On Friday, May 4, University of Minnesota faculty and students celebrated with City of Ramsey residents, public officials, and staff at the Resilient Communities Project’s 2018 end-of-year event, held at the McNamara Alumni Center on the U of MN’s East Bank Campus in Minneapolis.
During the two-hour event, students presented nearly two dozen posters representing their work on 21 projects that were part of this year’s RCP partnership with Ramsey, a growing northwest suburb of the Twin Cities located on busy Highway 10 and along the Northstar Rail Line. Posters highlighted the findings and recommendations from some of the more than 50 student teams from across 16 academic departments at the University of Minnesota that participated in the partnership.
The collaboration provided the city and its residents with case studies, data analysis, concept plans, designs, and policy recommendations to build resilience in Ramsey, and offered more than 275 students the opportunity to tackle real projects as part of their coursework, working directly with Ramsey city staff, residents, and business owners.
Ramsey's acting mayor John LeTourneau thanked RCP for partnering with the City, promising that "The data and the information that the students and everyone else have brought forward is going to be applied in many different ways" as Ramsey strives to remain resilient in the face of rapid growth.
Scott County planning director Brad Davis and Ramsey County policy and planning director Elizabeth Tolzmann, who will be coordinating next year's partnerships with Scott and Ramsey County, also spoke briefly at the event, complimenting the quality of the student work on display at the event, and expressing their growing excitement about their upcoming collaboration with RCP and the University.
Although all of the students, faculty, and community partners who participated in this year’s collaboration contributed to the partnership’s success, several individuals who made outstanding contributions were recognized at the event. Congratulations to the awardees, and thanks to all who contributed to this year’s outstanding partnership with Ramsey!
Outstanding Student Project
Student Team: Mark Christenson, Ann Lokke, Darrin Rickbell, Vini Taguchi, and Rena Weis
Ramsey Project: “The Draw: Algal Removal Feasibility Study” (storm water management and water quality)
Course: CEGE 5511: Urban Hydrology and Water Quality (taught by Dr. John Gulliver, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, College of Science and Engineering)
Outstanding Project Lead
Project Lead: Chris Anderson, City Planner and Environmental Coordinator, Planning and Zoning Department, City of Ramsey
Ramsey Projects: “Protecting Our Investments: Piloting a Tree Inventory," "Integrating Resources into Our Future: Natural Resources Management and Outreach," "Restoring Our Edge: Mississippi Shoreline Restoration," and "Reduce Waste, Reuse Resources: Expanding an Organics Recycling Program"
Outstanding Faculty Partner
Faculty Member: Stacy Doepner-Hove, Director, Master’s program in Human Resources and Industrial Relations (Carlson School of Management)
Courses: Course Instructor for HRIR 6304: Employee Development: Creating a Competitive Advantage and HRIR 5992: Independent Study in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, both of which participated in RCP projects with Ramsey this year