M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E.
RI ASLA Newsletter
By Jared Sell, URI ’12
There aren’t too many workplaces where you walk in humming a theme song. Over the past two summers I have enjoyed the privilege of being a cast member at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The positions were both very different from each other, but very rewarding experiences.
My first encounter with the company as an employee was as a professional intern with their Horticulture Department. There I worked at Epcot, Downtown Disney and the nearby resorts including Disney’s Boardwalk and the Beach & Yacht Club. During that first summer my primary assignment was routine landscape maintenance and special installation assignments. While many cast members work during the hours the parks are open, we usually went in overnight. Our shifts started anywhere between midnight and 5 a.m. Most of the projects we were involved with included replacing bedding plants and maintaining the landscape. The most interesting project was planting 9,000 flowering plants in an hour and a half at the front entrance of Epcot, one of the most iconic locations on the property.
Along with all of this, we also had educational field trips to various locations around central Florida, including Leu Gardens and the Orlando Botanical Gardens. In addition to the trips, we also took a 150-plant identification test and produced a design project. My design was the winning design of all the interns. These opportunities led to a chance to return the following summer with the Design and Engineering department.
This summer, I took that opportunity and interned with Disney’s landscape architects. The primary focus of our work was to maintain and/or enhance the existing conditions at Walt Disney World Resort. The department was a multi-disciplinary group, spanning from electrical engineers
to paint specialists. The projects I worked on ranged anywhere from irrigation design to planning character “meet and greet” locations. In addition to these projects, I had the opportunity to visit various projects that are currently under construction, including the new Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom expansion, which will include four new attractions and two new restaurants.
This experience was dramatically different from the previous summer, due to the nature of the job. The first internship was more hands-on with the implementation of designs, where the second year was a lot of hands-on experience with the creation and planning stages of landscape
design. Both internships helped me understand the inner workings of this world-famous attraction and the uniqueness of the many different elements.
Design is often meant to blend in, and at Disney they go to great lengths to make sure the experience is the memory, and landscape design helps to frame those memories.
Nothing is left to chance, nothing is shortchanged. Throughout both internships I was able to see “good” being rebuilt to be “great,” and see where something that looked finished was getting another round of updates. From the parade routes to hotel entrances and courtyards everything needed to be perfect. Often people forget the importance of design, but as a Disney landscape architect I learned that even the smallest details make up parts of the memory and experience.
One of the greatest resources I gained from the entire experience was the connections I made nationwide. Over the two summers, I have worked with more than 30 landscape architecture students, ranging from Utah State, to U. of Georgia, to U. of Michigan. A common topic of discussion was the structure of each other’s programs and what is the next big software program. It always amazed us how radically different each other’s programs were, but in the end we could produce the same product. It has been just over a year since I completed my first internship and looking back on the experience, I would not trade it for anything.
Disney World is a great place to work and learn. Each year, thousands of interns get to live and work in Orlando, but few of the assignments let you be part of the creative process the way landscape architects and designers get to be. Our plans and ideas are built in to the experiences the guest have. There are so many different areas including hotels, water features, attractions and infrastructure, each with opportunities. And just
about every one of these will get you humming: M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E!
Jared Sell is president of the Student Chapter ASLA at the University of Rhode Island
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A Trip to D.C.
By Jared Sell
RI ASLA Newsletter May-June 2012
Early this past March, the URI Landscape Architecture Department traveled to Washington, D.C. to observe the urban landscape, national monuments and memorials and also to experience the mass transportation system of the nation’s capital. Twenty students, along with Professors Angelo Simeoni and Will Green, started off their weekend with a visit to the ASLA Headquarters and its rooftop garden. We also enjoyed a Friday evening
dinner at ‘Ray's Hell Burger’ in Arlington, VA (located one Metro stop outside of DC) and a short walk from our hotel. On Saturday morning the group began to tour the National Mall, walking around the tidal basin and stopping by each of the monuments, beginning at the Jefferson Memorial, then the FDR Memorial, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WW-2 Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument (which became our guiding light throughout the urban trek) and ending at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The professors discussed the landscape architectural and historic importance of this fine American city and how Pierre L'Enfant’s strong axial plan for Washington tied things together. In addition to visiting these historical locations on the
National Mall, which we saw during the day and also in the evening, students visited various Smithsonian museums. From the new American Indian Museum, to Air and Space, to the National Gallery, Museum of Natural History, as well as the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden and the National Sculpture Garden. Each student had time to explore their own personal interests and visit various sites and museums. The students found the trip to be inspirational as they used elements observed on this trip and were able to apply them to projects they were actively working on back at the
studio.Our final day was capped off with a visit to Georgetown and a stop at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Spending time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, students saw the real power and moving moments at this incredible site. Finishing up the day, the
group stopped for a quick tour of the magnificent gardens of Dumbarton Oaks.
