Teaching
Ongoing teaching activities
Members of the Bloomington Urban Forestry Research Group (BUFRG) are involved in many ongoing teaching activities. Some of these activities are highlighted below:
In 2006, Burney Fischer received a grant to develop a course in Urban Forest Management to be taught at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington. Fischer taught this course to about 40 students during the spring semester of every year through 2018. Since then, Sarah Mincey has been teaching the course annually in the fall semester.
Syllabi and Course Materials
Fall 2025 E422/522 Urban Forest Management (taught by Sarah Mincey)
Spring 2017 E422/522 Urban Forest Management (taught by Burney Fischer)
Spring 2014 E422 Urban Forest Management Syllabus & Course Calendar (Undergraduate-only version, taught by Jess Vogt)
In the spring of 2010, Burney Fischer worked with several SPEA Master’s students to develop the first graduate course in Urban Ecology at IUB. This course is taught periodically in the fall semester to a small group of 10-15 master’s/Phd students and is entirely based on discussion of student-selected readings. The course has been offered annual since 2014.
Syllabi and Course Materials
Urban Ecology Student-Generated Reading Lists
Evaluations of the USFS Forest Legacy Program & Northern Minnesota Lake Associations
Since the spring of 2012, Burney Fischer has been leading Capstone courses for the SPEA Masters Program. In the spring of 2012, Burney Fischer and Sarah Mincey, along with colleague James Farmer, led a Capstone to evaluate the Forest Legacy Program of the USDA Forest Service. Most recently, these capstones have investigated the management of lakes in northern Minnesota through the lens of Lake Associations and water quality monitoring programs undertaken by these LAs. See the syllabi below for recent iterations of the Capstone class, as well copies of the final reports presented to the Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations.
Syllabi
Final Reports and Publications from Capstone Classes
Fall 2014:
- Choi, D., R. Conover, A. Davis, S. Klein, K. Meehan, H. Ritger, G. Ryan, S. Widney. “Enhancing Hubbard County COLA’s Lake Monitoring Program,” SPEA Capstone Report. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Spring 2013:
- Finkelstein, S., H.G., Gaddis, R.K. Hook, S.C. Johnson, N.D. Malay, J.J. McGee, J. Okajima, A.K. Preener, J.K. Pryjoski, V. Radkov, R.J. Ramos, A. Reynolds, P.V. Ripley, R.M. Rosen, E.M. Schneider, S.R. Swaminathan, S. Tang, A. Vautrinot, K.K. Walsh, and E.M. Zeller. “Guidelines for sustainable lake associations and coalitions of lake associations: Research and Recommendations,” SPEA Capstone Report. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. 53 pp.
- Okajima, J., J. McGee, B.C. Fischer, and J.R. Farmer. “Analyzing and improving the sustainability of lake associations.” LakeLine, Summer 2014: 27-33.
Spring 2012:
- Bannister, J., J. Barron, C. Bentley, M. Busker, K. Davidson, Z. Edwards, C. Artel, K. Folson, S. Garg, J. Geisenhaver, T. Graver, G. Heller, N. Hendon, N. Meyers, J.R. Nolasco, M. Patterson, C. Perko, A. Rector, J. Rountree, J. Snow, J. Sperl, R. Stearman, A. Tanaka, N. Westling, and J. Wright. 2012. “Summary report for the USDA Forest Service Forest Legacy Program: An analysis of state forestry agency organizational structure and its effectiveness for the sustainable monitoring of conservation easements,” SPEA Capstone Report. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. 12 pp.
Press
Articles from Northwoods Press
- December 17, 2014, “Hubbard County COLA participates in university research project”
- October 1, 2014, “COLA to be involved in second university capstone project”
Articles from the Park Rapids Enterprise
Burney Fischer and Sarah Mincey have mentored several students in projects related to urban forestry. Recent projects, with links to some, are provided below:
- “The Effects of Size, Distance and History on Urban Forest Patches,” by Mark Sahm. Honors Thesis mentored by Jess Vogt and Burney Fischer. Completed Spring 2014.
- “Preliminary Assessment of Urban Fruit Tree Projects in the United States,” by Stephanie Hopkins. Independent study mentored by Burney Fischer. Completed Fall 2012.
- “Urban Forestry in Hanoi, Vietnam: Applying the Framework of Social Ecological Systems to the Urban Forestry Management in Vietnam,” by Megan Ploch. Honors thesis mentored by Burney Fischer and Sarah Mincey. Completed Spring 2012.
- “Streetscape Inventory on the Indiana University-Bloomington Campus: An Analysis of Tree Species Demographics, Condition, and Ecosystem Services using i-Tree Streets,” by Kaitlyn McClain. Honors thesis mentored by Burney Fischer. Completed Spring 2012.
- “The Feasibility of Implementing a Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program. Case Study: Brownsburg, IN,” by Scott Silver. Honors thesis mentored by Burney Fischer. Completed Spring 2011.
- “An Edible Urban Forest: An Element of the Sustainability Equation, by Amy Countryman. BSES thesis mentored by Burney Fischer. Completed December 2009.