​NLI Colleague Nazia Afrin Trina, MLA Student at Texas Tech University, was the recipient of the Award of Excellence in the Research Category for her work on “The Play Value of Plants.” The project combined database collection, experiment, and case study observation to create a planting palette for future implementation at Child Development Research Center (CDRC) in Lubbock, Texas.

Trina’s project begins by reviewing six existing plant databases which were then compared to the plant list of the Will Smith Zoo School in San Antonio, Texas. The CDRC as well as the Will Smith school were then used as case studies for loose parts children’s play interventions. The combined research results were then used to inform the planting palette.

Along with the Award of Excellence, Trina’s beautiful illustrations from her project were also featured on the cover of the September 2023 issue of the Landscape Architecture Magazine, ASLA’s magazine publication. Of the 372 student projects that were submitted to the 2023 ASLA Student Awards, 30 projects were chosen as award winners, and 4 of those projects received Awards of Excellence in their respective categories. The magazine has high praise for this year’s cohort, and congratulates the student’s on their taking-on of complex issues, their professionalism, and willingness to engage in difficult conversations with real-life community members.