The funding will directly support Master of Landscape Architecture ( MLA ) graduate students as they conduct collaborative design research focused on public parks, trail systems and conservation projects. This initiative addresses both past and future technical assistance requests to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance ( RTCA ) program. Judith Stilgenbauer, professor of landscape architecture, serves as the principal investigator for the initiative. Stilgenbauer was instrumental in bringing the grant to the School of Architecture, leveraging UH ‘s existing Hawaiʻi–Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit master agreement. “In my view, it goes to show how incredibly relevant landscape architecture is as an academic discipline and profession when it comes to providing design services that increase community and environmental resilience,” said Stilgenbauer.