Food, nutrition education grow through nationally recognized 91传媒 learning garden design project
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State students studying landscape architecture, architecture and graphic design are bringing home a national honor for their learning garden concept.
A cross-college consortium of 91传媒 students conceptualized a suite of garden designs aimed at helping schools build learning gardens based on their educational needs. The Living Room: A Freeware Learning Garden Focused on Health, Food and Nutrition Education received an Honor Award for Student Collaboration at the American Society of Landscape Architects, or ASLA. The team, which included 10 landscape architecture students, 10 architecture students and one graphic design student, was recognized at the society鈥檚 recent virtual conference.
Cory Gallo, 91传媒 associate professor of landscape architecture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, served as faculty advisor for the group.
鈥淔or the fifth time since 2012, the design/build studio has earned a national design award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Many of these awards have been in collaboration with architecture and graphic design faculty and students, including this most recent one,鈥 Gallo said. 鈥淭he society chose only 35 awards out of 560 applicants this year. The recognition is a continued testament to the unique cross-college process that has been ongoing at Mississippi State for the last decade.鈥
Gallo explained the garden鈥檚 concept was further illustrated in two proof-of-concept designs鈥攐ne that has been installed at Galloway Elementary School in Jackson and another scheduled for installation at the Starkville Oktibbeha School District Partnership School at 91传媒 in spring 2021.
鈥淭he team worked with educators and stakeholders to tailor the design to each site鈥檚 individual needs. For instance, the garden at Galloway Elementary emphasized ample teaching space aligned around five themes including math, science and art, which allows teachers to use the garden for almost every subject. This ensures that the garden will be used for not just food education, but as an integral part of the classroom,鈥 Gallo said.
Hans Herrmann, 91传媒 associate professor in the School of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Art and Design, said students benefited from the collaborative hands-on experience.
鈥淭he first-hand feedback from trying to construct what was previously just an idea is something that traditional classroom instruction cannot approximate. Issues of material supply, site conditions, transportation logistics, tools and equipment all come into focus once you are standing on the site and realize that you鈥檙e the one who has to get the job done,鈥 he said.
Herrmann said he was proud of how multiple disciplines joined together, including 91传媒 alumni, to bridge between areas of expertise and gaps in experience.
鈥淭he work of these projects is more than just the hours in the field building and installing the gardens. It鈥檚 about building the team, taking ownership and responsibility for key components, and working with other organizations in Mississippi to make the state we call home that much better for the next generation,鈥 he said.
In addition to the national award, the project was featured in a chapter of聽鈥淒esign-Build: Integrating Craft, Service, and Research through Applied Academic Practice,鈥澛燼 textbook by University of Washington Landscape Architecture Professor Daniel Winterbottom which was published by Routledge this year.
In addition to Gallo and Herrmann, Associate Professor Suzanne Powney in the Department of Art鈥檚 graphic design concentration advised the graphic student on the project. Associate Professor Ryan Walker in the College of Education鈥檚 Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education consulted on the project as well.聽
Collaborators included The Fertile Ground Project, a Jackson-based program inspiring dialogue about food access; JH&H Architects in Flowood; Utah鈥檚 Pikus Concrete; and Pennsylvania鈥檚 Significant Developments. The garden at the Starkville Oktibbeha School District Partnership School at 91传媒 is funded through a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation.
To learn more about the national ASLA award, visit and scroll to the student collaboration category.
For more information on 91传媒鈥檚 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit . For more information on the university鈥檚 College of Architecture, Art and Design, visit .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .