May 18, 2007
 Junior Landscape Architecture student Vincent Gasper has a vision for the nation’s cities that doesn’t end with the glass, steel, and stone of business complexes, high rises, and industrial centers. His vision comes in shades of green.
“I want to create ecologically sound design solutions for the urban landscape,” said Gasper, 27, from West Philadelphia. “I want to transform brownfields and urban blight from negative spaces that detract from their surroundings to positive areas where the public can be educated about natural issues such as water management, while also enjoying an aesthetically beautiful landscape.”
Gasper’s dedication to environmentally changing the face of Philadelphia and beyond has received distinguished recognition. He is just one of 80 students from across from the country to receive the prestigious Morris. K. Udall Scholarship, named in honor of Congressman Udall, who served in the House of Representatives for 30 years.
“The Udall Scholarship is a much deserved honor for one of Ambler College’s most talented and accomplished students. We are extremely proud of Vincent Gaspar, not only for his scholarly success but also for the demonstrated depth of his social awareness and his conscientious application of his talents to environmental concerns,” said Temple University Ambler Dean
Dr. James W. Hilty. “This award also acknowledges the distinguished instruction of our dedicated and engaged Landscape Architecture and Horticulture faculty.”
Gasper and the other scholars for 2007 were selected from among 434 candidates nominated by 221 colleges and universities. The scholars were selected by a 12-member independent review committee on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy, leadership potential, and academic achievement. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for one year. Gasper was also named a 2007 Temple University Diamond Research Scholar in recognition of receiving the Udall Scholarship.
The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation was authorized by Congress in 1992 to honor Congressman Udall's legacy of public service. There have been 916 Udall Scholars since the first awards in 1996.
“I’m overwhelmed; I never really expected anything like this — it hasn’t fully registered yet. So many of the (Udall) Scholars have done such incredible things; I’m just honored to be among them,” Gasper said. “I’ve always wanted to help people, it’s in my nature. I want to work in dense, urban areas to establish functional greening programs.”
According to Gasper, his time at Temple University Ambler “is my second time through college and I hope to bring together my education in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture with my background in engineering and my passion for creating community spaces.”
“During my time out of school, I found myself without a permanent residence — I made it through with the help of friends and I wanted to find a way that I could give something back. During that time, I was introduced to a mixed group of locals and squatters that collected at a local coffee shop,” he said. “I began talking to a squatter about his experiences in the city and he told me a story about the children in the area that would gather on his stoop whenever he would bring out his guitar, eager to learn to play or sing along with him. We talked about wanting to do something structured in the neighborhood with these kids and the conversation turned to community gardening.”
Those initial discussions led to the creation of a community garden in the Mill Creek section of Philadelphia and the establishment of the Rising Phoenix Creative Collaboration.
“It was partially developed as a community center to supplement art education and interactive programs in the neighborhood — the best way to reach the public is through the children in their communities,” Gasper said. “My goal continues to be to find or create a position in the public or private sector which would allow me to create public spaces for children that will educate and entertain while acting as ecologically functional landscapes.”
Gasper said during the development of the community center, extensive research was conducted into Green Architecture and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards. Through this research and input from the Creative Collaboration’s executive board, the buildings were created with a LEED goal standard.
“The initial concept for the center was based on civic and educational goals while also creating one of the first environmentally friendly buildings in Philadelphia in hopes of influencing others in the area to follow suit. That experience encouraged me to explore ecologically sound solutions in my designs when I came to Temple,” said Gasper, who is considering pursing a graduate degree in architecture and urban design when he completes his undergraduate degree. “Being in the Landscape Architecture program has given me the chance to apply my passion for ecology and public education to varying situations such as brownfields, state parks, and even office building rooftops — I have a particular interest in green roof gardens.”
Gasper said he chose the Ambler College program “because of the integration of horticulture into the landscape architecture major, which is something that’s unique to the program.”
“With what I’ve learned here, I want to influence the field to continue to assume responsibility for ecological sustainability, while also encouraging the necessary integration with social consciousness, ultimately creating spaces that respond to the environment and the community,” he said.
