydroponic Research Operations Administrator. Isaac recently graduated from Purdue this past May, completing his B.S. in Horticulture. He originally joined the Overbeck CEA Facilities in the fall of 2024 and helped manage production during the spring of 2026. During his time as an undergraduate student, he also worked in many different positions within the HLA Department. He joined Dr. Bilenky’s Integrated Cropping Systems Lab as a freshman and spent 2 summers with the lab. For the summer…Read more about Isaac Damer Joins HLA as Hydroponic Research Operations Administrator[Read More]


“In the English Garden” Study Abroad students traveled  from Devizes to Stoke-on-Trent to Banbury this past week. The group explored the impressive castle remains at Kenilworth and the lovely gardens of Rousham Court. Chatsworth Estate and its gardens were immense and gorgeous, and one student may or may not have gotten “lost” walking the entire…Read more about In the English Landscape Study Abroad – Week 2[Read More]



Jared Ponce joined the HLA Horticulture Crops Weed Science Lab this week as a visiting research scholar. Jared was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. He earned his B.S. from the Environmental Engineering program at Zamorano University in 2025, also in Honduras. His short-term goal is to grow into agricultural studies…Read more about Weed Science Lab Welcomes New Visiting Scholar- Jared Ponce[Read More]


During the first week of the In the English Landscape study abroad program, students have immersed themselves in the rich history and beauty of England’s gardens, abbeys, and estates surrounding their home base in Devizes. Each visit has provided new insight into the layered cultural and environmental influences that define the English landscape. Students have…Read more about In the English Landscape Study Abroad – Week 1[Read More]



The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture is pleased to welcome Peng Li as a new graduate student starting this summer. Originally from Harbin, China—known for its famous Ice and Snow Festival—Peng has lived in West Lafayette since 2014. She completed her undergraduate studies at China Agricultural University and Cornell University. Peng is beginning a…Read more about Welcome, Peng Li![Read More]



Page last modified: May 15, 2026

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