LAGI Youth Prize
Middle School and High School
Robert Ferry, RA, LEED AP BD+C,
Co-Director LAGI
Robert is the founding co-director of the Land Art Generator Initiative and Studied Impact Design. His consulting work is focused on the design of net-zero and net-positive places that achieve complete harmony with their local and global environments and with the people who use them. He has contributed to many high-profile green building projects around the world, and his design work has been featured in "Superlative Emirates", Popular Science Magazine and other publications.
His publications include "Regenerative Infrastructures", "The Time is Now: Public Art of the Sustainable City", "New Energies", "Art+Energy Flash Cards", and "A Field Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies."
Elizabeth Monoian, MFA, Co-Director LAGI
Elizabeth is the founder and director of Society for Cultural Exchange, a non-profit organization that is developing international exchanges between communities, academics, and artists. Under SCE she is the founding co-director of the Land Art Generator Initiative, which has brought together thousands of creatives from around the world. Elizabeth is an interdisciplinary artist and designer and her work has been screened and exhibited widely in international venues. She received an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and has taught in universities around the world.
Her publications include "Regenerative Infrastructures", "The Time is Now: Public Art of the Sustainable City", "New Energies", "Art+Energy Flash Cards", and "A Field Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies."
Katie Henry, B.S. in Education and M. Ed in School Leadership
Katie Henry is a licensed public school educator and administrator, receiving both her B.S. in Education and M. Ed in School Leadership from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Katie has won numerous awards for her teaching including a 2015 ISTE Making IT Happen award and the 2015 ITIP Ohio Outstanding Technology Using Teacher of the Year award. Katie’s transformational work with students of all ages emphasizes interdisciplinary, project-based learning opportunities infusing STEAM and 21st century learning practices. Most recently, Katie worked to develop and lead a series of renewable energy themed STEM events in her school district, with over 500 students attending the events combined. Katie also has several years experience writing children’s book reviews for Library Media Connection Magazine, developing intergenerational programming for retirement communities, and leading outdoor education initiatives in her community.
Rebecca Ansert Ehemann, Founder & Principal of Green Public Art
Rebecca Ansert Ehemann is the founder and principal of Green Public Art Consultancy. Her consultancy partners with progressive public and private agencies, artists, architects and urban developers in the U.S. and abroad, to increase the aesthetic appeal of new construction and city planning with site-specific public art. Her work specializes in the integration of public art into green building projects and provides comprehensive project management services for both public and private spaces including conceptual programming, artist and material selection, as well as oversight of fabrication, installation and maintenance of artworks. Her project's have been twice selected in the Top 50 Public Art Projects of the Year by the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network (2008, 2012). She received a master’s degree in Public Art Studies from University of Southern California.
Shaun Tomaszewski, MEd, BPhil
Shaun is currently serving over 26,000 students, as the K-12 STEAM Education Coordinator of Pittsburgh Public Schools. He earned his BPhil degrees in Microbiology and Neuroscience and a MEd in Science Education from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently working on a PhD in Administrative and Policy Studies, also at Pitt, focusing on how education leaders can create and sustain organizational cultures that support teaching and learning. Always a teacher at heart, Shaun currently holds teaching positions at the University of Pittsburgh in two schools. In the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, he teaches courses in Physiology and Pathology, and in the Department of Geology, he teaches a course on Environmental Sustainability.
Sandra Preiss
Sandra Preiss has a diverse professional portfolio that includes classroom teaching, community-based education, and teacher education. She has led innovative, educational initiatives across several organizations at the state, private, and federal levels. For the past five years she has worked for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center as the Coordinator for the Dayton Regional STEM Center. She has expertise in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education methods, teacher training, and educator assessments. Her role as Coordinator includes project management, industry and collegiate collaboration, grant writing, innovation methods, strategic planning and curriculum generation. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in secondary life science education from The University of New Mexico and an interdisciplinary Master’s Degree specializing in Engineering Innovation and Professional Leadership from The University of Dayton.