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College of Environment and Design

MLA STUDENT DIRECTORY


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Class of 2024

Class of 2025

Class of 2026

Class of 2027

 

Class of 2024

Morgan Burchfiel

Morgan Burchfiel wilcox (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina

Education: Western Carolina University, B.S. Biology; B.A. Spanish

Research Interests:Riparian zone restoration, Public access for disabled persons to ecologically rich environments, Conservation ecology, Sustainable residential design

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

morgan.burchfiel@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Collin Madison

Collin Madison

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Education: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, B.A. Journalism, Advertising & Media Studies, 2018; Minor in General Business, 2018

Research Interests: Community engagement, Hardscapes, Native plantings, Stormwater management

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Fall 2024

collin.madison@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Allison Krausman

Allison Krausman (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Kennesaw, Georgia

Education: University of Georgia, B.A. Ecology, 2018;  B.A. Entertainment & Media Studies, 2018

Research Interests: Sustainable design, Equitable green infrastructure, River and internal waterway restoration, Urban ecology, Urban farming

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

allison.krausman25@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Olivia Rothstein

Olivia Rothstein (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Gainesville, FL

Education: College of Charleston, B.A. Political Science, 2020; B.A. Historic Preservation and Community Planning, 2020

Research Interests: Relationships between monuments/memorials and their urban and natural landscapes, Architectural history, Public spaces

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

olivia.rothstein@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Madison Smrz

Madison Smrz (she/her/hers)

Hometown:Milwaukee, WI 

Education:University of Georgia, B.A. International Affairs, 2021 

Research Interests: Green urbanism, Sustainable development, Biophilic design, Conservation ecology, Environmental psychology 

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

madison.smrz@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Garrison Taylor

Garrison Taylor

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Education: University of Georgia, BFA Printmaking and Book Arts, 2017

Research Interests:  Play, Land art and earthworks, Walking, Mental health and therapeutic gardens, Native and medicinal plants

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

Alex Wright

Alex Wright

Hometown: Warrenton, VA

Education: Virginia Tech, B.S. Real Estate, 2021 

Research Interests: Public space, Urban design, Main street America, Post-industrial landscapes, Native plants, Neighborhood design, Retrofitting suburbia

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

alexwright@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Savannah Alexander

Savannah Alexander (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Clarkesville, GA

Education: Auburn University, B.S. Horticulture, 2022 

Research Interests: Plant communities, Regenerative landscapes, Ecological restoration, Coastal resilience, Stormwater management

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

sna00752@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Gegham Eddie Dadalyan

Gegham "Eddie" Dadalyan

Hometown: Hometown: Goris, Armenia

Education: Masters in Landscape Architecture, 2024 

Research Interests: Landscape Architecture in Volcanic Lands

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

gd24837@uga.edu

Mihir Kothari

Mihir Kothari (he/him/his)

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Education: Bachelor's in Architecture 

Research Interests: Research Interests: Wetland parks and conservation, Urban communal spaces, Urban revitalization projects

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

mihirmkothari1997@uga.edu| mihirkothari1997@gmail.com 

Sandhya Muralidharan

Sandhya Muralidharan (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Chennai, India 

Education: Bachelor's in Architecture 

Research Interests: Creating an active environment through landscape design in major cities

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

gd24837@uga.edu

Yumeng Yumi Sung

Yumeng "Yumi" Sun (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Markham, Ontario

Education: University of Guelph, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2022

Research Interests: Community design, public space, Urban design, Sounds and music in relation with landscape architecture

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

ys85019@uga.edu | ysun20@hotmail.com 

Pengling Xia

Pengling "Roc" Xia (he/him/his)

Hometown: Wuhan, China

Education: Beijing Forestry University, BLA

Research Interests: Participatory design

Double Dawg Track - Intended class of Spring 2024

Pengling.Xia@uga.edu

 

Class of 2025

Hannah Brown

Hannah Brown (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Education:University of Georgia, B.A. Journalism

Research Interests: Urban agriculture, Regenerative design, Ecological restoration, Native plants, Accessibility of public spaces

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

hannahgbrown@uga.edu 

Rachel Dingley

Rachel Dingley (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Canton, Georgia

Education: Berry College, B.A. in Religion and Philosophy, 2018 

Research Interests: Ecological restoration, Historic landscape preservation, Ethnobotany, Public spaces, Accessibility design, Sense of place in landscapes

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

rachel.dingley@uga.edu 

Savannah Alexander

Claire Peterman (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Education: UNC Chapel Hill, B.A. Comparative Literature

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

clairekp@uga.edu 

 

Annalie Pienaar

Annalie Pienaar

Hometown: Athens, Georgia

Education: University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, B.S. Home Economics (Ed), 1993 

Research Interests: Biophilic design, Land art, Sustainability

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

anna.pienaar@uga.edu

Sam Nash Riggs

Sam Nash Riggs (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Education: Valdosta State University, BA in Psychology - Concentration: Behavioral Neuroscience, 2011

Research Interests: Public spaces + urban parks, Nature-based play, Art installations, Systematic processes combining design, Art and ecology, Psychology of people + their environment, Cultural + community representation

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

samnashriggs@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Sarah Rucker

Sarah Rucker

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

srucker@uga.edu 

 

 

 

Sofi Hooks

faeghe Ahmadipoor

Hometown: Iran

Education: Shahid Beheshti University, MSc in Architectural Engineering, 2020 Razi University, BSc in Architectural Engineering, 2017

Research Interests: Urban infill development, Vernacular architecture and Cultural and historic landscape, Environmentally adaptive design, Green infrastructure and climate change adaptation, Housing and community design

