News related to SEDRD

Congratulations to Open Learning and Educational Support, with collaboration from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, and instructor Marianne Staempfli, who submitted the online undergraduate course EDRD*4010 DE – “Tourism Planning in the Less Developed World” to Quality Matters (QM) for course review.   This is the first Canadian course that has achieved the Quality Matters (QM) Certification Mark and the first one at the University of Guelph to be certified.

Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Maurice Nelischer, Director of Sustainability and Professor Emeritus in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph, about involving the whole campus community in sustainability.

Professor Harry Cummings with Rural Planning and Development graduate students, April Smith and Aimee Alderman from his EDRD*6690 Programme Evaluation class, are helping the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health Unit in a healthy kids programme in North Wellington. The Health Unit and the community have identified childhood obesity as an issue. An international model, EPODE, ‘Ensemble Prévenons l'Obésité Des Enfants’, (Together Let's Prevent Childhood Obesity), developed in France to deal with the issue is being applied.

Graduate Students Hosted 2nd Annual SEDRD Conference

As a unique interdisciplinary department at the University of Guelph, the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) brings together rural studies, landscape architecture, planning, and capacity development to look at rural development from various angles. Last year, the SEDRD annual conference served as a forum for student researchers from the four above-mentioned programs to present research, foster connections, and exchange ideas. The success of last year’s conference was repeated and topped this year.

Pre-eminent Canadian gardening professional Mark Cullen will visit the University of Guelph on Tuesday, March 3. Cullen, who is well-known for his expertise and advice in gardening, horticulture, and garden design, will speak to landscape architecture students about the real world of work in these fields, offering advice to those beginning their professional careers.

All are welcome to hear from Mark Cullen at 11:30 am in the Landscape Architecture building.  More information see SEDRD upcoming events.

The School of Environmental Design & Rural Development's (SEDRD) Capacity Development and Extension (CDE) program recently donated its entire radio production studio to CFRU 93.3 FM, the University of Guelph campus radio station, including all audio production hardware and software previously installed in the Media Lab at the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.  

Every fall semester, the third year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) students complete a community engagement project in Dr. Karen Landman’s design studio class. In fall 2014, the undergraduate students had the opportunity to work with Woolwich Dairy’s industrial-park property near Orangeville, Ontario. The students were asked to apply their design skills and creativity in order to transform 4 acres of former farmland into a ‘pollinator paradise’.

Congratulations to the following School of Environmental Design and Rural Development undergraduate and graduate students who received the following awards at the Ontario Agriculture College fall awards celebration banquet which were held on November 18 and December 2, 2014:

In 2014 the Landscape Architecture programs at the University of Guelph established the first chapter of the Honor Society of Landscape Architects, Sigma Lambda Alpha, outside of the United States. The society, like other professional honour societies, recognizes leadership and scholarship among the student body. Sigma Lambda Alpha is the only honour society for landscape architecture and it has more than fifty chapters and 8,000 members - it’s name figuratively represents the the society: Scholar, Landscape Architect.

Mike Salisbury has been re-elected Councillor for City of Guelph’s Ward 4.  Mike is a specialist in the design and development of natural playgrounds and outdoor learning environments for schools, daycare centres and municipalities across North America.  He served as a Councillor for Ward 4 between 2006 and 2010 and will now serve a second term.  He entered the Master of Planning program in the fall of 2013.  Mike also has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Guelph.