While a short trip, the group was pleased with the weekend activities as they learned so much while walking over 25 miles. Overall, the group collectively agreed that the highlight of the weekend was the FDR memorial, its rectilinear layout of four spaces located along the edge of the
Tidal Basin with its incredible stone work and waterfalls, engraved quotes and expressive bronze sculpture. We hope to return again next year and thank everyone who helped get us to DC!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
URI Big Thinker
University of Rhode Island Website
Jared Sell ’12
During his first summer internship at Disney, Jared worked in the horticulture department planting thousands of flowers and shrubs at the Epcot Center and Downtown Disney by the light of the moon, always finishing in time for guests’ arrival the next morning. He returned the next summer to intern with the professionals who conjure up the incredible landscapes that appear throughout Disney’s properties. In fact, Jared’s own designs transformed the guestroom courtyards into a royal gathering place at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside and the Royal Rooms Resort.
By the time he graduated, he’d already been offered a third internship at Disney, was hired as a digital media consultant at a Boston-based start-up company, and had taken his design interests indoors as an interior design graduate student at Suffolk University. It’s no surprise that Jared’s big idea is to design uniquely interactive educational landscapes —making a little magic of his own.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Landscape architect scholars win RIASLA awards January 5, 2012
BY
SHAUN KIRBY
skirby@ricentral.com
KINGSTON — The University of Rhode Island is home to many scholars and researchers who have been recognized within their respective disciplines, and the department of Landscape Architecture is no different. Professor Richard Sheridan and students Jared Sell, Brayden Drypolcher and Brianna O’Connor were all awarded by the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (RIASLA) for their research contributions to the profession.
Sheridan was selected for RIASLA’s ‘Merit Award,’ because of his contributions to the 2010 publication, ‘Rhode Island Department of Transportation Salt Tolerant Tree and Shrub Guide.’
As a co-author, Sheridan researched the function and upkeep of roadside vegetation along Rhode Island’s highways. The book is especially important for state workers in understanding the impacts of human activity, such as salting roadways in the winter, upon local plant species.
Jared Sell, an undergraduate in the Landscape Architecture program and President of the student chapter of RIASLA at URI, received the Special Recognition Award for organizing a new newsletter for landscape architect students at the university.
“Communication and advocacy of the profession are critical at the university level,” said Sell. “As students, we are not always exposed to the current events of the profession and the latest technologies that are being released. This newsletter takes that information and transforms it into an easy to read and convenient form for the students.”
Sell also participated in a summer internship at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and was afforded the opportunity to assist and learn from maintenance crews as they made sure the entire park was kept up and presentable.
“I have done a lot of research into the entertainment industry, especially amusement parks, and the role landscape architects have played in creating these spaces,” said Sell. “What became a challenge was translating what I have learned and researched into my work on various student projects.”
“The designers [at Disney World] stress the fact that the parks are fully immersive experiences, where guests are transported to an alternative reality and no detail is left out,” he added. “Incorporating these themes helps to create successful designs, as well as interactive spaces that are for all ages.”
Sell hopes that his education, coupled with the advances in Landscape Architecture at parks such as Disney World, will provide him the chance to make his career a long and enjoyable one.
“The future of amusement parks is exciting,” said Sell. “With technology becoming more powerful and much smaller, the possibilities are endless. The challenge will be how to incorporate this technology with regular public spaces and environments to create a more enjoyable experience for all.”
Another URI student, Brayden Dypolcher, received the Special Recognition Award for his research on the Biscuit City project in South Kingstown. Drypolcher has looked at the various ecological circumstances which affect landscaping in the area, as well as the human impacts caused by landscape architecture.
“As a student I am continually interested in water systems and how our developments have impeded their natural functioning,” said Drypolcher. “I believe the most challenging issue when presenting ideas and potential solutions to a community is what’s called the quagmire of tradition. The inability to appreciate that a change needs to happen in the way we look at problem solving.”
“That is not to say that implementation of good design and developments are not happening in the world today,” he added. “It is just that those ideas are still barred by antiquated paradigms that are not easily lifted.”
Sheridan and the URI students were presented with their awards on December 9 at Chelo’s on the Waterfront in Warwick. The American Society of Landcape Architects has been in existence since 1899, representing over 16,000 professionals throughout the country and promoting the advancement of successful practice and implementation of new technologies in Landscape Architecture.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
URI landscape architecture student’s internships at Disney World a magical experience
Media Contact: Todd McLeish, 401-874-7892
Framingham resident aims to merge landscape design, entertainment
KINGSTON, R.I. – October 6, 2011 – University of Rhode Island senior Jared Sell has been interested in plants and flowers since he was a young boy. That interest, along with a great deal of persistence, led him to two summer internships at Disney World in Orlando that he hopes will lead to a career in landscape architecture at the iconic park.
“I loved digging in the dirt when I was little,” the Framingham resident admits. “So my parents showed me an organized method of how to play in the dirt without getting in trouble. Now I’m a grown-up and still playing in the dirt.”
Beginning at age 7, Sell entered plants and exhibits in the New England Spring Flower Show, sometimes including model railroads to attract the attention of the children he knew were dragged unwillingly by their parents to the attend the event.
When he enrolled at URI in 2008 to study landscape architecture, he began making a series of phone calls to various offices at Disney World seeking an internship opportunity. His efforts eventually paid off when he was offered an internship with the park’s horticulture group.
“I worked the overnight shift at Epcot for that summer, changing out plants to keep the landscapes looking fresh and maintaining the grounds,” said Sell. “I definitely know how to mow the lawn in the pitch black of night now. We had to be finished by the time the park opened in the morning.”
His first night on the job was what he described as both the strangest and most fun.
“They stuck 10 interns in front of Spaceship Earth, and we had 90 minutes to replace 9,000 plants,” he recalled. “I’ve never had a teambuilding activity like that before, but it was great that they threw us right into the mix on day one.”
Last summer he returned to Disney as one of two landscape architecture interns.
“Once the attractions have been designed and built, the landscape architecture group takes over from there,” Sell explained. “I was involved in 30 different projects, from designing a ramp for a resort to making sure the sites where families meet-and-greet Disney characters are attractive for photos.”
On a typical day, Sell visited various attractions to check measurements, ordered plants, and assisted the professional landscape designers with whatever they needed.
“There are probably 20 different professions working together in the building I worked in, including engineers and designers, and it was great to see how a multidisciplinary group like that works together,” said Sell.
President of the URI chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a drummer in the URI marching band, Sell said that he is pleased with the opportunities that the University has offered to conduct outreach programs in the community. He visits high school and middle school classes to discuss career options in the landscape design industry, a discipline with which most students are not familiar. And he organized a conference and expo for representatives of the “green” industry that filled URI’s Ryan Center.
“I’m looking at the possibility of going to grad school next year, and I’m in talks with Disney to return for another summer, this time doing a project management internship,” he said. “I hope that could lead to possible full-time employment later.”
Asked what his career goal is, he said, “I really want to stay within the world of landscape architecture and entertainment, maybe even creating landscapes for movie sets. Any way I can entertain people by using my design skills, that’s what I want to do.”
NLAM/PR Activities for the Individual or the Whole ChapterMarch 15, 2011 by aslapr
NLAM: Start the Future of Landscape Architecture in Your Community
Students at the University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture program love their curriculum and can’t wait to make an impact on the profession. But what if they never knew that such a program existed? Those very reasons and questions led to actions that will grow the profession and increase its diversity. The chance to give back became obvious; introduce as many young people to the profession as they could. Their professors and advisors reinforced their desire to make a difference; they’d never have pursued landscape architecture without fortunately having a family member in the profession or well informed counselors advise them.
Jared Sell, President of the University Chapter of ASLA, and his fellow students joined an outreach program. They make that fateful career day or random pamphlet from their guidance counselor not just a possibility but a reality. They meet with local students aged 10-18 depending on the preference of the presenter. After contacting the school concerning requirements, each presentation can be as short as 10 minutes to as long as an hour. They also set up booths at high school career days and have been invited to all day events working with art classes.
The URI outreach presenters joke that they go into this knowing both they and the students they seek to reach will learn a great deal from the experience. Expect to walk away with a new design idea your professor or colleagues never even thought of before. Because of this, they keep their presentations interactive with plenty of Q and A time. After all, they might have just met the next big name in Landscape Architecture. Come NLAM 2011, the URI’s student chapter expects to reach 300 students.
As you read this, you’ve already been thinking of your introduction to LA. The one person or event that made the difference and guided you toward Landscape Architecture. Be that introduction for someone in your community.
