The Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design (LAEUD) at Florida International University is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of its students recognized at the 2025 ASLA Florida Conference. These awards reflect the passion, research, design and innovative thinking that define the spirit of the program.
Anne Coke
Master of Landscape Architecture, 2025
Award: ASLA Florida Award of Excellence for Capstone/Thesis Project: Driving Nature Forward
Mentor: Professor Gianno Feoli
Anne Coke received the Award of Excellence, the highest honor in the student category, for her capstone project Driving Nature Forward. This project reflects her interest in regional landscape systems and planning, with an emphasis on accessibility, sustainability, and holistic design.
Anne’s approach is grounded in pragmatic solutions that respond to the unique characteristics of each site while advancing ecological performance and connectivity. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys spending time outdoors at Okeeheelee Park in Palm Beach County, where she and her husband water ski. These experiences continue to inspire her commitment to creating accessible, nature-based recreational spaces.
Aditi Mahesh Chaphekar
Master of Landscape Architecture, 2025
Awards:
- ASLA Florida Award of Honor – Student Research
- ASLA Florida Student Design Award – Analysis and Planning for Ruins to Renewal
Aditi Chaphekar, an international graduate from India, has been honored with the ASLA Florida Award of Honor in Student Research for her thesis project, Sacred Waters. This compelling research investigates the intricate relationships between rivers, communities, and place-making, particularly in the context of growing urbanization. Raised in Nashik, a city interwoven with its river systems, Aditi draws from personal experience to advocate for the cultural and ecological restoration of water-based landscapes.
Her thesis, conducted under the mentorship of Professor Gianno Feoli, presents a resilient and people-centered design framework that reconnects cities with their natural heritage. Aditi will share her work at the 2025 ASLA Florida Conference, bringing her vision to a wider professional audience.In addition, her project Ruins to Renewal, guided by Professor Roberto Rovira, was recognized in the Planning and Analysis category, highlighting her capacity to synthesize ecological insight and planning strategy in transformative ways.
Elizabeth Newberry
Master of Landscape Architecture, 3-Year Track, 2025
Awards:
- ASLA Florida Student Design Award – Analysis and Planning for Reweaving Aguirre: A Tapestry of Food, Energy, and Nature
- ASLA Florida Student Award – Research and Communication for Currents of Meaning: Art as a Guide for Place-Making
Elizabeth Newberry, a designer, researcher, and mother, brings a rich background in fine arts and education to her landscape architecture practice. Her work focuses on blending culture, ecology, and community needs to create landscapes of shared meaning and resilience.
Her design project Reweaving Aguirre, honored in the Analysis and Planning category, proposes a regenerative landscape strategy for a post-industrial coastal site in Puerto Rico. It envisions a community-led system that integrates food production, renewable energy, and ecological restoration.
In the Research and Communication category, Elizabeth’s thesis Currents of Meaning explores how art can serve as a methodology in landscape architecture. Focusing on a 2-mile cultural trail in Taos, New Mexico, the project demonstrates how spatial storytelling can unearth layered histories and guide meaningful design interventions.
Celine Elie
Master of Landscape Architecture, 5-Year Track, Year 1
Award: Florida ASLA Student Award – Analysis and Planning (Mentored by Professor Roberto Rovira)
Celine Elie is a first-year MLA student whose design approach is shaped by a background in architecture, a lifelong love of the arts, and a deep connection to South Florida’s diverse cultural landscape. Raised in the region, Celine draws on her experiences as a musician and youth counselor to explore design as a bridge between people, nature, and creativity.
Celine (center) with her teammates.
Her early recognition by ASLA Florida in the Analysis and Planning category speaks to her emerging voice in the field and her commitment to empathetic, imaginative, and community-centered design. With guidance from Professor Roberto Rovira, Celine’s award-winning work represents the next generation of landscape architects shaping more inclusive and responsive environments.
Joseph Scaturro & Andres Beltran
Master of Landscape Architecture, 3-Year Track, 2025
Award:ASLA Florida Student Design Award – Preservation and Conservation for Tides of Renewal
Third-year students Joseph Scaturro and Andres Beltran were honored in the Preservation and Conservation category for Tides of Renewal, a collaborative design that addresses the challenges of coastal vulnerability through adaptive reuse and ecological restoration.
Joseph brings a passion for outdoor exploration and an active lifestyle to his design approach, inspired by travel and diverse landscapes. He is currently working toward his professional license with a goal of designing spaces that invite people to engage with the environment.
Andres, whose interests lie at the intersection of science and creativity, works at MDC’s Maker Lab. There, he applies hands-on problem-solving to design challenges, including engineering systems like stormwater management. His work bridges planning and fabrication, reflecting a commitment to real-world applications in landscape architecture.
These recognitions affirm the LAEUD program’s dedication to academic excellence, cultural responsiveness, and real-world impact. They also reflect the College of Communication, Architecture and The Arts (CARTA)’s mission of learning by doing, which empowers students to engage deeply with communities, lead through design, and apply their research to real environmental and social challenges. We congratulate each student for their visionary work and look forward to their continued contributions to the field of landscape architecture.
