The inaugural class welcomed 10 students and has since graduated more than 150 professionals. Currently, the program supports over 40 full-time students, attracting candidates from a variety of backgrounds, as the curriculum delves into the breadth of the field.

鈥淲e are exposing students to the different career outcomes in landscape architecture,鈥� said Director Gale Fulton. 鈥淲e are enhancing our students’ education through the diverse research of our faculty, interdisciplinary projects across campus, and prioritizing regional travel which has led to students thinking about the potential of landscape architecture very differently than they do prior to starting the program.鈥�

As a part of its curriculum, the school provides significant opportunity and support for travel. This semester鈥檚 Landscapes in Transition studio, led by Assistant Professors Scottie McDaniel and Sarah Bolivar, took first-year students to Hot Springs, North Carolina, to engage in close studies of its landscapes. Fellow Chad Manley and Assistant Professor Faye Nixon鈥檚 second-year studio, Crafting Appalachia, visited sites across seven states where students met with a wide range of individuals and groups engaged in landscape-related projects across the Appalachian region.

The school has expanded its financial investment in students鈥� experience to include subsidizing the cost to attend the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) national conference. This semester, with additional support from the college and Tennessee ASLA chapter, the school funded more than 20 students鈥� travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where students experienced new landscapes, networked with professionals and alums, and learned about the expanded scope of contemporary landscape architecture.

鈥淲e are focused on tuning students into the world around them and inspiring them to see how important it is to travel and see landscapes and cities,鈥� said Fulton. 鈥淢any of our students have not had the opportunity to travel to the places that we’re able to get them to, and we鈥檙e trying to extend the time of these trips so that they have time to slow down and see places more critically.鈥�

Fulton credits the school鈥檚 diverse faculty and their research as an added benefit for students developing a broad understanding of the field. This fall, the school grew to house four full-time tenure-track professors, a fellow, and two lecturers. These new faculty are currently pursuing diverse research interests including:

Assistant Professor Andrew Madl has actively pursued publications since starting at UT. In spring 2021, he published his first book, Parametric Design for Landscape Architects: Computational Techniques and Workflows, describing computational workflows and processes in the study and design of landscape architecture. Madl is currently working on a graphic novel on speculative landscapes of the Southwest United States.

Earlier this semester, Madl co-facilitated the college鈥檚 bi-annual symposium, Speculative Landscapes: Conversations on Future Thinking. The symposium focused on how landscape architects and designers think about the future and their role as well as the implementation and evolution of the landscapes they conjure and construct.

McDaniel鈥檚 research focuses on land practices of the South with an emphasis on the southern highlands. Her recent exhibition, Rural Ways, featured recurrent Appalachian artifacts to give audiences a deeper understanding of embedded rural knowledge through hands-on materials. McDaniel is currently collaborating with the university鈥檚 Department of Geography and Sustainability on research related to the region.听

Bolivar and Nixon joined the college earlier this semester. Prior to UT, Bolivar worked in private and public planning and design with AECOM and the Central Park Conservancy. Earlier this month, Bolivar was co-awarded a $40,000 grant from the Tennessee RiverLine and One Health Initiative for a collaborative project that will prototype floating wetland and shoreline modules along the Third Creek Greenway.

鈥淎lthough I have only been here a few months, it’s evident how eager and ambitious people are to create social and ecological impact at multiple scales,鈥� said Bolivar. 鈥淚 have had opportunities to chat with people in ecology, sociology, engineering, and other departments. This collaborative and open culture reaffirms my commitment and excitement to be teaching at UT.鈥�

Nixon came to the university after working as a landscape designer for the non-profit planning and design firm Kounkuey Design Initiative in Los Angeles and for the Oslo-based office of Sn酶hetta. She co-taught remotely for the school during the pandemic, and her positive experience later led her to apply for the full-time opportunity.

As a part of the Speculative Landscapes symposium, Nixon presented some of her early research ruminations into shifting nature-culture relations within the context of technologically mediated and virtual environments designed for immersive play.

Each of the faculty鈥檚 research efforts has already begun to develop connections across campus and in the community that will establish interdisciplinary studios and research initiatives.

鈥淥ur faculty are continuing the school鈥檚 commitment to shaping regional and local landscapes and cultures,鈥� said Fulton. 鈥淥ur growth has broadened the school鈥檚 research and teaching capabilities and, ultimately, will lead us to expand landscape architecture education at UT.鈥�

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Architecture

Frances Hsu is an assistant professor at UT. She formerly taught at Marywood University School of Architecture, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Aalto University. She is a licensed architect, designer and scholar whose work, at multiple scales, explores architecture and urbanism from a territorial perspective. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Architectural Education, Clog, Footprint, Contemporary Architectural Education Journal, The Cambridge Architectural Journal, and others. She worked as a designer at OMA and UN Studio. She also has presented and published on hybrid research-design practice.

Julie Kress is the school鈥檚 next Tennessee Architecture Fellow. She has already made a mark at the school and college as a lecturer and curator. Her fellowship project will bring a curator鈥檚 instinct to index, catalog, and collect animate modes of production and match that with her experience as a prolific maker. While Kress鈥� work will see her in dialogue with a rich contemporary tradition of digital animate form, her pursuits demand an expansive field of architecture that includes experiences, materiality, tectonics, joinery and effect.

Jeremy Magner has been appointed assistant professor after serving as lecturer in the school and a Tennessee Architecture Fellow from 2020-2022. In his teaching, research, and practice, Magner challenges conventional boundaries between designer and builder with the aim of developing a deeper engagement with the means of production of architecture and its consequences鈥攈uman, material, and ecological. In 2015, he was selected as an artist-in-residence and affiliated artist at AUTODESK Pier 9 Workshop and for many years managed project fabrication and design for notable firms including robotics-leader Machineous as well as Gensler, Morphosis and others.鈦�

Assistant Professor Micah Rutenberg previously served as a lecturer of architecture at UT, where he鈥檚 been teaching and conducting research on the infrastructural, technological, and ecological arrays that shape patterns of urbanization and territorial administration in the Tennessee Valley region. He was awarded the 2017-2018 Tennessee Architecture Fellowship, during which time he executed, Techno-Scientific Petting Zoo of the Anthropogenic Sublime, a speculative design-research project that seeks to re-frame the relationship between natural, cultural, and technological systems surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He is co-authoring, “The Logistics of Mechanized Landscapes: Mapping the TVA,” and is currently in development on a Regional Globalism book, in connection with the college鈥檚 two interdisciplinary symposia which was held under his co-leadership.

Mark Stanley has been promoted to assistant professor after serving as senior lecturer in the School of Architecture. He is the co-founder of StudioMARS, a speculative design-research practice. Stanley鈥檚 research and teaching studies architecture鈥檚 entanglements with larger systems of culture, technology, and ecology. His projects imagine the agency of architecture and the architect within these relationships and are often produced as speculative design conveyed through experimental representation where architecture is often one part of a larger critical project grappling with the present conditions of a collective existence in the 21st Century.

Associate Professor Catty Dan Zhang comes to UT from UNC Charlotte. She鈥檚 the founder of Temporary Office, a practice that explores architecture and digital technology through the production of exhibitions, objects, drawings, animations, installations and writings. Zhang鈥檚 recent solo exhibition 鈥淏ubble Bath / Interior Cities 0.5鈥� was on display at the MetroLab at Florida Atlantic University. Her design work has also been featured in group exhibitions at the 鈥楾鈥� Space, London Design Festival, Carnegie Museum of Arts, A+D Museum, Harvard GSD, among other institutions. Her recent work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, as well as several institutional grants during 2017-2023. Zhang was a finalist of the Harvard GSD鈥檚 Wheelwright Prize in 2018 and 2021. She was awarded the first prize in the Pamphlet Architecture 37 competition and is the author of the forthcoming volume in the Pamphlet Architecture series.

Design

Timothy Arment transitions into a new role in the school as the Digital Futures Fellow overseeing the forthcoming Digital Futures Lab. Arment has served as a lecturer in the school since 2019. His fine art practice typically uses software and cutting-edge technology to investigate the boundaries of reality and perception.

