Correction: This story has been updated from its original version to reflect that Dane Carlson is a student in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Meg Calkins is an associate professor of landscape architecture.
An honors award given out by the American Society of Landscape Architecture was won by an undergraduate student this year, an unusual outcome for a competition normally dominated by graduate students.
Dane Carlson, landscape architecture student, was one of 13 to win an honor award in the general design category given out by ASLA. He was the only student from Ball State to win an award.
"The competition in general is intimidating because it's on a national level," he said. "It's pretty highly publicized. ... "I don't think that it ever occurred to me that I wouldn't enter my project just because it was intimidating. It makes the stakes even higher; it makes the award mean even more because it's so competitive."
Eight out of the 13 winners are studying at either Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Pennsylvania or Louisiana State University, which are the most prestigious landscape architecture schools in the nation, Carlson said.
GENESIS OF THE PROJECT
The project was Carlson's thesis project, which he had a year to complete. The first semester was used as a research and development stage while the second semester was used as a studio for the project. For this reason, Carlson was confident when submitting his entry.
"Basically the research background for my project was very strong," he said. "The design background was able to have a lot more development than I'd ever put into any project just because there was so much more time available. It was definitely the most developed and most intently research-based project I'd ever submitted."
The project revolved around designing a plan for "gradual remediation" at an existing coal generating station in Michigan City, Ind. The site is near the shoreline of Lake Michigan and is polluting the ground and water. Carlson's project aimed to develop a futuristic scenario that would reverse the community's environmental and cultural degradation.
"It occurred to me that the lake is the most important cultural aspect that northern Indiana has," Carlson said. "I wanted to understand how I could help it rather than hinder it."
The project ended up being a "cornucopia of several different programs," Carlson said.
Carlson chose Meg Calkins, associate professor of landscape architecture, to be his faculty adviser. Calkins is very pleased but not surprised that Carlson won an award, despite being an undergraduate.
"I think it really shows the sophistication of Dane's abilities," Calkins said. "Even though he's young, he's just an undergraduate, I think he has a pretty intellectual approach to design in addition to design talent. I think he's able to be competitive with graduate students."
This sophistication did not only come from natural talent, Calkins said.
"I think it speaks a lot to Ball State's department of architecture that he won because I think the department prepares him very well," Calkins said. "He has a lot of natural talent and high intellectual abilities, but I think he also got a good education at Ball State."
Carlson said he's proud of the fact that he helped the landscape architecture profession recognize Ball State.
"Ball State's landscape architecture program is one of, if not, the most consistently nationally ranked programs in the entire university," Carlson said. "I don't think it gets enough publicity for that ranking. I'm glad to be able to bring some attention to the strength of our department and the quality work that comes out of it."
Details and accompanying graphics from the entry can be found at asla.org.
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