Two graduate students from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development recently completed a nine‑day field visit to Arviat, Nunavut, marking the beginning of a new research initiative examining plastic pollution in Arctic communities. Hannah Walker, MSc student in Rural Planning and Development, and Sofia Ruggiero, a PhD student in Rural Studies, are studying under the supervision of Dr.
Researchers from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development recently shared their work at the Fusion 2026 National Planning Conference in Montréal, Quebec, hosted by the Canadian Institute of Planners and l’Ordre des urbanistes du Québec.
Dean Orr, an MSc (Planning) student, has received the Canadian Institute of Planners Planning Student Trust Fund (CIP-PSTF) Innovation Planning Scholarship. He accepted the national award at the recent Canadian Institute of Planners conference in Montreal, Quebec on July 9, 2026. The scholarship recognizes an outstanding research submission that advances innovation in planning by introducing a new planning concept, solution, refined technique, or a new area of research.
Congratulations to Dr. Charlotte Potter, a graduate of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development’s Doctor of Philosophy in Rural Studies program, on being awarded the 2026 D.F. Forster Doctoral Medal.
Congratulations to our recent Landscape Architecture graduates who were recognized for their outstanding achievements at the Ontario Agricultural College Convocation Awards Ceremony on June 11th, 2026, at the University of Guelph.
The OAC Chanasyk Medal for Professionalism was awarded to Bachelor of Landscape Architecture graduate Faustine Liu and Master of Landscape Architecture graduate Linna Chang in recognition of their professionalism and contributions to the field.
Congratulations to Jessica Kilpatrick on receiving the 2026 Wayne J. Caldwell Prize for Excellence in Rural Planning. This prize is awarded annually to the Master of Science in Rural Planning and Development student who achieves the highest cumulative academic average. Jessica’s accomplishment is a testament to her outstanding academic achievement, dedication, and commitment to the field of rural planning. Named in honour of Wayne J. Caldwell, the award recognizes Dr.
Daniel Layden has been named the 2026 recipient of the CIP-PSTF Outstanding Graduating Student Award, a national honour recognizing exceptional students in accredited Canadian planning programs. Presented by the CIP/ICU Planning Student Trust Fund (CIP-PSTF), the award celebrates graduating students who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the planning profession through academic achievement and broader engagement within their field.
Students, alumni, and faculty from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) at the University of Guelph made important contributions to the 2026 Relational Wellness Conference, co-hosted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, the North Atlantic Forum, and Grenfell Campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland.
SEDRD Professor Dr Chowdhury in Capacity Development and Extension is a co-author of the paper, “Trustworthy AI: AI developers’ lens to implementation challenges and opportunities,” published by ScienceDirect - Data and Information Management (DIM), which is an int