New Orleans, LA – May 23, 2025 — At the 2025 State of the Coast Conference—the premier gathering for coastal stakeholders in Louisiana—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) program delivered a dynamic half-day short course on implementing Natural Infrastructure (NI) in estuarine systems.

Bringing together science, design, and engineering, this workshop showcased the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing NI for coastal resilience.

A Collaborative Learning Environment

Held in a hybrid format, the short course was facilitated in person by New Orleans-based landscape architecture firm Waggonner & Ball and engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, with virtual content delivered by EWN team members from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). The course drew a diverse group of participants, including professionals from the private sector, academia, public agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Technical Presentations by EWN Experts

The session featured three engaging virtual presentations from ERDC EWN scientists and engineers:

• Dr. Amanda Tritinger, Deputy Program Manager of EWN and Research Hydraulic Engineer at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), discussed Numerical Modeling of Natural Infrastructure.
• Dr. Jacob Berkowitz, Research Soil Scientist at the Environmental Laboratory and leader of a team of wetland ecologists, shared insights on Ecological Considerations for Natural Infrastructure.
• Mr. Steven Bailey, Research Landscape Architect at CHL, presented on The Role of Landscape Architecture in Delivering Landscape-Scale Natural Infrastructure.

These presentations highlighted how multiple assessment lenses—numerical, ecological, and design—can be synthesized to produce more holistic and resilient NI solutions.

Hands-On Engagement: From Knowledge to Application

To put theory into practice, the in-person segment included a hands-on design challenge. Workshop participants, divided into interdisciplinary teams and collaborated on a conceptual NI design for the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. In just 20 minutes, teams produced rapid conceptual renderings and presented their ideas to the expert panel for feedback, simulating real-world coastal project planning under time constraints.

Participants collaborating on conceptual NI designs.

Building Momentum for Coastal Resilience

The workshop concluded with group reflections and closing remarks emphasizing the importance of cross-sector and cross-discipline integration in building sustainable (resilient) coastal futures. Participants left with not only new technical knowledge but also a renewed sense of the creativity and collaboration required to design resilient, nature-based infrastructure.

Supported by the EWN program and its partners at Waggonner & Ball and Moffatt & Nichol, this workshop demonstrated EWN in action—merging natural processes with engineering design to yield ecological, social, and economic benefits.