Climate march 2019

Dean's Letter

As I think about the challenges brought about by the pandemic, as well as the continuing environmental threats our planet faces, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be part of the SEAS community. The resilience and dedication to solving the world’s pressing issues, even in the midst of adversity, makes me proud to be your dean.
Professor Emeritus Bob Grese lectures to a Landscape Architect student in Radrick Forest.

Dana Sphere

Research highlights and other updates from around the Dana Building.

FEATURE STORIES

Students enjoying a Chiapas Educational Gardens Network meeting in Mexico. Photo: Alejandro Caputo

Back to the Garden

Age-old farming methods in Chiapas, Mexico—including those variations practiced by Maya, Zoque, and mestizo cultural groups—draw interest from agroecological researchers like Helda Morales (PhD ’98) and Bruce Ferguson (MSc ’95), who train educators to use school gardens and local food systems as venues for experiential learning.

Arlin Wasserman

Food Sustainability and Changing Tastes

SEAS graduate Arlin Wasserman (MS ’90, MPH ’91) makes it his business to study and understand changes in the food industry, given his role as the founder and partner of Changing Tastes, “a strategy, culinary, and sustainability consultancy creating successful ventures and meaningful change in the food sector.”

Jannice Newson (MS '20) and Nana Britwum (MS '20)

Making it Their Business

Through an unexpected moment of shared inspiration, Jannice Newson (MS ’20) is now co-founder of Lillian Augusta, a company that is developing a plant-based, 100 percent biodegradable braided hair product for Black women. And if the start-up’s success in receiving $100,000 in funding is any indication, it’s an idea whose time has come.

Greenswap app

Tracking the Carbon Footprint of Food

One of the questions that sustainability entrepreneur Ajay Varadharajan (MS/MSE ’11) gets asked most often is which lifestyle changes have the biggest impact on climate change. Varadharajan, whose clients include food companies for whom he’s developed sustainability strategies, decided to meet the growing interest in a sustainable lifestyle by focusing on one aspect of it: food.

landscape architecture collage

The Legacy of Landscape

We focus on the Master of Landscape Architecture program at SEAS, and share a few highlights of how today’s alumni, faculty and students continue to build upon the program's legacy with fresh thinking, creative design and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

UM-SEAS-Resilience Project logo

Citizen-Designed Neighborhood Resilience

Help citizens help themselves. That’s the intent behind neighborhood resilience, a planning initiative in which communities become climate resilient in order to more effectively respond to and rebound from natural or other disasters.

class-notes-2020

Class Notes

A compilation of news and updates from SEAS and PitE alumni, all in one spot.