On October 15, 2024, Cal State LA’s La Kretz Hall was filled with excitement as students, faculty, and staff gathered for the Reimagine Your Campus with the Urban Ecology Center poster symposium. Over 100 attendees viewed 20 student posters, each showcasing innovative ideas for transforming the campus into a model of sustainability, biodiversity, and inclusivity.
The event, sponsored by the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) under the leadership of co-directors Dr. Choi Chatterjee and Dr. Eric Wood, invited students to reimagine specific campus locations with practical solutions that align with the UEC’s mission of advancing urban ecology, food security, and environmental justice. Posters featured graphic presentations, photographs, and artistic renderings, highlighting creative ways to make Cal State LA a greener, more sustainable space where all species can thrive.
College of Natural and Social Sciences Associate Dean Dr. Alison McCurdy opened the event by welcoming attendees and commending the students for their commitment to sustainability and the future of the campus. The symposium provided an open forum for students to share their ideas and engage with faculty, staff, and peers in thoughtful urban sustainability discussions.
The event culminated in the announcement of the top three poster submissions. First place went to Caitlin Calica for her project Shade for Change: Combatting the Heat Island Effect with Native Plants, which proposed planting native black walnut and sycamore trees along the main campus walkway to increase shade by 30%, reduce the heat island effect, and improve student well-being. Second place went to Annika Veeravatanayothin for Breathing Life onto Campus: Living Walls, a proposal to install vertical vegetated walls on campus buildings like Salazar Hall and King Hall. These green walls would improve biodiversity, air quality, and urban sustainability while creating spaces for native plants and wildlife. Third place went to the collaborative team of Matthew Ehlenburg, Kimberly Rodriguez, Mike Castaneda, Alyssa Polk, Kyle Tiu, Fiona Mao, Odalys Castillo, Princess Moran, Stefanie Cortez, Cecille Lightbourn, and Fatima Garcia for Urban Garden: From Soil to Soul, a project aimed at revitalizing the campus urban garden by improving its layout, adding shade and seating, and making it a more welcoming educational space for students to learn about ecology and sustainability.
The symposium was co-sponsored by the American Communities Program, the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good, the Division of Student Life, and Honors College. Attendees left with fresh insights and practical ideas, ready to contribute to Cal State LA’s efforts to become a more sustainable and environmentally conscious campus.