While Gasper completes his Landscape Architecture degree, his dedication to a diversity of non-profit programs has continued unabated, both inside and outside of the classroom, working with groups such as Philadelphia Cares, Habitat for Humanity, People’s Emergency Center, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Growing Community Gardens Program and Philadelphia Green Program; Saunders Park Neighbors, University City District, the Sloan Street Community Garden, and the Lots of Love Community Garden, which he co-founded. He has also been involved in several design studio projects geared toward assisting area communities in addition to helping with construction of Temple University Ambler’s Best in Show-winning 2007 Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit — “Tírdhreach Fileata na hÉireann — The Poetic Landscape of Ireland” — and assisting at EarthFest 2007, the annual celebration of Earth Day at the Ambler campus, which welcomed more than 10,000 people this year. He was also the University’s Bala Cynwyd Garden Club Scholarship winner in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and the Jane R. Martin Scholarship recipient in 2005.
“Vincent, known to our community as ‘Vinny’ is a young man of inspiration, dedication and vision, whose hard work has impacted and inspired the lives of people — young and old — through his community service in the arts and gardens and commitment to building a green, sustainable environment,” said Carolyn E. Smith, president of a neighborhood community association who has worked closely with Gasper for several years. “Children came (to the city gardens he helped develop) for after school activities and homework help when needed. Transients were welcomed to help and to harvest the vegetables and fruit growing in the garden. Kids who had no backyard had their first taste of fresh herbs that they planted themselves and potatoes grown from potato eyes — (Gasper) showed the kids how to climb a tree!”
The 2007 Udall Scholars will assemble August 1 to 5 in Tucson, Arizona, to receive their awards and meet policy-makers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care, and governance.
“The Udall Scholarship is extremely competitive. I am very proud that Vinny was able to garner this recognition; he’s very deserving of the award,” said Temple University Ambler Senior Associate Dean Dr. Lolly Tai, who also nominated Gasper for the scholarship. “His landscape designs always incorporate elements of sustainability. I am very grateful to Ruth Ost (Director of the University Honors Program) for her leadership and assistance with the application process.”
According to Dr. Tai, Gasper, during his sophomore year, worked on a service-learning project for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to design viable alternative design solutions for selected vacant lots among the 31,000 such lots in the inner city of Philadelphia.
“The project required countless hours in the design studio, but also dedicated to fieldwork, interviews, meetings, and presentations — Vincent’s heart was 100 percent in the project and his enthusiasm and positive attitude made a significant impact in the class,” she said. “Vincent’s commitment to his education is evident in his academic record. He currently has a 3.72 grade point average and has made the Dean’s list every semester. That’s not surprising as he is a bright student, eager to learn and excel.”
Dr. Mary Myers, Acting Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, said what sets Gasper apart “is that he operates from deeply held views and core values.”
“These values drive and inform his designs and make them richer for the grounding they provide. He believes that every child has the right of access to nature, that every adult has a child within them, and that good design responds to that elemental, fresh, accepting, and innocent aspect of humanness,” she said. “It is Vincent’s ambition to create healthy, vibrant urban environments. Vinny is looking at the city, his city, and trying to find ways to patch, restore, and nurture it. He understands the positive emotional and experiential aspects elicited by vegetation and uses his knowledge in his work — as a volunteer creating gardens, and as a designer.”
The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics. The Foundation also seeks future Native American and Alaska Native leaders in public and community health care, tribal government, and public policy affecting Native American communities, including land and resource management, economic development, and education.
Congressman Udall served in the House of Representatives for three decades, a career distinguished by civility, integrity and consensus. His love for the environment resulted in numerous pieces of legislation, chief among them the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of the national park system and tripled our national wilderness. Congressman Udall also championed the rights of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, using his leadership in Congress to strengthen tribal self-governance.
For more information on Vincent Gasper, contact 267-468-8108. For more information on the Morris K. Udall Scholarship program, visit www.udall.gov.
|
