About Us
Sustainable Environments studio
Stewart and Wagner are both faculty in the Sustainable Environments program at the College of Design at Iowa State University. This spring they are co-teaching a studio course consisting of four Masters of Design Sustainable Environments students and two Master of Landscape Architecture students. Students in the course are engaged in developing education and outreach materials and will be designing and building the vegetated floating islands. ISU’s Limnology Laboratory, directed by Dr. John Downing, will help the group with water quality and vegetation analysis for the duration of the project.
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People
Mimi Wagner is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Environments Program and Landscape Architecture Department in Iowa State University.
Her research interests include Community design balancing ecological, social, and economic needs; integration of social science theories into design process; effects of landscape change on people; marginalized communities; public open space design; natural resource conservation; landscape reconstruction and management. Professor Mimi Wagner is a principal researcher of Lake LaVerne Vegetated Floating Islands(VFIs) project. She is also the instructor of Sus E 501. |
Shannon Hoy is a third year Landscape Architecture graduate student at Iowa State University. She currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and is particularly interested in designing healthier, and more sustainable communities.
Her interest in Vegetated Floating Islands (VFIs) stems from an Advanced Plant Technologies course (LA 522x), as well as her background at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, where she worked on a Statewide Floodplain Mapping project. Shannon is looking forward to the Lake LaVerne VFI Launch, and is interested to see how much the water quality of Lake LaVerne improves as a result. |
Tara Bounds is finishing up her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture at Iowa State. She earned a BFA in Fine Art, Drawing and a BA in Field Ecology and Nature Illustration from Drake University. She has worked for private and government organizations as graphic designer, prairie restoration technician, biology intern, and Iowa native plants greenhouse manager.
Recently Tara has had the opportunity to research the use of native Carex species in landscape design, and lead planting design and installation of a restorative outdoor classroom at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW) in Mitchellville, IA. She is thrilled to be applying her knowledge of plants and exploring an innovative method for improving water quality in Iowa through the Lake LaVerne Floating Islands project. |
Shelley Vrchota is part of the first cohort of students in the Master of Design in Sustainable Environments (MDesSE) program at Iowa State University. Shelley holds a BS in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University, with emphases in smart growth and sustainable communities. The courses Shelley has learned the most from in his educational experience were interdisciplinary studios involving people from different backgrounds contributing their expertise towards a shared design goal. The MDesSE program facilitates an interdisciplinary approach to achieving sustainability in our communities through design.
Within the greater practice of sustainability, Shelley’s specific interests are in environmental education opportunities for young people, as well as how our built environment influences the human ability to make sustainable lifestyle choices. |
Rebekka Brown is a student in the Master of Design in Sustainable Environments (MDesSE) program at Iowa State University. She received her Bachelors of Industrial Design in 2013, also at Iowa State.Bekka is particularly interested in applying her industrial design skills to efforts that promote a positive balance of environmental, social, and economic needs. She is currently researching sound and place attachment, public art, and feminist theories of sustainability.
Other interests include graphic design, integrated arts, teaching herself random skills that seem snazzy, and reading comic books. She looks forward to seeing how human behavior will be influenced by the VFI initiative. |