Students learn by doing at NDSU. Their work often takes the form of solving real-world problems.
Landscape architecture students, for example, were asked this question: How would you turn Moorhead’s Viking Ship Park into a well-used destination for the community?
The students were part of studio class focused on parks and open spaces. They studied different types of open spaces and took field trips to urban parks in the region. Then they redesigned the local green space, using their field’s tools and processes, from site analysis to design.
The hands-on work gave Rikka Senum, a junior from Pembina, North Dakota, a new level of insight into her field. She started the project thinking about beauty and functionality. By the end, she was thinking about practicality.
“I really realized this when I was working in one of our rendering softwares to create a grand garden. The software makes the user individually place a plant where you want it,” she said. “I hand-placed hundreds of flowers for an intricate rune design, and I realized if this were to be made, someone would be individually hand-planting all these flowers. As a designer, you need to think, ‘would all that work be possible to do and maintain?’”
City officials and residents love the students’ ideas to transform the park. Solving real problems is great way to prepare for life and career while making a difference in the community.
Get hands-on experience like this while earning your degree at NDSU. Apply now.
