SPRING CONFERENCE
8:15 - 9:00am
9:00 - 9:15am
CHECK-IN
WELCOME + INTRODUCTIONS
• Garret Munch, President Iowa ASLA
• Carl Rogers, Chair + Associate Professor, ISU Dept. of Landscape Architecture
9:15 - 10:15am SESSION 1 (1.0 HSW)
One Farm at a Time: The Virtual Demonstration Farm Using 3D Parametric Modeling of Best Management Practices for a Climate Positive Future
Presented by: Caroline Westort, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, ISU
10:15 - 10:30am VENDOR BREAK
10:30 - 11:30am SESSION 2 (1.0 HSW)
Positive Outcomes from Bridging the Urban/Rural Divide
Presented by: Ron Doetch, Solutions in the Land
11:30 - 1:00pm LUNCH + VENDOR BREAK
1:00 - 2:15pm SESSION 3 (1.0 HSW)
Civic Hydrology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Human and Hydrological Systems
Presented by: Sara McMillan, Professor of Agricultural + Biosystems Engineering, ISU and Austin Dunn, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, ISU
2:15 - 2:30pm
2:30 - 3:30pm VENDOR BREAK SESSION 4 (1.0 HSW)
Whiterock Conservancy – A Multi-Use Land Model for a Sustainable, Resilient Future
Presented by: Kate Compton, Executive Director, Whiterock Conservancy
3:30 - 4:45pm CONFERENCE RECEPTION
• Cy’s Lounge + Burnet Alumni Living Room
5:00 - 6:30pm P.H. ELWOOD LECTURE (1.5 HSW)
Narrative-Driven Design: Cultural and Ecological research inspiring Design and Engagement
Presented by: Mark Strieter, Landscape Architect, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Thank you for being part of the ASLA Iowa Chapter and attending our conference!
There are a total of 5.5 CEU/HSW available this year.
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CONFERENCE PRESENTERS:
Caroline Westort, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, ISU
Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Caroline Westort’s work resides at the intersection between algorithm design, agriculture, and mitigating the effects of climate change through landscape design. She earned her MLA from Harvard, and her PhD at the University of Zürich in Switzerland in geospatial data handling and landscape design computing. She has taught design studio and the technical computing sequence here at ISU since 2012. She is currently writing a book on Demonstration Farm Design, employing parametric modeling and interactive 3D visualization techniques.
Ron Doetch, Solutions in the Land
Ron Doetch, managing partner of Solutions in the Land, co-founded the organization in 2011 with James Patchett. Solutions in the Land aims to provide broad-based solutions for the integration of food and farming systems into the future of the built environment, transportation systems, and economic and community development initiatives. Ron, an agronomist, has focused over the past 14 years on designing and implementing regenerative farm plans across the country and particularly in the Midwest that showcase highly integrated and diversified farming operations to create value-added products from species that simultaneously contribute to ecosystem health and create new revenue streams.
Sara McMillan, Professor of Agricultural + Biosystems Engineering, ISU
Sara McMillan is a Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. She is also a Professional Engineer with expertise in ecological restoration and stormwater management. Sara’s research focuses on how humans impact water quality in rivers, lakes, and wetlands and how climate change will affect access to clean water, sustainable food production, and healthy ecosystems. She uses lab and field-based techniques, along with modeling tools, to develop solutions to environmental problems. Her current research focuses on restoring ecosystems to improve water quality, including projects on green infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, and river restoration.
Austin Dunn, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, ISU
Austin Dunn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University. Austin’s work focuses on active transportation projects, such as trail corridors and complete streets. His current scholarship focuses on the intersection of transportation infrastructure, landscape architecture, and design technology. In 2024, he helped lead the inaugural Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop, a program designed to empower local leaders to address critical issues in the built environment.
Kate Compton, Executive Director, Whiterock Conservancy
Whiterock Conservancy’s Executive Director Kate Compton has spent the last 20 years learning and leading Iowa’s efforts to improve and restore our natural resources for a more sustainable and healthier future. Throughout her career, Compton has held a variety of positions helping to expand her knowledge and depth in the field through the Iowa DNR, County Conservation System and other Non-Profit Organizations.
“My time spent with these organizations proved invaluable. I am so fortunate to be able to live my passion and continue to work to improve and protect Iowa’s natural resources, provide immersive environmental education and create new and exciting opportunities for all to enjoy the outdoors! It has been truly exciting to bring my knowledge and experience to Whiterock Conservancy and build on their incredible legacy of ecological restoration, regenerative agriculture and outdoor recreation and education.”
Kate also holds several leadership roles with other organizations such as the Iowa Environmental Council Board of Directors and continues to learn and grow as a leader in Iowa for environmental protection through connecting with unique and diverse partners. In her spare time, Kate enjoys traveling, hiking, biking and kayaking.
Mark Strieter, Landscape Architect, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
For 25 years, Strieter has focused on revitalizing and interpreting complex cultural sites and ecological systems. Using a research-based approach, he creates beautiful and functional design solutions for projects that are culturally responsive and ecologically sustainable. At Nelson Byrd Woltz since 2011, Strieter has designed and managed projects across the United States and abroad, from complex urban public space projects to rural conservation agriculture planning. He and his team currently are working on a variety of significant cultural, public and conservation agriculture landscapes, including The Metropolitan Museum, Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, New York City; Vizcaya House and Gardens, Miami; Filoli Gardens, Woodside, California; Shaker Museum, Mt. Lebanon, New York; and conservation agriculture estate projects in Santa Barbara, California, and Dutchess County, New York.
Among Strieter’s recent project honors are a 2023 McKim, Mead & White Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art for the Jay Heritage Center Gardens; 2023 Georgia ASLA Merit Award for General Design for the Forsyth Park Master Plan; 2023 Urban Land Institute Americas Award of Excellence for Water Street Tampa; 2020 NY ASLA Honor Award: Peabody Essex Museum Garden 2017 ASLA Honor Award: Olana Strategic Landscape Design Plan. Prior to joining Nelson Byrd Woltz, Strieter worked at Oehme and van Sweden in Washington, DC, Thomas Balsley Associates in New York and Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects and Wallace Roberts & Todd in San Diego. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Valparaiso University, Indiana, and a master of landscape architecture from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
