landscapes & climate change
Susan Ask
PhD Student in Landscape Architecture, with a graduate minor in European Union Studies
I am a doctoral student in landscape architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My research interests revolve around climate change, land use and nature conservation. At the University, I teach an upper-level/graduate seminar in Sustainable Planning and a foundational course in Environmental Site Analysis. I also work with the LEAM Lab on plans for climate action and nature conservation, in addition to analyzing carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions.
Interdisciplinary studies and collaboration have always been the core of my work on sustainability.
Previously, I worked as a university extension agent in Chicago, a conservation land manager in Maine, and a field ecologist in other infinitely fascinating places. I founded a sustainability-focused non-profit that combines science education with community engagement in Chicago and I am a member of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, where I collaborate on climate action.
My formal training includes studies in ecosystem science and management at Yale University, where I earned an M.E.S. degree (from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, now called the School of the Environment). I also have a B.A. in environmental studies from the University of Kansas.
Research interests
- nature-based strategies for climate action
- scenarios for natural and working landscapes that provide ecosystem services
- climate planning
- patterns of historical land use, especially in agricultural landscapes
- history of environmental approaches in landscape planning, design and policy
- bird collisions with buildings and design-based mitigation strategies in built environments
Classes taught
- Environmental Site Analysis
- Sustainable Planning Seminar
- Introduction to Landscape Architecture
- Natural History of Illinois
Education
Ph.D. Student. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Landscape Architecture, with a graduate minor in European Union Studies. Expected 2025.
M.E.S. Yale University. Ecosystem Science and Management. 1999.
B.A. University of Kansas. Environmental Studies. 1991.