APLA Student Organizations Provide Connections, Mentorship Across Year Levels

From architecture to environmental design to landscape architecture, APLA’s five student organizations allow students to connect across year levels, find mentorship opportunities and tackle projects to build skills.

American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)

Advised by Assistant Professor Cait McCarthy, AIAS allows architecture students to connect with a national network of peers to grow academically, professionally and socially. Auburn’s chapter of the pre-professional organization is headed by President Maddie Brockman, a fourth-year Architecture and Interior Architecture student, and runs both peer mentoring and American Institute of Architects (AIA)  professional mentorship programs.

At Dudley Hall, students can participate in weekly  cookouts, known as Dog Days, and monthly chapter meetings. The organization also hosts APLA’s annual Pumpkin Carve—slated for Friday, Oct. 31—and Beaux Arts Ball in the spring.

National Organization of Minority Architects Students (NOMAS)

NOMAS is a space where students can foster justice and equity in communities of color with opportunities for outreach, advocacy, professional development and design excellence.

Advised by Associate Professors Kevin Moore and Jennifer Pindyck, the student chapter organizes review sessions with professional architects and designs an annual project that is submitted to the Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition—in which the chapter placed second in 2023.

Members from Auburn’s NOMAS chapter, including fifth-year architecture student and President Brysen Calvin, are planning to attend NOMA’s conference “Future Unfolding” in Kansas City in October.

Freedom By Design (FBD)

Advised by Assistant Professor David Shanks, FBD is a community service branch of AIAS and allows architecture students to earn AXP hours that count toward their professional licensure while benefiting the local community. Students from first to fifth year collaborate on multiple projects throughout the academic year, sharing knowledge and developing skills collectively.

“Through the guidance of professors, mentors and peers, members grow both personally and professionally,” said Davis Baker, FBD President and current fourth-year architecture student. “Our mission is to teach teamwork, deliver real-world solutions to clients and create designs that positively impact the community.”

American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

The Auburn chapter of ASLA falls under the umbrella of Alabama ASLA and, at large, the national ASLA organization. Advised by Landscape Architecture Assistant Professor Isaac Cohen, the organization participates in events hosted by the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) like CADC Student Council and Pumpkin Carve—during which ASLA will host a make-your-own tote bag table. Auburn ASLA also promotes community and campus service through workdays at the Donald E. Davis Arboretum.

“We have also instated a mentorship program between older and younger classes within Landscape Architecture,” said junior and current ASLA President Abby Garner. “We hope to build a sense of camaraderie between groups, especially since this fall is the first time we have had four undergraduate classes.”

Environmental Design Student Organization (EDSO)

EDSO is an Auburn-born organization that gives Environmental Design students a chance to be involved in how the program changes over time and find new ways to learn and create. Associate Professor Jennifer Smith serves as the faculty advisor, and senior Brooke Burgoon is the current president, but the organization is holding elections for its next round of officers this fall. EDSO also collaborates with other Auburn student organizations like Theme Park Engineering and Design.

“EDSO cultivates a platform for interdisciplinary exchange, enabling students to connect across design fields,” Smith said. “Through workshops in portfolio development, digital tools, design competitions and related forums, EDSO gives students ways to explore and express their design interests beyond the formal curriculum.”