Each fall, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) hosts a national conference for landscape architect professionals, educators, industry partners and students. From Oct. 8 to 13, CED faculty, students and alumni traveled to New Orleans for ASLA 2025: Beyond Boundaries.
With endless opportunities to explore and learn from the brightest in the industry, this is what the CED was up to at ASLA 2025!
Sketch Walks
On Thursday, Oct. 9, lecturer Cameron Berglund co-led a student sketch walk of over 300 attendees. Berglund guided participants along the New Orleans riverfront, helping them perfect their landscape sketching skills.
“Empowering students to develop their site-seeing and drawing skills is one of my favorite things I get to do as a landscape architect educator,” said Berglund.
The student sketch walk wasn’t the only walk Berglund led.
“I also co-lead the professional sketch-walk alongside some AMAZING ‘sketchy’ leaders in our industry,” said Berglund. “We explored the Roots of Jazz through a day-long sketch tour of some of NOLA’s most iconic and influential spaces. From Jackson Square, to Riverboats, to busking jazz musicians, we took down on paper some of the ‘soul of New Orleans’!”
Photos from both sketch walks. (PC: Cameron Berglund and nobilephoto/ASLA)
Want to sketch with Berglund in Athens? Join the AthSketch for on-the-scene group sketching all over campus!
Bulldogs and Beignets
On Friday night, over 100 faculty, students and alumni gathered at Brewery Saint X for a joint social with ASLA Georgia, enjoying a night of Bulldog camaraderie, socializing and networking ahead of the conference’s start.
Thank you to Amanda Wilson, CED’s development associate, for organizing such a wonderful event!
Students, faculty and alumni at the Bulldog and Beignets mixer on Oct. 10. (PC: Ryan Wright)
Students @ ASLA
This year, a group of 45 students attended ASLA, attending sessions, exploring the conference’s Expo and competing against other landscape architecture programs in a spirit competition at the LABash Block Party. This year, UGA took home third place, thanks to the larger-than-life cutouts of CED alum and ASLA National President Kona Gray.
CED students take over the Expo at ASLA and take home third place at the ASLA block party. (PC: Dailey Jackson and nobilephoto/ASLA)
Dailey Jackson, a BLA student, has attended the conference four times.
“The ASLA conference is always my favorite landscape architecture event of the year,” said Jackson. “It’s such a joy to meet up with landscape architecture students and professionals from across the country and hear about their projects, stories, and experiences.”
Faculty Lead AI Conversations
Throughout the conference, several of our faculty presented at various sessions. Senior lecturer Donnie Longenecker presented two LARE prep sessions, and co-led a packed session on Emergent AI in Professional Practice. In his session on emergent AI, Longenecker presented findings from his group of BLA students that explored the use of generative AI in the design process. Longenecker’s goal was to use the students’ experiences as a “consumer testing group” to report back to professionals in the field.
“The first thing I started to think about is ‘how can I take this [AI technology] and bring it home to put my alma mater, the University of Georgia, at the forefront of AI and equipping our students to be successful in the use of this technology in landscape architecture,’” said Longenecker on his decision to incorporate AI tool testing in his studios.
Assistant professor and MLA director Jessica Fernandez also co-led a session on AI in Landscape Architecture, “Staying in the Loop: Balancing Automation and Identity in the AI-LA Era.” Fernandez’s session looked at how the growing prevalence of AI is impacting professionals’ identities as landscape architects. Read more about Fernandez’s ongoing research on this area here.
Left to right: Jessica Fernandez speaks on AI and identity, Donnie Longenecker with co-presenters Jenn Becker and Daniel Tal, Fernandez with students and faculty following her presentation. (PC: Jessica Fernandez, Donnie Longenecker, Dailey Jackson)
Steffens Sworn into Second Term as VP of Education
Ashley Steffens, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs was sworn into her second term as VP of Education at ASLA 2025. As VP of Education, Steffens was part of discussions around national issues impacting landscape architecture. One of the exciting things presented was the news that ASLA partnered with America By Design, a CBS television show highlighting architecture. Steffens is lobbying for landscape architecture programs to be added to the show’s programming.
Left to Right: Ashley Steffens at a session, Steffens sworn into next term as VP of Education, Steffens at the Expo. (PC: nobilephoto/ASLA, Ashley Steffens)
CED Alumni Honored as ASLA Fellows
On Sunday, two CED alumni were officially inducted into the Council of Fellows. ASLA Fellowship is one of the highest honors to be bestowed upon an ASLA member.
Ann English (MLA ‘88) is a landscape architect at the Maryland Department of Environmental Protection, where she works as the manager of the RainScapes program in Montgomery County. Rick Huffman (BLA ’93) is the founder of the landscape architecture firm Earth Design and the South Carolina Native Plant Society.
Congratulations on this lifetime achievement!
Ann English (left) and Rick Huffman (right) are inducted as ASLA Fellows. (PC: nobilephoto/ASLA)