RI ASLA Newsletter
By Jared Sell, URI ’12
There aren’t too many workplaces where you walk in humming a theme song. Over the past two summers I have enjoyed the privilege of being a cast member at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The positions were both very different from each other, but very rewarding experiences.
My first encounter with the company as an employee was as a professional intern with their Horticulture Department. There I worked at Epcot, Downtown Disney and the nearby resorts including Disney’s Boardwalk and the Beach & Yacht Club. During that first summer my primary assignment was routine landscape maintenance and special installation assignments. While many cast members work during the hours the parks are open, we usually went in overnight. Our shifts started anywhere between midnight and 5 a.m. Most of the projects we were involved with included replacing bedding plants and maintaining the landscape. The most interesting project was planting 9,000 flowering plants in an hour and a half at the front entrance of Epcot, one of the most iconic locations on the property.
Along with all of this, we also had educational field trips to various locations around central Florida, including Leu Gardens and the Orlando Botanical Gardens. In addition to the trips, we also took a 150-plant identification test and produced a design project. My design was the winning design of all the interns. These opportunities led to a chance to return the following summer with the Design and Engineering department.
This summer, I took that opportunity and interned with Disney’s landscape architects. The primary focus of our work was to maintain and/or enhance the existing conditions at Walt Disney World Resort. The department was a multi-disciplinary group, spanning from electrical engineers
to paint specialists. The projects I worked on ranged anywhere from irrigation design to planning character “meet and greet” locations. In addition to these projects, I had the opportunity to visit various projects that are currently under construction, including the new Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom expansion, which will include four new attractions and two new restaurants.
This experience was dramatically different from the previous summer, due to the nature of the job. The first internship was more hands-on with the implementation of designs, where the second year was a lot of hands-on experience with the creation and planning stages of landscape
design. Both internships helped me understand the inner workings of this world-famous attraction and the uniqueness of the many different elements.
Design is often meant to blend in, and at Disney they go to great lengths to make sure the experience is the memory, and landscape design helps to frame those memories.
Nothing is left to chance, nothing is shortchanged. Throughout both internships I was able to see “good” being rebuilt to be “great,” and see where something that looked finished was getting another round of updates. From the parade routes to hotel entrances and courtyards everything needed to be perfect. Often people forget the importance of design, but as a Disney landscape architect I learned that even the smallest details make up parts of the memory and experience.
One of the greatest resources I gained from the entire experience was the connections I made nationwide. Over the two summers, I have worked with more than 30 landscape architecture students, ranging from Utah State, to U. of Georgia, to U. of Michigan. A common topic of discussion was the structure of each other’s programs and what is the next big software program. It always amazed us how radically different each other’s programs were, but in the end we could produce the same product. It has been just over a year since I completed my first internship and looking back on the experience, I would not trade it for anything.
Disney World is a great place to work and learn. Each year, thousands of interns get to live and work in Orlando, but few of the assignments let you be part of the creative process the way landscape architects and designers get to be. Our plans and ideas are built in to the experiences the guest have. There are so many different areas including hotels, water features, attractions and infrastructure, each with opportunities. And just
about every one of these will get you humming: M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E!
Jared Sell is president of the Student Chapter ASLA at the University of Rhode Island
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A Trip to D.C.
By Jared Sell
RI ASLA Newsletter May-June 2012
Early this past March, the URI Landscape Architecture Department traveled to Washington, D.C. to observe the urban landscape, national monuments and memorials and also to experience the mass transportation system of the nation’s capital. Twenty students, along with Professors Angelo Simeoni and Will Green, started off their weekend with a visit to the ASLA Headquarters and its rooftop garden. We also enjoyed a Friday evening
dinner at ‘Ray's Hell Burger’ in Arlington, VA (located one Metro stop outside of DC) and a short walk from our hotel. On Saturday morning the group began to tour the National Mall, walking around the tidal basin and stopping by each of the monuments, beginning at the Jefferson Memorial, then the FDR Memorial, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WW-2 Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument (which became our guiding light throughout the urban trek) and ending at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The professors discussed the landscape architectural and historic importance of this fine American city and how Pierre L'Enfant’s strong axial plan for Washington tied things together. In addition to visiting these historical locations on the
National Mall, which we saw during the day and also in the evening, students visited various Smithsonian museums. From the new American Indian Museum, to Air and Space, to the National Gallery, Museum of Natural History, as well as the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden and the National Sculpture Garden. Each student had time to explore their own personal interests and visit various sites and museums. The students found the trip to be inspirational as they used elements observed on this trip and were able to apply them to projects they were actively working on back at the
studio.Our final day was capped off with a visit to Georgetown and a stop at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Spending time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, students saw the real power and moving moments at this incredible site. Finishing up the day, the
group stopped for a quick tour of the magnificent gardens of Dumbarton Oaks.
