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Innovation + Insights explore the ways in which our people embrace new technologies and approaches in our industry, seeking to continuously evaluate and improve our processes and services.
TAMPA, FL – Larson Design Group (LDG), an award-winning, employee-owned national architecture, engineering, and consulting firm, believes in seeking out and encouraging students looking to enter the architecture and engineering fields – and there is no better way to do that than by meeting them where they are.
A Way to Give Back
During the fall 2024 semester, LDG’s Paul Yoder, LEED GA, and Patrick Dougherty, AICP, gave a comprehensive presentation about the intricacies and opportunities in the Federal Planning field to a graduate level land use class at the University of South Florida (USF).
The duo, who both work in LDG’s Planning team, laid out an overview of the field to students enrolled in USF’s Master of Urban Planning (MURP) program, explaining what makes Federal planning different from other specialties and giving them a glimpse into a day in the life of their profession. They also walked through general information, like a breakdown of the government’s Department of Defense (DoD) groups, technologies and applications used in the field, and the multidisciplined approach that LDG delivers for these clients.
The event was well-received by the students, according to Evangeline Linkous, PhD, AICP, the Program Director for Urban & Regional Planning at USF’s School of Public Affairs. She said that the students “really enjoyed” the presentation and thanked Patrick and Paul for their excellent communication and engagement, and she noted the value of the topic for being “so different from anything they will otherwise be exposed to in school.”
“Paul and I realized that we didn’t learn specifically about Federal planning during our time in college, and we thought that this was a chance to go back into the classroom and share our real-world experience in the field,” said Patrick, who obtained his MURP from USF. “I wanted a way to give back to my university and it was encouraging that we received very positive feedback. Hopefully this encourages someone to choose this specialization or even seek out LDG later for a job opportunity.”
Patrick noted that he and Paul are also planning similar presentations at the University of Cincinnati, Paul’s alma mater, and at the University of Pittsburgh.
RELATED: Learn more about LDG’s comprehensive Planning services
Supporting the Future
For the second year in a row, LDG participated in Carnegie Mellon University’s 2024 GIS Day, a day-long conference for users of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society, and for people to learn more about GIS and its benefits.
Theresa La Buda, GIS Analyst on LDG’s Planning & GIS team, presented “Leveraging the Utility Network to Enhance Workflows,” giving a thorough overview of GIS utility networks, data structures, rules and visualization. She also led attendees through several demonstrations of workflows and web applications from ArcGIS, one of the most widely used GIS software applications.
Educational outreach can be invaluable as firms look to hire the newest generation of architects and engineers. LDG is proud not only to engage with these future innovators, but to establish relationships that encourage them to seek out our award-winning firm for employment after graduation.
RELATED: Community Benefits of GIS Applications: LDG Shares Insights at Annual GIS Day
ABOUT LDG
Founded in 1986, LDG is an award-winning, employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm offering full-service capabilities and a national reach. For more than 30 years, we have been providing an extraordinary breadth and depth of value-driven solutions to our diverse client base and investing in the sustainable business practices and innovative technologies that allow us to pursue our shared vision: creatively shaping our world. For more information, visit About – Larson Design Group.