Our organization’s vibrant network of visionaries have anticipated movements in research and design decades before they have hit the mainstream. EDRA’s lineage of members have pioneered environment & behavior studies, evidence-based design, facility evaluation methods, sustainability, active living community planning, universal design, diversity in design, workplace design and informatics, and digital technologies.

But, EDRA is not content to rest on any laurels. Demonstrated by the success of the 42nd Annual Conference held in Chicago this year, our legacy of scholarship continues:

• The conference had more than 500 attendees--many of whom are experts in their fields of study and are earning advanced degrees in their respective fields. This represents a 35% increase in participation over previous years.
• The conference hosted 310 peer-reviewed papers, intensives, and symposium presentations on a variety of topics. The diversity of topics ranged from sustainability in healthcare and office environments to emerging infrastructures and technologies that impact the urban planning policies of megacities.
• Attendees hailed from 115 academic institutions across the globe, demonstrating our international commitment to conviviality and excellence in research.
• More than 100 presentations were eligible for continuing education credits from the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System, the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System, and the American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance Program.

Clearly, EDRA is a vibrant community of experts without boundaries. Discourses are among inquisitive people who work on projects that impact the global design industry five years, ten years, or even decades down the road. EDRA members revel in conversations of research irrespective of a person’s title, years of experience, and accomplishments. Throughout all of these conversations has been a fervor and zeal to translate research into design practice sooner rather than later. We want impact, now. But, how and what can it look like?

Over the next year, you can experience new and exciting opportunities to continue the dialogue and make a visible impact, both at the EDRA conference and online:

• A redesigned website with greater access to nearly 6,000 research papers, articles and findings from the EDRA community and beyond.
• A new online community for EDRA’s Knowledge Networks to easily share ideas, initiate discussion forums and contribute to cutting-edge research.
• The development of a Placemaker Accreditation Exploratory Committee that can expand opportunities for researchers to translate research into practice and incentivize their clients to infuse research into landscape and building projects.
• Volunteer opportunities and partnerships with affiliated organizations and corporations that can help new and existing EDRA-phites build their emerging careers and advance change.
• Opportunities and incentives for existing EDRA members to grow the organization and its conference so that we have a greater impact on practitioners and policy makers.
• Collaboration through plenary and concurrent sessions at the 43rd Annual Conference, held May 30-June 2, 2012 in Seattle, Washington.

Our future is ambitious and promising. With our headquarters now located in Washington, D.C., we are poised to affect public policy at the national level. This is truly the time to be part of this vibrant organization, and on behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I look forward to welcoming you to the conversation.

Sincerely,

Nicholos Watkins, Ph.D

2011-2012 Chair

EDRA Board of Directors