While a short trip, the group was pleased with the weekend activities as they learned so much while walking over 25 miles. Overall, the group collectively agreed that the highlight of the weekend was the FDR memorial, its rectilinear layout of four spaces located along the edge of the
Tidal Basin with its incredible stone work and waterfalls, engraved quotes and expressive bronze sculpture. We hope to return again next year and thank everyone who helped get us to DC!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
URI Big Thinker
University of Rhode Island Website
Jared Sell ’12
- Major: Landscape Architecture
Hometown: Framingham, MA
During his first summer internship at Disney, Jared worked in the horticulture department planting thousands of flowers and shrubs at the Epcot Center and Downtown Disney by the light of the moon, always finishing in time for guests’ arrival the next morning. He returned the next summer to intern with the professionals who conjure up the incredible landscapes that appear throughout Disney’s properties. In fact, Jared’s own designs transformed the guestroom courtyards into a royal gathering place at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside and the Royal Rooms Resort.
By the time he graduated, he’d already been offered a third internship at Disney, was hired as a digital media consultant at a Boston-based start-up company, and had taken his design interests indoors as an interior design graduate student at Suffolk University. It’s no surprise that Jared’s big idea is to design uniquely interactive educational landscapes —making a little magic of his own.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Landscape architect scholars win RIASLA awards January 5, 2012
BY
SHAUN KIRBY
skirby@ricentral.com
KINGSTON — The University of Rhode Island is home to many scholars and researchers who have been recognized within their respective disciplines, and the department of Landscape Architecture is no different. Professor Richard Sheridan and students Jared Sell, Brayden Drypolcher and Brianna O’Connor were all awarded by the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (RIASLA) for their research contributions to the profession.
Sheridan was selected for RIASLA’s ‘Merit Award,’ because of his contributions to the 2010 publication, ‘Rhode Island Department of Transportation Salt Tolerant Tree and Shrub Guide.’
As a co-author, Sheridan researched the function and upkeep of roadside vegetation along Rhode Island’s highways. The book is especially important for state workers in understanding the impacts of human activity, such as salting roadways in the winter, upon local plant species.
Jared Sell, an undergraduate in the Landscape Architecture program and President of the student chapter of RIASLA at URI, received the Special Recognition Award for organizing a new newsletter for landscape architect students at the university.
“Communication and advocacy of the profession are critical at the university level,” said Sell. “As students, we are not always exposed to the current events of the profession and the latest technologies that are being released. This newsletter takes that information and transforms it into an easy to read and convenient form for the students.”
Sell also participated in a summer internship at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and was afforded the opportunity to assist and learn from maintenance crews as they made sure the entire park was kept up and presentable.
“I have done a lot of research into the entertainment industry, especially amusement parks, and the role landscape architects have played in creating these spaces,” said Sell. “What became a challenge was translating what I have learned and researched into my work on various student projects.”
“The designers [at Disney World] stress the fact that the parks are fully immersive experiences, where guests are transported to an alternative reality and no detail is left out,” he added. “Incorporating these themes helps to create successful designs, as well as interactive spaces that are for all ages.”
Sell hopes that his education, coupled with the advances in Landscape Architecture at parks such as Disney World, will provide him the chance to make his career a long and enjoyable one.
“The future of amusement parks is exciting,” said Sell. “With technology becoming more powerful and much smaller, the possibilities are endless. The challenge will be how to incorporate this technology with regular public spaces and environments to create a more enjoyable experience for all.”
Another URI student, Brayden Dypolcher, received the Special Recognition Award for his research on the Biscuit City project in South Kingstown. Drypolcher has looked at the various ecological circumstances which affect landscaping in the area, as well as the human impacts caused by landscape architecture.
“As a student I am continually interested in water systems and how our developments have impeded their natural functioning,” said Drypolcher. “I believe the most challenging issue when presenting ideas and potential solutions to a community is what’s called the quagmire of tradition. The inability to appreciate that a change needs to happen in the way we look at problem solving.”
“That is not to say that implementation of good design and developments are not happening in the world today,” he added. “It is just that those ideas are still barred by antiquated paradigms that are not easily lifted.”
