Congratulations to Nina Weithorn who is the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) 2024 National Olmsted Scholar recipient. Chosen by an independent jury, LAF announced the 94 exceptional student leaders honored as LAF Olmsted Scholars, including only two National Olmsted Scholar winners and six finalists. The financial award will fund Nina Weithorn’s project on the Allensworth Agricultural Experiment Station, which deals with food justice, soil remediation, and cultural resilience.
Nina is a 2024 graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program at USC School of Architecture and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a minor in social work from New York University. Before beginning her MLA+U degree at USC, Nina worked as a garden educator and collaborated on the establishment of food justice initiatives in Los Angeles, her hometown. She is passionate about soil remediation, agriculture, waste cycles, and community-based design. Nina plans to work at the intersection of agroecology, climate adaptation, and community engagement, developing frameworks to incorporate alternative food production models into landscape architecture.
Nina is also the first student in the MLA program to have pursued a graduate certificate in geospatial technologies (GIS) through the university’s Spatial Sciences Institute. Last year she also won the Edward Lyons Pryce Scholarship which recognizes the important role Black landscape architects play in the profession.
“I think landscape architects are in a unique position to look at landscapes holistically. Especially in a time of climate emergency, there is a need for people who aren’t overspecialized in a particular aspect of landscape, but rather look at the larger picture to understand the interplay of dynamic ecological and cultural systems,” says Nina, who exemplifies the strengths of an interdisciplinary approach.
“The nature of landscape architecture is inherently collaborative – we need to work with people across multiple fields – scientists, engineers, farmers, etc. to understand the complex and unprecedented climate crisis.”