CAPLA Students Lead Sustainability Research
A team of students from CAPLA is combining research, collaboration and community outreach to advance sustainable stormwater solutions on campus, thanks to a grant from the Campus Sustainability Fund for $45,000 over three years.
The project, titled “Green Infrastructure Leadership and Engagement,” focuses on developing a comprehensive on-campus database for green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). Led by Master of Landscape Architecture students Ashley Danforth and Xavier Fernandez, the interdisciplinary effort is designed to help quantify the environmental and plant-health benefits of GSI, especially in response to climate challenges like extreme heat and drought.
“As landscape architecture students, we frequently consider challenges like drought, extreme heat and sustainability in our projects,” Fernandez said. “Time and again, we’ve seen green stormwater infrastructure emerge as an effective, practical means to help address these issues.”
The grant-funded project brings together students, faculty and professionals from across campus. Through workshops and public engagement, the team hopes to share findings with both university stakeholders and the greater Tucson community.
“Our initiative goes beyond research alone,” Fernandez said. “Our goal is to foster collaboration between academics, students, professionals and community members.”
The effort is rooted in prior CAPLA research and builds on existing work at locations such as the Campus Agricultural Center and Campus Living Lab. Danforth said the group hopes to make data more accessible to students while measuring the university’s water savings through GSI.
“There is a clear need for action and more research regarding GSI—especially within our unique desert climate,” Danforth said. “Our team is excited to contribute to this evolving field through this project and to provide UA students with direct access to student-created data and insight into on-campus GSI features.”
The project also reflects the students’ career aspirations in sustainable development, research and interdisciplinary work.
“I value interdisciplinary collaboration greatly, as I hope to foster it going forward in my post-graduate career,” Fernandez said. “This combination of analytic and creative thinking, furthered through projects like these, will help me stand out post-graduation.”
For Danforth, the experience of applying her skills in real-world research and contributing to a campus-wide tool has been deeply rewarding.
“One portion that I get really excited about with this project is seeing student-collected data being integrated into a campus-wide tool,” she said. “I am excited to learn how to better my abilities in making research work more accessible to wider audiences. I hope to continue this style of work throughout my career.”
The team also includes students Esmeralda Carrasco and Annamaria Pongratz, and faculty advisors Bo Yang, Grant McCormick, Vanessa Buzzard and Carmen Robles.
The project has received additional guidance and support from Campus Arboretum Director Tanya Quist, the Campus Agricultural Center team, CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand and School of Landscape Architecture and Planning Director Lauri Johnson.
