Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design

We’re excited to spotlight a new member of the BSSD Faculty Advisory Committee, Andrew Weiss!

Professor Weiss is joining our committee to support, advise, and help guide BSSD students. We’re so excited to have him as part of our team!

Welcome, Professor Weiss!

BSSD: What is your profession?
AW: My formal education is in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, but the majority of my career has been in a Planning role within the Parks and Recreation field.

BSSD: How is sustainable design integrated into your career?
AW: Broadly speaking, the health and wellness that Parks and Recreation delivers to our world is immense! Some aspects of planning and designing outdoor recreational space are intrinsically sustainable, like planting a certain percentage and diversity of tree canopy, for instance. Our parks and green spaces are being asked to do more and more every year; whether it`s stormwater detention or communications infrastructure, integrating those types of additional demands into outdoor public space requires a certain level of resourcefulness and creativity, both individually and collectively. Operating and maintaining well-loved parks so they don`t become a victim of their own success also offers a lot of opportunity for sustainable practices.

BSSD: How did you get to where you are now?
AW: I finished my BArch at the University of Illinois at Chicago and my MLA here at Urbana-Champaign, where I`ve called home now for over twenty years.

BSSD: What courses are you teaching within campus?
AW: This semester I`m involved with:
ARCH 273 Fundamentals of Design I and
LA 280 Design Communications I.

BSSD: What kind of skills do you hope students gain from taking this course?
AW: believe that Fundamentals of Design (Arch 273) is the "what" a designer wants or needs to say.
Design Communication (LA 280) is the "how" a designer effectively conveys those ideas and intuitions to others.

BSSD: What are some interesting and interactive skills within these courses?
AW: The most interesting and interactive skill to be gained and practiced in any undergraduate design course is the ability to deliver one`s internal and at times very personal ideas to a greater... ...

The BSSD program loves celebrating our amazing alumni and all they’ve accomplished since graduation!

This week, we’re shining the spotlight on 2024 alum Jeremiah Pope! Let`s celebrate Jeremiah and his incredible work post-graduation!

BSSD: Tell us about yourself!
JP: “I`m Jeremiah Pope, I am a STEM coordinator with the Chicago Urban League. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2024. I majored in sustainable design and had a minor in media. Throughout my entire life, I always enjoyed giving back to the community and documenting everything that I go through. It gives me purpose and everything to drive for. I love integrating design into subjects that I am passionate about like Black/Brown communities and how to put those ideas into a larger scale.”

BSSD: What is your profession?
JP: “I am a STEM coordinator within the Chicago Urban League. I`m currently developing programs between 3 different schools ranging from 30-70 students a week. Within this position, I come up with how I want students to experience STEM. In order to accomplish that, I do a lot of research on what is trending with the STEM department, as well as trying to see what students are interested in. I incorporate this into the iSTEAM playbook, which is essentially integrating STEM within sports and teaching students different fields that are in the sports sector. I also work as a mentor for students to navigate them through the education process ranging from middle school to high school, high school to college, and from college to the next steps.”

BSSD: How did you get to where you are now?
JP: “After graduating in 2024, I took a gap year opportunity with City Year. During City Year, I was able to work within the schools of my own community. This experience also exposed me to the possibilities in terms of career choices. After City Year, I got a role as an energy efficiency with Peoples Gas in collaboration with After School Matters. Within this role I learned about LEED, which made me realize I can implement what I learned in sustainable design and add it to something new. After that year, I was fortunate enough to land a job as a STEM coordinator.. ...

Let’s welcome Assistant Professor Cheng Chen, joining the Sustainable Design Program!

Professor Chen will be teaching FAA 430: Sustainable Design Capstone Seminar this fall semester. We’re excited to have him as part of the program and look forward to all the knowledge and perspectives he’ll bring to our students!

What is your profession? Can you tell us more about it?

I’m a practicing architect and urban scholar, and now faculty in FAA. My design work centers on critical regionalism, community engagement, and net-zero design. My research looks at how infrastructure gets planned, financed, and managed, and how those decisions shape the built environment and our living experience.

How did you get to where you are now?