Matthew Flores is the 2023鈥�25 Fellow in the 澳门六合彩开奖结果, interdisciplinary artist and designer. His studio practice is rooted in strategies of misdirection and appropriation, and orbits around an interest in how the art viewing experience can be analogized with the format of jokes, performance, and the theatrical. He was awarded the 2023 Idea Capital Atlanta Creative Grant, a Creative Residency Fellowship at Hambidge Center for Creative Arts, selected as one of Atlanta Celebrates Photography鈥檚 2019 Ones to Watch, and attended a 2023 Residency at The Luminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Landscape Architecture

Sarah Bolivar is an assistant professor of landscape architecture whose research explores how individual and collective actions can support migrating plants and wildlife, and by extension, the palpable and cultural meaning they hold in people鈥檚 lives. Bolivar has worked on drinking water resource management with the local government in Bellingham, Washington, landscape conservation and design with the Central Park Conservancy, and private and public planning and development with AECOM. Her process emphasizes multimedia storytelling as a tool for building participatory and inclusive environments whereby the public imagination can conceive more porous, hybrid, and resilient landscapes.

Farre 鈥淔aye鈥� Nixon joins the college as an assistant professor after working as a landscape designer for the non-profit planning and design firm Kounkuey Design Initiative in Los Angeles and for the Oslo-based office of Sn酶hetta. Nixon believes that the transdisciplinary work required to address the challenges of the Anthropocene presents an opportunity to enrich and transform the design practice. As such, her research includes investigating speculative and critical design methodologies, using creative writing techniques such as worldbuilding as a design tool, interrogating the ways emerging technologies and design intersect, and co-designing with humans and their non-human counterparts within the context of uncertain climate futures.

Andrew Madl previously served as a lecturer and adjunct faculty member in the school since 2017 and has been appointed assistant professor. His work focuses on the exploration and registration of computation/advanced digital technologies in the landscape. Within his research, Madl seeks to expose landscape consequences through schemas at the confluence of, and in response to, monumental technological advancements ranging from the nuclear bomb to artificial intelligence. He is currently working on a graphic novel with AR+D publishing, presenting speculative landscape scenarios for nuclear test sites in the western United States. He has recently authored and published 鈥淧arametric Design for Landscape Architects: Computational Techniques and Workflows.鈥�

Scottie McDaniel has been promoted to assistant professor after serving the school as a lecturer and adjunct faculty member since 2018. Her research is situated on land practices of the South with an emphasis on the southern highlands, a region she loves and understands is riddled with nuance, contradiction, and lingering trauma. Through her work, McDaniel aims to explore, unfold, and exhibit the complexity of the Southern landscape.

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UT鈥檚 Chad Manley, a fellow and lecturer of landscape architecture, and Jeremy Magner, assistant professor of architecture, worked with Thena Tak, assistant professor of architecture at Bard College, on a community planning and fire management project throughout the summer in Junction City and Trinity County. The research team met with community members, representatives and stakeholders to learn about the town鈥檚 need to renovate buildings and its community park after the impacts of a lightning-caused wildfire in 2021. Later named the Monument fire, the wildfire forced the town to evacuate and burned an estimated 223,124 acres across California.

Manley traveled to the city earlier in the spring with a group of graduate landscape architecture students as a part of their design studio. Students visited three study sites, including Trinity County, to learn about the devastation and ecological renewal that fire leaves behind. Once back on campus, students used design tools to learn about reintegrating fire safely into practice.

鈥淲ith students, we had a chance to meet so many strong people and unique institutions who were creatively organizing to face the challenges of historical injustice, economic collapse, and ecological recovery following massive wildfires. As the summer began, we were met with an invitation to return to Junction City and Weaverville, and headed back there to continue these conversations,鈥� said Manley. 鈥淎s designers, we asked ourselves how can our skills compliment all of the on-going efforts made by members of these communities?鈥�

Upon arriving in the town, the research team began visiting different events, talking with people and trying to understand the landscape. They learned about grant-funded initiatives, such as the Trinity River restoration project, took part in prescribed burns, and visited nurseries propagating native plants. Throughout this process, the team began developing drawings for what Manley refers to as 鈥渘ested refugia鈥�, encompassing the town鈥檚 park, swimming hole and grange hall.

