David Witte in Ecuador with other members of Verde Milenio Foundation.

OLIN landscape architect David Witte is actively involved with Verde Milenio Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Ecuador, dedicated to supporting sustainable development and conservation of the natural environment. David first became involved with the Foundation five years ago as a student at Purdue University, and has since made annual trips to the region to lead projects and work with local communities along with Kim Wilson, Professor and Program Director of Landscape Architecture and Community and Regional Planning at University of Nebraska.

The Verde Milenio Foundation most recently collaborated with the Community of Anangu, located along the Napo River in the Amazon, to offer recommendations and improvements to a masterplan the community developed for their small village. David, along with a group of landscape architecture, building architecture and planning students from the University of Nebraska, provided guidance regarding building arrangements, construction techniques, stormwater management, green infrastructure and flexibility for future growth. Work is still underway in Anangu, and Verde Milenio Foundation will be involved in overseeing and working alongside the community during implementation. Learn more about the Foundation at www.verdemilenio.org.

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Left to Right: Ed Confair, Jenny Jones, Roberto Bio, Laura Renekamp, Brian Velleman, Martha Clifford

OLIN’s 2010 interns are an international group of talented young people at different points in their careers, all with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives.

From the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Ed Confair brings a technical approach to his work, stemming from his background in civil engineering. Jenny Jones, in her final semester at the University of Virgina, views cities holistically as complex systems, while keeping a rigorous eye toward theory. She is passionate about youth education, having taught middle school science in Oakland, CA as a Teach for America corps member.

Roberto Bio, a native of Turin, Italy, is currently studying landscape architecture at the University of Oregon. He has a background in building architecture and is acutely focused on urban design and its effects on rivers and stormwater. Laura Renekemp, a recent graduate of Philadelphia University with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, is interested in urban planning and horticulture.

Brian Velleman of Purdue University will be spending an entire year with the studio. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, with minors in Art and Design and Horticulture. Martha Clifford, also from Penn Design, is focused on issues of representation influenced by her studies in fine art, and believes the process of hand drawing is an essential part of landscape architecture.