Plants, Places and People

Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Colorado State University

January 2026

Message from Dr. Dawn Thilmany

Professor and Interim Department Head

As we welcome in 2026, the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture has a great deal to share. In addition to welcoming our students back to campus over the next couple of weeks, we have many events listed below to share. This week, some of our faculty from campus and research collaborators are being hosted by our Western slope faculty at the Western Colorado Research Center and CSU AES Western Campus for the annual Ag Experiment Station meetings from January 13-15 as well as a large set of our faculty participating in the Western Hort meetings later this month, in Grand Junction. In February, we are excited to see many of our Green industry partners at ProGreen. In short, this is the season for producer and industry engagement!

Excited to see many of you in the coming days at these events or here on campus!

~Dawn Thilmany

Upcoming Events

Environment, Society, and Technology (EST) Collaboratory

Kick Off Event

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

The EST Collaboratory is a SoGES supported interdisciplinary initiative that welcomes CSU faculty, researchers, and graduate students from across campus to engage in collaborative exploration and early-stage ideation around critical sustainability challenges at the intersection of environment, society, and technology. The Collaboratory focuses on how emerging and applied technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data, nanotechnology, and web-based decision-making tools, both shape and are shaped by social and environmental systems. Its primary aim is to foster networking and brainstorming that lead to new collaborative research efforts at CSU.

The kickoff event will take place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm at Avogadro’s Number. The gathering is designed to be informal and inclusive, providing space for conversation, idea sharing, and connections across disciplines.

Individuals interested in attending can RSVP here.

ProGreen Expo

Feburary 3-5, 2026

The premier Rocky Mountain Regional Green Industry is happening in just a few short weeks! Several colleagues from Colorado State University HLA and Extension will be giving talks and sharing some of the great work happening at CSU and with our stakeholders. And sharing great horticulture knowledge, both in the education sessions and at the Education Booth on the tradeshow floor!

Check out the ProGreen Education Schedule!

https://www.progreenexpo.com/2026-Education-Program

Annual HLA Career Mixer

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

5:00–7:00 PM

(with a Faculty/Employer networking hour from 4:00–5:00 PM)

Lory Student Center Theatre

Colorado State University

We are sharing an opportunity to engage with students in the Horticulture & Landscape Architecture programs at Colorado State University.

This mixer brings together industry partners, alumni, faculty, and students for an evening of conversation about career pathways,internships, seasonal roles, and full-time employment opportunities across the green industry.

Registration is now open in Handshake:

HLA Career Mixer Employer Registration Link - https://col.st/0aak5

Event Highlights ·

Connect directly with HLA students exploring roles in landscape architecture, design/build, nursery/greenhouse production, sustainability, landscape management, urban forestry, restoration, and related fields

Opportunities to share

Your organization’s current openings and future talent needs

Optional

Faculty/Employer mixer hour before the student event

If you or someone in your network would like to participate, we encourage early

registration as space is limited.

Fall 2025 Dean's List

We know our students are exceptional, but to see 86 HLA members named to the Fall Dean's list is a true testament to their hard work and academic excellence.

To earn a place on the Dean's List, undergraduates must have completed 12 or more credits during the Fall term and achieve a term GPA of 3.80 and higher.

Congratulations to our HLA students who earned this well deserved recognition.

Awards and Recognitions

Max Nikkari, HLA Graduate Student

Congratulations to Max Nikkari for receiving the Anthony J. Koski Green Industry Scholarship from the Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association.

This American Land

PBS Episode featuring

Jen Bousselot and Horst Caspari

"What a delight to share the stage with my agrivoltaics colleagues, Josie Hart, Byron Kominek, Horst Caspari, and Jordan Macknick" ~Jen Bousselot.

~8 min segment - minute 9 to minute 17 (link below)

T his American Land | Ruffed Grouse #2, Agrivoltaics, Clean Water from Farmeolands, Beaver Corps, Right Whales | Season 13 | Episode 5 | PBS

2025 Extension Internship

Dewanshi Kumari

Dewanshi Kumari spent her summer doing agrivoltaics research as part of a CSU Extension internship. She met with farmers and ranchers to understand their needs and informational gaps so they can make educated decisions when considering adopting agrivoltaics in their own fields.

Carnegie Foundation recognizes CSU for community engagement. CSU was awarded a national designation honoring its community engagement, which is aimed at sharing and co-creating knowledge for the benefit of Colorado and its residents.