In late July, they presented a series of concept drawings for the three sites in a series of town halls. The designs offer the town an increased infrastructure for refuge and social events but centered around making the areas safer from a fire perspective.

The researchers will continue working with the community to secure grants and work with local California architects and landscape architects on the design and building of the sites.

“I think we have a role as designers to work with fire in its many forms, and to work with prescribed fire in a way that benefits communities and offers health, refuge, and ecological recovery.” said Manley. 鈥淭hese communities are not giving up, and we shouldn鈥檛 either.鈥�

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McDaniel frequently saw gourds, fiber arts, and taxidermy while traveling through the Blue Ridge region and visiting听local museums, heritage sites, and collections. She saw the artifacts as a way people of the region curate themselves and reveal a forward-thinking outlook rooted in the past. The exhibition is a part of her听ongoing research affiliated with the Rural Urbanism grants awarded by the 澳门六合彩开奖结果.

鈥淭here is a lot that we can learn from the region to impact the larger public,鈥� said McDaniel. 鈥淚t is important for rural dialogues within a university context to be more public. The visibility of an exhibition allows more people to engage. This work asks its audience to reconsider the rural a source of knowledge.鈥�

McDaniel, who grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina, focuses on representation of the Southeast because of the region鈥檚 nuances, contradiction, and lingering trauma. Through her work, McDaniel aims to explore, unfold, and exhibit the complexity of the southern landscape.

鈥淩ethinking rural artifacts as strategies has allowed me to reconnect to memories and processes, I witnessed as a child. Through this work I have been able to unravel and advocate for rural logics.鈥�

Rural Ways is on exhibition through August.

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“Every year, around this time, I think about the complex project of getting an education,鈥� said Jason Young, dean of the college. 鈥淚 think about everything that factors into what the university does to help build up and launch the careers of its graduates.鈥�听

He emphasized the college鈥檚 role in preparing and empowering individuals with the capacity to anticipate change over the arc of their lives and through uncertainty of their careers in the allied fields of design.听

In 2018, the graphic design program formally relocated from the School of Art to the 澳门六合彩开奖结果. The ceremony marked the first class of students in the 澳门六合彩开奖结果 to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the college.听

In celebration of this moment, graphic design alumnus R. Michael Hendrix (鈥�94) returned to Rocky Top to deliver the commencement address for the college. Hendrix, now a partner and global director of design at IDEO, has co-founded an art school for high schoolers, a professional design curriculum for undergraduates and two professional design clubs. He has launched three small businesses, the last of which, Tricycle, was recognized by Businessweek and Fortune as a thought leader for sustainable design, and bought by Shaw Industries, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.听

After graduating from UT, Hendrix saw graphic design jobs transform as technology began to evolve the field. Careers such as typesetter, mechanical artists and photo converts disappeared as computers gave way for web and game designers.听

鈥淚 think today, we are in a similar moment in the creative professions,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he desktop publishing revolution and the internet have fundamentally changed the way society communicates. Since then, we have built on those fundamentals with the proliferation of mobile apps that have unlocated new services and streaming media on demand, and it has changed our entertainment landscape. We鈥檝e created a tool that can take the best of everything we鈥檝e done, scrap it into a soup and deliver it back to us in a blink. As part of your creative process, it鈥檚 an incredible advance.鈥�听

As artificial intelligence advances, Hendrix challenged the class to become something new and to not let their education end after leaving Rocky Top.听

鈥淭ennessee is far from the heartbeat of entertainment in Los Angeles, business in New York, manufacturing in Chicago. It鈥檚 far from the technology in San Francisco and the cultural influence of Miami, and that鈥檚 ok. We have a character created from ingenuity to do it ourselves, make our own fun, fix what is broken and to try new solutions. This is also creative problem solving and I think it鈥檚 a valuable asset to getting an education at UT.鈥�听

Channing Curtis, a master鈥檚 of architecture candidate and two-time graduate of UT, was selected to represent the students at the ceremony. Curtis immersed himself in design within the college and through his graduate assistantship with UT Athletics. In his speech, he spoke on how his cohort will play a part in advancing the future of architecture and design.听

A full webcast of each of the university鈥檚 ceremonies is .

