Concurrent Education Session

TUE-B03: Nothing Special: Fostering Innovation in Learning, Teaching, and Practice

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

2:00pm – 3:15pm ET

Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 146A

1.25 PDH, LA CES/non-HSW, AICP, FL

Lead Speaker(s)

Todd D. Johnson, FASLA (he/him/his)

Associate Professor of Practice
Utah State University
Logan, Utah

Speaker(s)

Phillip Fernberg, ASLA

Director of Digital Innovation
OJB Landscape Architecture
San Diego, California
Addison Martin, Student ASLA (she/they)

Graduate Student
Utah State University
Farmington, Utah

Session Guide

Innovation is not an innate gift but a systematically acquired skill; how that acquisition occurs is seldom made explicit. This session will demystify and demonstrate the cultivation of innovative practices from three perspectives: seasoned practitioner turned professor, director of innovation, and aspiring student designing their next career move.

Learning Outcomes:

Better understand innovation, both as a concept and a skill, and how it manifests in landscape architecture practice and pedagogy.
Learn frameworks for transforming behaviors, design processes, business operations, and marketing models at the scale of an individual, a firm, and a classroom.
Explore learning and work environments that encourage risk-taking, learning from failures, and collaborative problem-solving.
Learn tactics for upskilling, career design, and mutual mentorship at any career stage.