Environmental & Horticultural Education
- Environmental & Horticultural Education
- Human-Nature Interactions
- Urban Vegetation & Landscape Management
- Technology
By investigating the reciprocal connection between learning and the environment, this research area examines pedagogical methods and the institutional organization of environmental education. This interdisciplinary approach aims to improve developmental and social outcomes for all students while fostering integrated curricula that equip them for future careers and life challenges.
Publications
- (2019) Do Experiences With Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship
- (2024) Unearthing green potential: Assessing the state of managed urban landscape curricula in Minnesota's higher education institutions
- (2021) Urban Lawns as Nature-Based Learning Spaces
- (2025) Seasonal impressions of nature: Creatively exploring phenology through an intuitive learning activity
- (2025) Horticulture industry awareness and use of lawn and landscape cooperative extension education resources
This area looks to identify understudied elements of human and nature interactions to encourage well-designed and actionable interdisciplinary research that will ultimately improve human and nature wellbeing and the spaces and places these interactions occur.
Publications
- (2024) Winter-Human-Nature Interactions: A Scoping Review for a Neglected Season
- (2019) Characterizing Nature and Participant Experience in Studies of Nature Exposure for Positive Mental Health: An Integrative Review
- (2024) Winter–Nature Interactions Elicit Positive Sentiments in Urban Millennials: A Cross-Cultural Analysis in Minneapolis-St. Paul, USA, and Stuttgart, Germany
- (2023) “Nothing Beats Nature”: Park Visitor Preferences for Natural Turfgrass and Artificial Turf: A Case Study
- (2022) Differences in likelihood of use between artificial and natural turfgrass lawns
- (2022) ‘Greenness’ in the Eye of the Beholder: Comparing Perceptions of Sustainability and Well-being Between Artificial and Natural Turfgrass
- (2020) What’s in a yardscape? A case study of emergent ecosystem services and disservices within resident yardscape discourses in Minnesota
This area of study focuses on improving the implementation of urban landscape management research findings, such as water restrictions and eco-friendly best practices, by identifying and understanding public and professional perceptions regarding urban vegetation and related management strategies.
Publications
- (2021) Homeowner perceptions of watering restriction scenarios in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area
- (2020) Public Land manager discourses on barriers and opportunities for a transition to Low input turfgrass in urban areas
- (2025) Identifying challenges in establishing pollinator lawns among current and potential owners
- (2024) Sports field users in Minnesota support herbicide use for weed‐free recreation
- (2023) Longevity of Rain Gardens in Minnesota (US) as a Stormwater Solution: A Question of Homeowner Motivation and Satisfaction
- (2022) Investigating the Effectiveness of Irrigation Restriction Length on Water Use Behavior
- (2021) Homeowner perceptions of watering restriction scenarios in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area
- (2018) Public land managers and sustainable urban vegetation: The case of low-input turfgrasses
- (2020) Fringe fescues: An initial exploration of native fine fescues for turfgrass applications in California
- (2020) Public Land manager discourses on barriers and opportunities for a transition to Low input turfgrass in urban areas
By examining the adoption of current and emerging technologies by professionals and the public, this research area explores the ethical and social-ecological implications within horticultural contexts. Through an interdisciplinary lens, this work seeks to uncover hidden social costs and address the challenges of technology implementation and adaptation.