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The Tennessee RiverLine, North America鈥檚 next great regional trail system, has awarded 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Community Impact Grants to three Tennessee RiverTowns communities across the region, including Clifton, Tennessee; Paducah/McCracken County, Kentucky; and The Shoals, Alabama.

Made possible through the generous support of principal partners, (TVA) and the , grant funds will support community programs and events throughout 2022 that promote inclusive engagement with the Tennessee River landscape, enable diverse participation in Tennessee River experiences and establish pride and ownership of river spaces by historically underserved populations.

鈥淢any residents of our diverse Tennessee River communities enjoy interacting with the river through paddling, hiking and other activities, but some who call the Tennessee River Valley home face barriers to experiencing the river in these rich and inspiring ways,鈥� said Brad Collett, Tennessee RiverLine director and associate professor in UT鈥檚 and 澳门六合彩开奖结果. 鈥淪ome may feel unable to participate in river experiences or unwelcome in river spaces due to a range of socio-economic, cultural and physical factors. In partnership with TVA and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and as an extension of our shared missions, we have developed the Tennessee RiverLine DEI Community Impact Grant program to help overcome barriers to access and establish the Tennessee RiverLine as an inclusive and welcoming space for all.鈥�

Communities enrolled in the Tennessee RiverTowns Program were invited to apply for up to $10,000 in support of DEI-focused initiatives and programs. To foster interagency collaboration and facilitate community engagement, each grantee will implement funded programs and events alongside strategic community partners that work directly with the populations each initiative seeks to serve.

Grant funds in , will support the purchase of a fully equipped kayak fleet to facilitate paddling events for individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities as well as local youth. Through partnerships with local organizations serving communities of color, , will utilize grant funding to provide free beginner swim lessons to youth and adults. , in turn, plans to host a series of river events between May and July for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

鈥淭VA is committed to DEI and applauds these Tennessee RiverTowns for their DEI-focused incentives and programs. These grant recipients are making investments in their communities that encourage the continued creation of real, sustainable change. TVA鈥檚 mission, to make life better for the people of the Tennessee Valley, is enhanced by the work of these communities,鈥� said Allen Clare, TVA Vice President, River & Resources Stewardship.

The three 2022 DEI Community Impact Grant awardees are enrolled in the Tennessee RiverLine鈥檚 Tennessee RiverTowns Program, a multi-year framework for collaboration among enrolled communities and Tennessee RiverLine staff to realize the vision for North America鈥檚 next great regional trail system.

To learn more about the 2022 DEI Community Impact Grant awardees, their 2022 projects and the Tennessee RiverLine鈥檚 commitment to establishing equitable access to river experiences, visit the .

About the Tennessee RiverLine
The Tennessee RiverLine is North America鈥檚 next great regional trail system, a historic multi-generational initiative that offers economic development, public health, resource stewardship and equitable access benefits to 2.4 million people in diverse Tennessee River communities in four states. The Tennessee RiverLine is led by the UT School of Landscape Architecture, which is a partnership of the UT 澳门六合彩开奖结果 and the Herbert College of Agriculture, and principal partners, UT Knoxville, and TVA, in collaboration with the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, a diverse consortium of organizations committed to realizing the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine. For more information, visit .

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Externships are short-term internships, typically spanning between one week and one month, when students visit a firm to shadow, observe and work with professionals. Externships normally occur during winter or spring break.

During these experiences, students spend time gaining exposure to a firm鈥檚 projects and daily operations. For most students, externships also are an opportunity to experience what it鈥檚 like to live and work in a different city.

Katherine Hill, a student in our Master of Landscape Architecture 5+1 program, externed with , located in San Francisco. Hill was exposed to new ideas surrounding landscape architecture that far exceeded her expectations.

鈥淚 worked on graphics for a public park in the Mission Bay area of San Francisco, as well as Rhino modeling for a private residence in Durango, Colorado. I have been a big fan of [the firm鈥檚] work since my first year of Landscape Architecture studies,鈥� said Hill.听

Nora Jacobs, a 2nd-year MLA student, externed at in Orlando where they provide design work for landscape architecture, urban design and land planning.

