The UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) is pleased to announce the recipients of the annual department awards for 2021-2022. The awards recognize graduate planning students in the masters (campus-based and online) and doctoral programs for achievements overall and for specific planning topics. Several awards were created by, or in honor of, persons and organizations of special significance to the URP Department and the planning field. Awards come with monetary supplements to assist the students with their continued academic and professional endeavors.

On Thursday, March 31, URP Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni gathered at Cypress & Grove Brewing Company and via zoom to celebrate. Congratulations to all the award recipients!

The American Planning Association and American Institute of Certified Planners presents the Outstanding Student Award to one graduate student in each accredited planning program. This award recognizes a student who has performed well in class, demonstrates leadership, and shows promise of early achievement in the planning profession. The recipient will receive a certificate from the American Planning Association and will be recognized on the APA’s website.

The recipient of the 2022 APA/AICP Outstanding Student Award is Elisabeth Staten. Elisabeth excelled not only academically in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program with outstanding academic achievements, but was also active in the Student Planning Association, the WTS (formerly Women’s Transportation Seminar), and the Florida Not One More student organization. Her master’s thesis expanded on her rural transportation capstone and provided recommendations to developing transit for low-income workers in Putnam County. Congratulations Elisabeth!

The Peter J. Kanavos, Sr. Memorial Award is given in honor of Mr. Kanavos, who founded the Flag Development Company. The award fund was established in 1991 by the family and friends of Mr. Kanavos. Generally this award is presented to an outstanding student who is interested in real estate development; however, the donors to this fund do not limit the award to students with this focus.

The recipient of the 2022 Peter J. Kanavos, Sr. Memorial Award is Andrew Beasley. Andrew was recognized by the faculty for his ability to bring peers together on collaborative assignments and help them translate problems in the classroom to real world skills. Andrew previously served a survey technician and stormwater site inspector, and now serves the Knoxville-Knox County Planning office as a geographic information systems specialist. Congratulations Andrew!

The Ulla Rydberg Memorial Award is given in honor of Ms. Rydberg, who was a researcher in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the time of her death in 1991. She was particularly known for her work to provide housing for seniors, and she is remembered for her openness and generosity. This funded award honors her commitment to gerontology and other forms of social planning by recognizing an outstanding student focusing on one of these fields.

The recipient of the 2022 Ulla Rydberg Award is Heather Hubbard. Heather was an active participant in the International Join Workshop/Seminar hosted by the University of Indonesia to asses the impact of COVID-19 on work, home, and community. Her master’s research project served as an assessment of sustainability initiatives in her hometown in Arkansas, where love of environment and antipathy to government regulations are constantly opposing forces. Her work helped persuade members of the community to adopt sustainability initiatives. Congratulations Heather!

This award is given in honor of Margaret E. Raynal, who was the statewide trainer for the Florida Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program in the URP Department until her death in 1996, which resulted from an automobile-caused bicycle crash. At Raynal’s memorial service a letter from Gov. Lawton Chiles was read which praised her exemplary commitment and character. This funded award is presented to an exceptional student who specializes in environmental or transportation planning, particularly alternative forms of transportation, or health education.

The recipient of the 2022 Margaret E. Raynal Award is Juan Suarez. Juan completed a concurrent degree between Urban Planning and Transportation Engineering. As a research assistant, he worked with URP faculty on research projects related to congestion caused by school buses and transit systems in Pinellas County. Juan’s thesis is evaluated the micromobility system in Louisville, KY to understand the factors determining who used the system and how, making recommendations on providing scooters to low-income neighborhoods. Congratulations Juan!

WRS Infrastructure & Environment, Inc. established this award in memory of Mario Ripol, who was an MURP graduate and research associate in the GeoPlan Center when he was killed in an automobile crash in 2000. This award is presented to an outstanding student who specializes in information technology for planning.

The recipient of the 2022 Mario Ripol Memorial Award is Tyler Tornese. Tyler was recognized for his outstanding abilities and technical proficiency with geographic information systems (GIS), research with the GeoPlan Center, and his support of other team members and peers. Tyler interned with the South Dakota Department of Transportation and developed and wrote a Master Transportation Plan for a small community. Congratulations Tyler!

This award is given by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in honor of James Nevin Beeler, Jr. who graduated from the MURP program in 2011 and passed away in 2012. Jim was active in local political and civic circles everywhere he lived. He was not afraid to get involved in public controversy and public service. Before becoming a URP student, he served on the Tampa-Hillsborough County Planning Commission and worked on several campaigns for area politicians. This award is presented to students who engage in public service and make a difference in their communities.

The recipient of the 2022 Jim Beeler Public Service Memorial Award is Samantha Brisolara. Sam began her career of public service while obtaining her undergraduate degree and working as a secretary for the City of Marianna’s Community Development Department, then transitioning to city clerk for a town in Alabama while obtaining her master’s degree. Samantha has also worked for the City of Destin and invests time volunteering for organizations in the community. Congratulations Sam!

The Paul and Malea Zwick Graduate Student Award was established in 2018 by URP Professor Paul Zwick and his wife, Malea. This funded award recognizes a student who has best integrated innovative use of technology into their solution for urban and regional planning problems or research.

The recipient of the 2021 Paul and Malea Zwick Graduate Student Award is Zhaochen Jiang. Zhaochen has completed concurrent master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Computer Sciences. He has developed and displayed extensive experience in automation of GIS modeling and analysis using Python programming. Zhaochen has assisted researchers at UF on projects including automation of geocoding, roadway horizontal curve detection methods and analysis, and traffic volume data extraction and safety analysis.Congratulations Zhaochen!

URP alumni and friends established the Carl Feiss Urban and Environmental Design Award in memory of Carl Feiss, who was among the founding faculty of the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He was trained as an architect and was instrumental in founding the planning professional nationally through his work on affordable housing, historic preservation and other regional planning priorities from the Roosevelt (FDR) to the Kennedy administrations. This funded award is given to accomplished students showing significant future promise based upon studio work, papers, or presentations in urban and environmental design.

The recipient of the 2022 Carl Feiss Urban and Environmental Design Award is Nicole Hall. Nicole is currently a Planning Officer in the City of Marysville and lives in Columbus, OH. Her master’s research project analyzed greenspaces in Portland, OR to make a comparative analysis with other communities, using GIS tools and scripting to provide quantitative analyses. Congratulations Nicole!

Doug began his public sector career working as an intern for the City of Gainesville during graduate school, and then as a development review planner for county government for 11 years. During the past 25 years, Doug has worked in the private sector specializing in concept planning, land development entitlements, expert witness services, and providing eminent domain support services for private property owners and condemning authorities throughout Florida. He served as a mentor during the first year of the URP Mentorship program. Congratulations Doug!

The 2022 Outstanding Teacher of the Year recipient is Thomas Hawkins. Thomas is the program director for the online Master of Urban and Regional Planning program and teaches Land Use Planning Law, Planning Administration and Ethics, Development Review, and Growth Management Seminar. Thomas was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Student Planning Association (SPA), who noted his commitment to students of the Urban and Regional Planning Department. Thank you and congratulations, Thomas!