Kaleb Samuelson created illustrations in his presentation to University of Nebraska Technology Park staff to demonstrate his and his classmate’s vision for the park landscape last May. Dusty Jonas, Samuelson’s classmate, and Samuelson graduated with degrees in horticulture-agriculture sciences and natural resources.
Kim Todd, professor of agronomy and horticulture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has big plans for the University of Nebraska Technology Park this school year. Todd and five of her classes will be working with the Technology Park landscape to teach students about landscape design and assessment.
This fall, turf and landscape management students will work with existing plants and possibly prune existing trees. Todd’s planting design class will design landscaping for the main boulevards and bike paths at the park. Other classes will be writing case studies and work on landscape master planning.
“The challenges (at the Technology Park) are similar to those students will encounter in new construction sites across the country, whether residential or commercial,” Todd said. “They can apply critical thinking to solve the ‘what’s wrong with this picture’ question and practice specific skills that will help them become good designers or managers of landscapes.”
Last semester, two of Todd’s students, Kaleb Samuelson and Dusty Jonas, chose the Technology Park as their final project for their senior landscape design class. The suggestions they included in their presentation to the park staff will be implemented in the future.
“Kaleb and Dusty gave us great ideas,” said President of the Technology Park Stephen Frayser. “We are very excited to see what great ideas students have for the park this year.”
Todd is also excited to work with the park staff and land area.
“The Tech Park provides great opportunities to work with existing landscapes in varying degrees of success,” Todd said. “Design, management and hands-on experiences for students are all possible at the park.”
Professor Todd’s horticulture experience doesn’t end at the classroom. She is a host to the television program “Backyard Farmer” produced by University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. The program provides agriculture enthusiasts tips and information about gardening and includes a panel of gardening experts who specialize in horticulture, plant pathology, landscape design and entomology.
Todd, a licensed landscape architect, has been with the university for more than 25 years.
“I left the university to work with Finke Gardens, a private practice, and returned in 2002,” she said. “I teach plant identification, landscape design and management and various other courses to horticulture, turf and landscape management, landscape architecture and architecture students.”