鈥淢y role was utilized to research target demographics in the cities and surrounding areas where the three offices are located. The majority of the work was reading municipal fiscal budgets from the last five years and the next few years ahead to see what finances were allocated for upcoming park and greenspace projects,鈥� said Jacobs. 鈥淭he goal was to know where to concentrate efforts in pursuing new projects, and which cities were actively looking to improve their cities through these spaces.鈥澨�

Marilyn Reish is a 3rd-year MLA student who externed at both in Chattanooga, TN, and at in Charlottesville, VA. She described what it was like to work with a renowned firm and how its supportive studio culture and diversity impacted her career goals.

鈥淚 was able to glean a lot from preparing planting documents for clients in terms of how many edits and collaborators it takes to make a good planting design that also accommodates not only site conditions but installers and maintenance needs, which factor heavily in what will actually get planted,鈥� said Reish.听

Other students who participated in winter externships include Haley Dennis, Zeb Idol, Kelsey Jones, Abby Stubblefield, Isabella West and Seth Zanoni.

We鈥檇 like to give special thanks to and who also supported our students with externships.听

Though each student had different experiences, they all recognize that these opportunities came about thanks to the dedication of faculty in the School of Landscape Architecture and Director Gale Fulton. Students in the school who are interested in a winter or spring break externship should contact Fulton.

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The announces recipients of its 2021 awards that recognize communities, individuals and organizations who best exemplify a commitment to the Tennessee RiverLine鈥檚 transformation vision and embody its guiding principles each year.

This year鈥檚 awards showcase partners who made substantial contributions to the success of the inaugural year of the . Their individual and collective efforts in 2021 established a foundation for the program as a framework for collaboration to fulfill the vision for North America鈥檚 next great regional trail system and the economic development, public health, resource stewardship and equitable access benefits it promises.

鈥淭he Tennessee RiverLine is powered by partnerships. It stands as a testament that we can achieve something together that none of us could accomplish alone,鈥� said Brad Collett, director of the Tennessee RiverLine and associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 鈥淓ach year we are inspired by the many and innovative ways that our partners put these ideas into practice in their communities and across the region.鈥�

The 2021 Tennessee RiverLine awards include

• Community Partner of the Year:
• Individual Partner of the Year: Clay Guerry,
• Organizational Partner of the Year:
• Excellence in River Stewardship: Decatur, AL
• Excellence in River Animation: /

.

Extra Mile Awards:
JC Johnsonius, Benton County, TN
Chris Gunter, Bridgeport, AL
Blair Travis, Calvert City, KY
Lindsay Ross, Clifton, TN
Danielle Gibson, Decatur, AL
Katy Norton, Guntersville, AL
Lauren Whaley, Hardin County, TN
Jennifer Moore, Huntsville, AL
Tim Hester, Knoxville, TN
Rachel Harrell, Loudon County, TN
Jeff Canter, Paducah, KY
Bonnie Angus, Roane County, TN
Walker Henley, South Pittsburg, TN
Don Bailey, Stewart County, TN
Tommy Barnes, The Shoals, AL

鈥淎ll of our partners made meaningful and essential contributions to the Tennessee RiverLine initiative over the last year,鈥� continues Collett. 鈥淲e鈥檙e moved by the effort and initiative these recipients have shown that will further inspire the Tennessee RiverLine journey we all share.鈥�

Award recipients are nominated by members of the Tennessee RiverLine staff, the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and local leadership team members in each Tennessee RiverTowns community. Additional details about each award can be found at tnriverline.org/news/2021awards.

The awards were announced during the 5th annual Tennessee RiverLine Summit, which was held virtually January 25- 26, 2022. All award recipients have received custom plaques commemorating their achievements. The plaques were designed and fabricated by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students at the 澳门六合彩开奖结果鈥檚 Fab Lab.