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

fa54471@uga.edu.com| LinkedIn 

Will Nickles

will nickles 

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

Education: Clemson University, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, BLA 2023 

Research Interests: Sustainable construction, Economics of project implementation, Green infrastructure

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

wmn49388@uga.edu

Savannah Alexander

Will Spalding

Two-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

William.Spalding@uga.edu

 

 

 

Sofi Hooks

Sofi hooks (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Buford, Ga

Education: Actively pursuing a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture and Masters of Landscape Architecture degree (DoubleDawg) at the University of Georgia 

Research Interests: Implementation practices of medicinal plants (and other fruitful vegetation), Residential design community

Double Dawg Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

Sofi.Hooks@uga.edu | LinkedIn 

Megan Janssen

Megan Janssen (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Decatur, GA 

Education: Actively pursuing a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture and Masters of Landscape Architecture degree (DoubleDawg) at the University of Georgia 

Research Interests: Community design and engagement, Inclusive design, Accessible design, Healthcare design, Graphic communication, and Visualization

Double Dawg Track - Intended class of Spring 2025

Megan.Janssen@uga.edu | LinkedIn 

Neeraj Shetty

Neeraj Shetty (he/him/his)

Hometown: Bengaluru, India 

Education: Bachelor of Architecture, VTU 

Research Interests: Landscape restoration, Landscape urbanism, Communal and institutional landscapes, Integrative design for masterplans, Digital technologies in landscape design

Two Year Track - Intended class of Fall 2025

neerajshetty2024@gmail.com | LinkedIn 

 

Class of 2026

Laura Binford

Laura Binford (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Dothan, Alabama

Education: The University of Montevallo, BA in Political Science

Research Interests: Native plants, Ecological restoration, Community engagement, Ethnobotany, Historic preservation

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

laura.binford@uga.edu

Abby Burts

Abby Burts (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Columbus, GA

Education: BSA in Horticulture from UGA 

Research Interests: Sustainable design, Native and medicinal plants, Historic and cultural preservation, Green urban design, and Biophilic design

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

abby.burts25uga.eduLinkedIn 

Noah Cleveland

Noah Cleveland 

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Education: Montreat College, B.S. of Environmental Science, 2019

Research Interests: Natural infrastructure, Conservation ecology, Landscape psychology

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

nwc36307@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Noah Dilday

Noah Dilday 

Hometown: Clemson, SC

Education: Southern Wesleyan University, Bachelors in Environmental Studies, 2022

Research Interests: Water perception, Landscape perception, Hydroponics, Permaculture, Sustainability, Healing within landscapes

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

noah.dilday@uga.edu

Matt Gauldin

Matt Gauldin (HE/HIM/HIS)

Hometown:Prairie Grove, Arkansas

Education: Undergrad in Geography: Urban and Regional Planning  at BYU 

Research Interests: Psychological benefits of Urban Greenspace, Multimodal Transportation Planning, Cultural Landscape Preservation, and Public Park Design

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

matthew.gauldin@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Khin Thazin Kyaw

Khin Thazin Kyaw

Hometown: Mawlamyine City, Mon state, Myanmar

Education: Electronics Communication Engineering Bachelor degree and Landscape Design and Environment Diploma

Research Interests: Sustainable Urban Landscape Design,  Local plants based design

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

khin.kyaw@uga.edu

Jabari Lottie

Jabari Lottie (HE/HIM/HIS)

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Education: Morehouse College , B.S. Biology, 2022 

Research Interests: Water Management, Horticulture, Therapeutic/Edible Gardens, Environmental Psychology, Natural Resource Policy, Sustainable Investing

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

Jl07854@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Lauren Anderson Pirkle

Lauren Anderson Pirkle, AICP

Hometown: Macon, GA

Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, Master of City and Regional Planning, 2021 University of Georgia, B.A. International Affairs, 2013  

Research Interests: Cultural landscapes and public memory, Biophilic and community design, Ecological restoration, Parks and trails planning, Climate change and environmental justice, Nature and mental health

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

lander26@uga.edu LinkedIn 

Jaimie Rike

Jamie Rike (she/her/hers)

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia

Education: B.S. Agricultural Technology & Management, University of Arizona

Research Interests: Native planting design, Sustainable urban agriculture, Green infrastructure, Ethnobotany, Urban ecological restoration, Cultural landscapes.

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

jrike@uga.edu

India Saxena

India Saxena (HE/HIM/HIS)

Hometown: Jasper, Georgia

Education: Master of Landscape Architecture

Research Interests: Site planning, Living space design, Agriculture, Native plant communities

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2026

india.saxena@uga.edu 

 

Class of 2027

Lauren Anderson Pirkle

Christopher Boyette (He/Him/his)

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Education: B.B.A. in Management - Kennesaw State University

Research Interests: Green Infrastructure, Biophilic design, Regenerative systems, Native plant communities

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2027

christipher.boyette@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Astrid Breutzman

Astrid Breutzman (SHe/Her/hers)

Hometown: Anchorage, AK

Education: University of Alaska, Anchorage, BS in Biological Sciences; Permaculture Design Course Certificate, OSU; Gwinnett Technical College, AAS in Horticulture, Landscape Design & Floral Design

Research Interests: Cultural landscapes, Biophilic design, Ecological restoration, Post industrial landscapes, Therapeutic gardens + horticultural therapy, Permaculture, Pollinator gardens, Sustainable + regenerative design, Public parks + trails

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2027

astrid.breutzman@uga.eduLinkedIn 

Joseph Starling

Joseph Starling (He/Him/his)

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Education: Undergraduate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Research Interests: Regenerative infrastructure, Community building

Three-Year Track - Intended class of Spring 2027

joseph.starling@uga.edu 


 

More to come!

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