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Landscape Architecture



Laurel McSherry

Laurel McSherry, FAAR, FCELA, ASLA

Program Director, Landscape Architecture

Office: CBEIS 319
Phone: 443-885-1861
laurel.mcsherry@morgan.edu

Education:

B.S., Rutgers University
M.L.A., Harvard University

Years at Morgan: 5 

Biography:

Laurel McSherry is Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Landscape Architecture Program at Morgan State University. An alumna of Rutgers University and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, she is recipient of the 1999 Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture from the American Academy in Rome, and the 2017-2018 Fulbright-Scotland Visiting Professorship at The Glasgow School of Art. Formerly, Professor McSherry was Graduate Program Director in Landscape Architecture at Virginia Tech, Head of Landscape Architecture at Ohio State University, and faculty in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Arizona State University. Regarded as a visual thought leader in landscape architecture, she is recipient of numerous awards and prizes for her competition design work, including Landscape Architecture Magazine’s 1995 Visionary and Un-Built Design; the 2005 Flight 93 National Memorial; the 2007 Re-Envisioning Gateway; the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake Memorial; the 2012 Drylands Design; the 2015 Peace Corps Commemorative, the 2015 Terra Dignitas, and the 2016 New York City Aquarium and Public Waterfront. Her writing, design, and art work have been published widely by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Arthur Ross Gallery, the American Academy in Rome, Actar, Princeton Architectural Press, Architalx, Plurimondi, Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of the American Planning Association, Landscape Architecture Magazine, and ECLAS. Professor McSherry is a frequent lecturer both within the United States and internationally, and Affiliated Faculty of the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology at the University of Pennsylvania.

List of Professional Affiliation(s):
  • Fellow, US-UK Fulbright Commission
  • Fellow, American Academy in Rome F
  • ellow, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
  • Member, American Society of Landscape Architects
List of Research Interest(s):
  • Human Ecology
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Ecosystem Services
  • Urban Coastal Landscapes
List of Classes Taught: 
  • CSUC 516 - Urban Stormwater Management
  • CSUC 525 - Urban Ecology
  • CSUC 526 - Urban Soils
  • LAAR 794 - Studio IV: Master's Degree Project
List of Selected Publication(s)
  • McSherry, L. 2023. “Ian McHarg: Cross Atlantic Connections.” In: Designing with Nature in Town and City: a celebration of the work, legacy, and influence of Ian L. McHarg. B. Evans, editor. London: The Academy of Urbanism. (in process)
  • McSherry, L. 2021. “On Rivers and Drawing Practice.” Landscape Architecture Frontiers: Special Edition on Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration of Regional River Basins. Vol. 9, Issue 3, pp. 114-123.
  • McSherry, L. 2019. "A Book of Days." In Design With Nature Now. Steiner, F., Weller, R., M’Closkey, K., and W. Fleming, editors. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. pp. 50-57.
  • McSherry, L. and F. Steiner. 2019. "Salt Lines: Markers of Change." Ri-Vista. Vol 17, No. 1. Firenze: Firenze University Press. pp. 16-23.
  • McSherry, L. and F. Steiner. 2017. “Observation, Reflection, Action.” Landscape and Urban Planning. Vol. 166, Oct. pp. 55-56.
List of Grants and/or Awards
  • 2017-18, Fulbright-Scotland Visiting Professorship, The Glasgow School of Art
  • 1999-00, Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture, American Academy in Rome
  • 2020, Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work, Senior Level, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
  • 2018, Fellow, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
  • 2016, Semi-finalist, Memorials for the Future Competition, Washington, DC
  • 2016, Third Place, New York City Aquarium & Public Waterfront Competition, New York
  • 2015, Finalist, The Peace Corps Commemorative Competition, Washington, DC
  • 2015, Third Prize, Terra Dignitas Urban Design Competition, Kiev, Ukraine
  • 2012, The William Turnbull Prize, California Architectural Foundation/Arid Lands Institute
  • 2008, Honorable Mention, Sichuan Earthquake Memorial Competition, PRC
  • 2008, Finalist, City of the Future Washington Competition, The History Channel
  • 2007, Third Prize, Envisioning Gateway National Recreation Area Competition, New York/New Jersey
  • 2005, Finalist, Flight 93 National Memorial Competition, Shanksville, Pennsylvania
  • 1995, Winner, Visionary & Un-Built Competition, Landscape Architecture Magazine