About the Tennessee RiverLine

The Tennessee RiverLine is North America鈥檚 next great regional trail system, a historic multi-generational initiative that offers economic development, public health, equitable access and environmental stewardship benefits to 2.4 million people in diverse Tennessee River communities in four states. The Tennessee RiverLine is led by the University of Tennessee School of Landscape Architecture, which is a partnership of the UT 澳门六合彩开奖结果 and the Herbert College of Agriculture, and principal partners, and , in collaboration with the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, a diverse consortium of organizations committed to realizing the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine.

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When a Volunteer combines her passion for the environment, knowledge of farming, unique studio project and very good timing, the results are beautifully simple and at the same time, far-reaching. Marilyn Reish is a third-year graduate student in our School of Landscape Architecture, and her studio project now is part of the city of Knoxville鈥檚 new composting program.

You could say farming is in Reish鈥檚 blood.

Reish and her partner, Chad Hellwinckel, research associate professor in the UT Institute of Agriculture, own a small farm in South Knoxville called , a lovely place for fresh vegetables and flowers that benefit from the active composting at the farm. Reish grew up in Virginia in a farming family and worked with soil and horticulture on two farms. In Virginia and here in Tennessee, she has operated community-supported agriculture farms delivering vegetables for 12 weeks each year to area members.

鈥淚 have been kind of in love with small-scale farming for a long time,鈥� Reish said.

In 2019, Reish began studying landscape architecture, and soon after, all of the pieces for the city鈥檚 composting program came together.

In her spring 2021 studio, taught by Adjunct Assistant Professor Scottie McDaniel, Reish was inspired by the theme, Normalizing the Working Landscape. She and fellow students first studied Knoxville鈥檚 history related to development, class and race, industry and infrastructure. They then were challenged to design projects that normalized working landscapes. A working landscape provides a connection among economics, sustainability, ecology and people in a responsible way. True to her passions for sustainable farming, for her studio project, Reish designed a working landscape around food waste collection and urban composting that could be implemented in Knoxville.

鈥淒uring this studio, I was able to think about the city and its people, how to integrate labor into landscapes and the potential for compost in the city,鈥� Reish said.

At the same time, Hellwinckel attended a climate council meeting hosted by city of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, where he brought up the topic of community composting. At that meeting, he connected with Chris Battle, owner of , a non-profit urban farm in Knoxville, who also was interested in the topic. Reish got involved, and the three of them applied for and received a Tennessee Dept. of Environment & Conservation grant to build a solar-powered static-aerated composting system for Knoxville.

鈥淚 believe that the future must include working landscapes, especially those that create stability in the food system, seek to use our own urban metabolism (in this case rotting food) and address urban planning voids that do not serve the greater good,鈥� Reish said. 鈥淩e-thinking our landscapes in this way can help us do the work needed in order to contribute to our collective survival.鈥�

Soon, the city of Knoxville was on board, and its Office of Waste and Resources Management, led by Manager Patience Melnik, purchased food-waste collection bins and prepared the collection site, 227 Willow Avenue at the Old City Recycling Center. As of February 1, the food waste collection system, using Reish鈥檚 design, was operational for the city.

The process is simple: Anyone, including residents and restaurants, can drop off certain food scraps, which are picked up by the city of Knoxville and taken to the composting site built by Reish and Hellwinckel at BattleField Farm. There, the scraps are composted into rich soil, which is put to use on the farm and made available to other farmers to grow healthy produce, much of which is used to fight food insecurity in Knoxville.

鈥淔ood waste in landfills is a large contributor to carbon emissions,鈥� Reish explained. 鈥淢y spring studio asked us to look critically at how we metabolize all sorts of things in our lives鈥攊n my case food waste鈥攁nd then integrate them into our landscapes. I think this kind of thinking is critical for the future, and it doesn’t have to be at massive scales to make better outcomes, like the compost that is being created at BattleField Farm.鈥�

Why are food scraps important in composting? 鈥淥ne needs the right ratio of carbon and nitrogen within a compost pile for microbial decomposition.听Food scraps are high in nitrogen,听break down easily and are readily available. Scraps that people normally throw away can be turned into soil,鈥� Reish said.

Food waste that is welcome at the composting site includes fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, eggshells and nut shells. Scraps can be dropped off at the Willow Avenue site between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. .

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