“DesignLIFES showed me how concepts I’ve studied are being applied in real-world settings. I learned about new and exciting green infrastructure projects and visited sites that I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to do so otherwise. It has been an invaluable experience and I’m glad I was a part of it”
-Sophie Costantino, Civil Engineering Undergrad, University of Toronto
DesignLife has been an amazing experience for me. Getting access to the places that we visited and seeing the engineering that is going on firsthand is not only incredibly educational but also just an overall awesome experience. Major props to Dr Drake and Nicole for organizing this and making the whole event so smooth. I really feel I learnt a lot from this short course and also super motivated to work on green infrastructure in the future.
-Shabab Islam, MEng Environmental Engineering, Carleton University
After spending so much time behind a computer, it was very nice to see green infrastructure and related projects firsthand. It was an amazing experience and reminded me why I chose Environmental Engineering and how much I love what I do.
-Ali Zoghi, Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering, Carleton University
This course has opened my eyes to the many living infrastructures that exist in my city that I have not noticed in the past. They are not just “nice looking” plants and landscapes, but they are infrastructures that provide crucial ecological services to the life and health of urban citizens, preserve our increasingly fragile urban ecosystems and protect us from various threats under the current climate. I’ve learned a lot about LI best management practices (BMPs) that will help me become a better designer and promoter of LI in the future.
-Jane Gao, Environmental Engineering MASc student, Carleton University
Environmental Engineering MASc student
As a graduate researcher, I had an amazing time at the 2023 DESIGNLifes short course where we explored different urban green spaces across the city of Toronto. There were lots of exciting interdisciplinary projects ranging from urban farms, green roofs, bioswales, urban restoration, and engineering. My favourite part was seeing the impressive “behind-the-scenes” action that practitioners were doing before the green space design is completed and available to the public!”
-Garland Xie, Ph.D. Candidated Xie, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Toronto Scarborough
The short course gave me a unique opportunity to see how environmental engineering contributes to everyday life. It was interesting to see how multidisciplinary living infrastructure principles are, and I enjoyed how students were exposed to a broad range of urban ecosystems. It was a great experience for me, an undergraduate student, because I met several graduate students and experts in their respective fields, allowing me to network and see where my future studies can lead.
–Bryn Reynolds, Environmental Engineering, Carleton University
I really enjoyed the DesignLIFES short course. It was really valuable experience because we were able to see many different examples of LI in the Toronto area in person. The instructors were very knowledgeable and happy to share their expertise and everything was well organized. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to attend!
-Andrea Knibbs, University of Saskatchewan