Landscape Architecture Alumna Wins Dissertation Award

Master of Landscape Architecture alumna Rui Wang was recently named a recipient of the Alumni Association Dissertation Award at Pennsylvania State University. Wang, who graduated from Auburn’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) in 2018, is currently working toward a Ph.D. in architecture.

Wang’s dissertation is titled Public Perceptions, Ecosystem Benefits, and Sustainability: Green Stormwater Infrastructure Development in Chinese Sponge Cities. Her research focuses on public perception in China of green stormwater infrastructure, which is a network of systems of natural elements like plants and stones that filter stormwater runoff. Many cities in China are plagued by flooding and pollution caused by excessive runoff.

The Alumni Association Dissertation Award is one of the most prestigious awards for Penn State graduate students and provides funding and recognition to students who are likely to have the greatest impact. Two of Wang’s dissertation chapters have been published in academic journals, including Environmental Management and the Journal of Cleaner Production. After graduating this year, Wang will begin a faculty position at a university in China.

As a student in APLA, Wang worked with Professor Charlene LeBleu in the Green Infrastructure Lab at Auburn’s Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce. “Rui’s dissertation focuses on the importance of community engagement when implementing green infrastructure,” LeBleu said. “Stormwater design is part of the green infrastructure place-making design toolbox. Including the public in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of stormwater control measures helps to ensure that the public has an opportunity for ownership in the total design process.”