Sheridan and the URI students were presented with their awards on December 9 at Chelo’s on the Waterfront in Warwick. The American Society of Landcape Architects has been in existence since 1899, representing over 16,000 professionals throughout the country and promoting the advancement of successful practice and implementation of new technologies in Landscape Architecture.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
URI landscape architecture student’s internships at Disney World a magical experience
Media Contact: Todd McLeish, 401-874-7892
Framingham resident aims to merge landscape design, entertainment
KINGSTON, R.I. – October 6, 2011 – University of Rhode Island senior Jared Sell has been interested in plants and flowers since he was a young boy. That interest, along with a great deal of persistence, led him to two summer internships at Disney World in Orlando that he hopes will lead to a career in landscape architecture at the iconic park.
“I loved digging in the dirt when I was little,” the Framingham resident admits. “So my parents showed me an organized method of how to play in the dirt without getting in trouble. Now I’m a grown-up and still playing in the dirt.”
Beginning at age 7, Sell entered plants and exhibits in the New England Spring Flower Show, sometimes including model railroads to attract the attention of the children he knew were dragged unwillingly by their parents to the attend the event.
When he enrolled at URI in 2008 to study landscape architecture, he began making a series of phone calls to various offices at Disney World seeking an internship opportunity. His efforts eventually paid off when he was offered an internship with the park’s horticulture group.
“I worked the overnight shift at Epcot for that summer, changing out plants to keep the landscapes looking fresh and maintaining the grounds,” said Sell. “I definitely know how to mow the lawn in the pitch black of night now. We had to be finished by the time the park opened in the morning.”
His first night on the job was what he described as both the strangest and most fun.
“They stuck 10 interns in front of Spaceship Earth, and we had 90 minutes to replace 9,000 plants,” he recalled. “I’ve never had a teambuilding activity like that before, but it was great that they threw us right into the mix on day one.”
Last summer he returned to Disney as one of two landscape architecture interns.
“Once the attractions have been designed and built, the landscape architecture group takes over from there,” Sell explained. “I was involved in 30 different projects, from designing a ramp for a resort to making sure the sites where families meet-and-greet Disney characters are attractive for photos.”
On a typical day, Sell visited various attractions to check measurements, ordered plants, and assisted the professional landscape designers with whatever they needed.
“There are probably 20 different professions working together in the building I worked in, including engineers and designers, and it was great to see how a multidisciplinary group like that works together,” said Sell.
President of the URI chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a drummer in the URI marching band, Sell said that he is pleased with the opportunities that the University has offered to conduct outreach programs in the community. He visits high school and middle school classes to discuss career options in the landscape design industry, a discipline with which most students are not familiar. And he organized a conference and expo for representatives of the “green” industry that filled URI’s Ryan Center.
“I’m looking at the possibility of going to grad school next year, and I’m in talks with Disney to return for another summer, this time doing a project management internship,” he said. “I hope that could lead to possible full-time employment later.”
Asked what his career goal is, he said, “I really want to stay within the world of landscape architecture and entertainment, maybe even creating landscapes for movie sets. Any way I can entertain people by using my design skills, that’s what I want to do.”
NLAM/PR Activities for the Individual or the Whole ChapterMarch 15, 2011 by aslapr
NLAM: Start the Future of Landscape Architecture in Your Community
Students at the University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture program love their curriculum and can’t wait to make an impact on the profession. But what if they never knew that such a program existed? Those very reasons and questions led to actions that will grow the profession and increase its diversity. The chance to give back became obvious; introduce as many young people to the profession as they could. Their professors and advisors reinforced their desire to make a difference; they’d never have pursued landscape architecture without fortunately having a family member in the profession or well informed counselors advise them.
Jared Sell, President of the University Chapter of ASLA, and his fellow students joined an outreach program. They make that fateful career day or random pamphlet from their guidance counselor not just a possibility but a reality. They meet with local students aged 10-18 depending on the preference of the presenter. After contacting the school concerning requirements, each presentation can be as short as 10 minutes to as long as an hour. They also set up booths at high school career days and have been invited to all day events working with art classes.
The URI outreach presenters joke that they go into this knowing both they and the students they seek to reach will learn a great deal from the experience. Expect to walk away with a new design idea your professor or colleagues never even thought of before. Because of this, they keep their presentations interactive with plenty of Q and A time. After all, they might have just met the next big name in Landscape Architecture. Come NLAM 2011, the URI’s student chapter expects to reach 300 students.
As you read this, you’ve already been thinking of your introduction to LA. The one person or event that made the difference and guided you toward Landscape Architecture. Be that introduction for someone in your community.