I was born and educated in China — bachelors at Southeast University, masters at Tsinghua University
— and practiced throughout. A pro bono design project in Sri Lanka sent me to UVA for a PhD studying infrastructure systems, during which I spent 2 years in Africa for fieldwork. Along the way I taught at UVA, Kean, Ithaca, and Columbia before joining Illinois.

How is sustainable design integrated into your career?

As a designer, critical regionalism taught me how much low-tech, place-specific strategies can do (often more efficiently than high-tech fixes). As a researcher, I found that sustainability is really a socio-technical complex: stakeholders shape outcomes as much as materials do. So I work “glocally,” moving between local practice and global systems across my research, teaching, and design.

What course will you be teaching in the Sustainable Design curriculum?

This fall I’m teaching FAA 430, the Sustainable Design Capstone Seminar, which prepares seniors for the final stretch toward their degree. Going forward I’ll be involved across the BSSD curriculum and hope to develop new courses on sustainable policy, infrastructure, and urban systems.

Can you tell us a bit about what this class would look like?

FAA 430 is a hands-on methodological bootcamp for design research. Students run the full arc of design research: identifying their own inquiries and projects, learning research methods, and translating findings into a working p ...

Say hello to... the event coordinator`s!!

We`re excited to welcome our newest SAC members and can’t wait to see all the amazing things they accomplish in their new positions!

Let`s meet the team! -->

What do the event coordinator`s do?
Plan, organize and promote activities and events to students.

River Ceinfuegos:
Howdy! I’m River, a senior in Sustainable Design interested in protecting urban ecology, solving food insecurity in marginalized communities, and creating art in various mediums. I have a dance background, which will accelerate my need for a hip replacement, but is a big part of who I am and how I engage with my community. I’m also an avid baker and advocate for foraging food that’s hiding in plain sight. As a member of the Events Committee, I look forward to meeting y’all at an event very soon!

Sierra Arnold:
Hi all. I’m Sierra, and entering my final year of BSSD. I’m exciting to bring forth my global experiences and education in landscape, environment, and art to host some awesome events this fall. In my time at the University, one year was spent experiencing sustainability through the candid lens as a Swedish resident; I’ve engaged in multiple organizations and affiliations in the CU community focused on sustainability; and enriched my knowledge through the School of Landscape Architecture, School of Art + Design, and the College of Aces. These experiences provide me with a rich ecosystem I’m excited to share!

Meghana Sharma:
Hello! My name is Meghana Sharma, I am a senior in Sustainable Design. I would like to pursue sustainable architecture post grad. I am very excited to work with my committee to organize events for the Sustainable Design community. ...

Say hello to… the New Student Ambassador Team!

We’re so excited to welcome our newest SAC members and can’t wait to see all the amazing things they accomplish in their new positions!

To kick things off, we’re excited to introduce our New Student Ambassador team!

Let’s meet the team! —>

What do New Student Ambassador’s do?

Meet and welcome new and prospective students through tours, visit days, and program event.

Tara Giblin:

I am a senior in BSSD with a strong interest in how architecture, sustainability, and human-centered design intersect. As a transfer student, I am passionate about making everyone within our program feel welcome, included, and free to express their ideas-just as I felt when I transferred into BSSD. In my time here, I have involved myself through clubs like Alpha Rho Chi, AIAS, and SBMA. With this experience, combined with my passion for outreach and design, I hope to help foster a strong, welcoming community within BSSD and ensure that students feel like they belong.

Chieley Geiler:

Junior in Sustainable Design who is in interested designing public space with all levels of community in mind and connecting new and prospective students to how they can translate their creative passions into helping others.

Sofia Dominguez:

Hi! My name is Sofia Dominguez and I am a
Sustainable Design student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I’m passionate about sustainability, architecture, and urban design, and enjoy exploring how thoughtful design can help create stronger and more sustainable communities. I’m excited to serve as a student ambassador and look forward to connecting with other students, represent their perspectives, and help create meaningful opportunities and experiences within the Sustainable Design program.

Xitlalli Cabrera:

Hello everyone, I’m Xitlalli Cabrera! I am one of the Student Ambassadors for SAC and I am excited to begin working with other students in BSSD! I am currently a senior in Sustainable Design with a minor in Architecture and Spanish, and my main focus is sustainable building practices. Through BSSD I have been able to travel to London for a study abroad trip focusing on urban sustainability. ...