CADC Awards at the 2021 Auburn Research Student Symposium

CADC Environmental Design students received awards for their submissions to the 2021 Auburn Research Student Symposium. Natalie Hamlin is a junior in the Environmental Design program from Alpharetta, Georgia. She received the college-level symposium poster award for her poster, The role of a built environment design solution to provide multi-systemic solutions for cultural issues in Auburn, Alabama. The project focused on the experience of international students in Auburn and how to make the community a more welcoming and inclusive environment.

Hamlin explained her interest in the topic, “Prior to moving to Auburn I spent a significant amount of time in a town a few miles from where I grew up, Clarkston, Georgia. Clarkston is a refugee resettlement community and the most diverse square mile in the United States. I observed for the first time, in this space that grew so near and dear to my heart, the ways that cultural displacement can be so isolating, but yet how multicultural community can be the most vibrant community there is. Ultimately, after much assistance from international students, professors, and mentors, I designed The Community Table as a market place that provided proximal/cultural grocery shopping, job provision for international students and businesses, the sharing of cultures, and a space for multicultural community to flourish.”

The college-level award winner for symposium oral presentation went to Cecily Anderson, Breck Bowen, and Hollen Terry for their presentation on the “Auburn refuge project.” Their project focused on reimagining lawn spaces on the Auburn campus to reduce the campus ecological footprint and promote health. They proposed an initial phase of development through converting three existing green spaces to a food forest, outdoor classroom, and sensory garden.

The students created the project as part of the Sustainability capstone course and worked to incorporate ideas of permaculture and sustainability with how design intersects with health and mental health. The team said, “The Auburn Refuge Project aims to promote quality of life, mental and physical wellbeing, and biodiversity on Auburn University’s campus by establishing a series of five distinct gardens—or refuges—wherein faculty, students, and Auburn residents may convene or spend time alone to recharge and reflect. The project will make Auburn University’s campus more habitable, efficient, biophilic, and sustainable.”

Cecily Anderson is a senior and Breck Bowen a junior in the Environmental Design program; Hollen Terry is a Global Studies major and pursuing a minor in Environmental Design.

You can view these and more CADC poster presentations at the 2021 Auburn Research Student Symposium website.