{"id":23182,"date":"2019-05-24T16:20:21","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T16:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2019\/05\/24\/inviting-challenge\/"},"modified":"2023-02-23T00:43:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T05:43:22","slug":"inviting-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2019\/05\/24\/inviting-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Inviting Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Meg<\/a><\/p>\n

Meg Calkins<\/a>, recently named professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture<\/a>, does not shy away from a challenge. She was the first person to graduate with a dual master\u2019s degree in landscape architecture (MLA) and architecture (M.Arch) from the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley, and she completed the task in just four years. Calkins decided to study the two design disciplines simultaneously because she is interested in the intersections between site and building, but also because she \u201cthought it was an interesting challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calkins believes that having both degrees is important because, \u201cin design there can be collaboration between landscape architects and architects, but if the same person is trained in both and doing both, that is really a seamless way to design the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having dual degrees has shaped Calkin\u2019s career. She was hired by the College of Design<\/a> specifically for this unique skill set, and Calkins admits that both professional practice and her education have influenced and helped her teaching. \u201cI love to teach, and being a practitioner has been invaluable. It has helped me teach students how to site a building and how to design the movement through spaces in the landscape and into the building. And how not to be afraid of influencing architecture.\u201d Landscape architects, Calkins explains, have often considered that their design influence stops at the building. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t have to be the case,\u201d she says. \u201cThe greatest built projects are created when excellent collaboration between both practitioners happens and when the design is seamless with no boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calkins developed her passion for teaching as a teaching assistant (TA) throughout her graduate studies with Linda Jewell<\/a>, Randy Hester, Walter Hood, and Clare Cooper Marcus. \u201cI enjoyed being a TA for many different classes as I gained a good understanding of both content and teaching techniques,\u201d says Calkins.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeaching and the scholarship associated with a tenured position allows you to be at the leading edge of the profession, and it allows you to push boundaries in the classroom,\u201d Calkins says. The value of allowing students to push boundaries excites Calkins. \u201cI love it when students can take these ideas into practice, into firms that may not know about them. Then I feel that I\u2019ve influenced the students and influenced the profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calkins emphasizes that the role of landscape architects is becoming increasingly important. \u201cWe now have a strong role in solving environmental problems. Landscape architects are gaining visibility as they are called upon to address stormwater, ecosystem and global climate change issues. I think we have to save the planet\u2014not just make it beautiful\u2014we are now doing environmental work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calkins\u2019 ambitious nature shows in her big goals for the profession and for the Department of Landscape Architecture<\/a>. \u201cWhat I want to really do is position this program at NC State to be better known throughout the country and throughout the world. I want to broaden our reach and I want to take an already great department and elevate it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am pleased to have inherited a strong, healthy department. The faculty members are impressive and have strong reputations, and the students are very dedicated to learning. When I met with the faculty and students and saw their energy and passion, I knew I wanted to work with these people.\u201d<\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\"Meg<\/a>\r\n\r\nMeg Calkins<\/a>, recently named professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture<\/a>, does not shy away from a challenge. She was the first person to graduate with a dual master\u2019s degree in landscape architecture (MLA) and architecture (M.Arch) from the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley, and she completed the task in just four years. Calkins decided to study the two design disciplines simultaneously because she is interested in the intersections between site and building, but also because she \u201cthought it was an interesting challenge.\u201d\r\n\r\nCalkins believes that having both degrees is important because, \u201cin design there can be collaboration between landscape architects and architects, but if the same person is trained in both and doing both, that is really a seamless way to design the environment.\u201d\r\n\r\nHaving dual degrees has shaped Calkin\u2019s career. She was hired by the College of Design<\/a> specifically for this unique skill set, and Calkins admits that both professional practice and her education have influenced and helped her teaching. \u201cI love to teach, and being a practitioner has been invaluable. It has helped me teach students how to site a building and how to design the movement through spaces in the landscape and into the building. And how not to be afraid of influencing architecture.\u201d Landscape architects, Calkins explains, have often considered that their design influence stops at the building. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t have to be the case,\u201d she says. \u201cThe greatest built projects are created when excellent collaboration between both practitioners happens and when the design is seamless with no boundaries.\u201d\r\n\r\nCalkins developed her passion for teaching as a teaching assistant (TA) throughout her graduate studies with Linda Jewell<\/a>, Randy Hester, Walter Hood, and Clare Cooper Marcus. \u201cI enjoyed being a TA for many different classes as I gained a good understanding of both content and teaching techniques,\u201d says Calkins.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeaching and the scholarship associated with a tenured position allows you to be at the leading edge of the profession, and it allows you to push boundaries in the classroom,\u201d Calkins says. The value of allowing students to push boundaries excites Calkins. \u201cI love it when students can take these ideas into practice, into firms that may not know about them. Then I feel that I\u2019ve influenced the students and influenced the profession.\u201d\r\n\r\nCalkins emphasizes that the role of landscape architects is becoming increasingly important. \u201cWe now have a strong role in solving environmental problems. Landscape architects are gaining visibility as they are called upon to address stormwater, ecosystem and global climate change issues. I think we have to save the planet\u2014not just make it beautiful\u2014we are now doing environmental work.\u201d\r\n\r\nCalkins\u2019 ambitious nature shows in her big goals for the profession and for the Department of Landscape Architecture<\/a>. \u201cWhat I want to really do is position this program at NC State to be better known throughout the country and throughout the world. I want to broaden our reach and I want to take an already great department and elevate it,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\n\u201cI am pleased to have inherited a strong, healthy department. The faculty members are impressive and have strong reputations, and the students are very dedicated to learning. When I met with the faculty and students and saw their energy and passion, I knew I wanted to work with these people.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now, more than ever, Meg Calkins sees the need for innovation in landscape architecture. In stepping into her leadership role in the Department of Landscape Architecture, she’s ready to provide guidance as the NC State College of Design takes on the challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":23183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-23182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-280"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/270"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23182"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27250,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23182\/revisions\/27250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}