M.R. Barnes

Environmental social science researcher @UMNHorticulture working in the areas of urban lawns, nature-based learning, winter, and nature and mental health.

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

🤔How does a social scientist ‘do’ research?

What data is collected, and how?

How does the data get analyzed? Is it valid?

Find out in the latest blog by @envpsychmike, Quant meets Qual: The ultimate research power couple.

https://t.co/wGuZCYv5sb

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

🐝 Counting blooms & bees in Minnesota yards!

The @MSP_LTER team surveyed 80+ home lawns over 5 years to see which flowers show up & which pollinators visit them.

Check out the key findings from Paige Boyle & Lindsey Kemmerling.

🔗 https://t.co/KL4qA1LvTd

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

The August2026 issue of our #WinterTurf newsletter is out! Read the latest work from our project about mitigating winter injury in turfgrasses.

https://t.co/AZ6vOPXX3L

To subscribe: https://t.co/bShozFCCDc

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

Check out our latest blog post, The state of artificial turf in 2026, by @envpsychmike to learn the latest on artificial turf research and regulation!

https://t.co/7zLPqpdmUM
📸 M.R. Barnes

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

Check out the @MnGCSA December Hole Notes issue for a research highlight from @envpsychmike, Intensive irrigation: Exploring CO2 emissions from turfgrass maintenance in the City of Angels.

Read: https://t.co/0KKLTWYS2J

Listen: https://t.co/kCXhWkroCd

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

Season’s Greetings from UMN Turf!

As the 2025 season ends, help us grow the next generation of experts! Plant the seeds for future discoveries by giving to the White Turfgrass Graduate Fellowship.

Details: https://t.co/eK0bBARH1V

Support: https://t.co/vnTyG97K0X

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

@AvaVeith @SciScrOnline @VTTurfPath @VTTurfgrass @StrawTurf Congrats Ava, amazing work, and so looking forward to seeing what you do at PSU!

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

🌱🐝 Many homeowners love the idea of a pollinator lawn but our recent study finds that the cost of site prep and worries about soil readiness remain the biggest hurdles in adoption and establishment. Read more here 👉🏻 https://t.co/MKRsr9OM56

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work! Read the @StarTribune article "A school and its neighborhood couldn’t agree on an artificial turf field. The solution produced a rarity." featuring @envpsychmike.

https://t.co/r7MN8oJaL5

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

Whats the largest source of GHG emissions from turfgrass maintenance in Los Angeles county? Irrigation happening on residential lawns. Come read more about our findings here: https://t.co/2vsz9hXN0e

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

@AvaVeith Congrats Ava!

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

Bidding is open for the @MnGCSA Rounds Fore Research Auction!

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to play some of MN's best golf courses! Proceeds support our turfgrass research program, which ultimately benefits golf courses across the state.

https://t.co/Oh1vsCj85e

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

How might we engage students with nature in winter? Allow them to creatively capture nature’s transition from autumn hues to winter's subtle chill. Read about a learning activity my colleagues and I created here -> https://t.co/CbEGYu2gfa

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

New blog alert!

Lawns as living systems: Connecting people, nature, and technology by @envpsychmike.

How can we balance environmental concerns, technology & social expectations to make better lawn management decisions?

https://t.co/RtiwP7oGys

📸 Miki Yoshihito (CC BY 2.0)

[Kevin Morris @kmorris_NTEP]

To US sod growers out there: the sod checkoff voting period opens today and runs through Feb. 11th. Please utilize your position as a sod producer to vote! The program, if passed, can fund a national promotion program for natural turf, important research needs, etc.

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

A roundup of my 2024 pubs (all open-access!)👇🏻
Turfgrass systems - https://t.co/clPFqmBBgC
Sports field users herbicides - https://t.co/5DuyFDnA8E
Urban landscape curricula - https://t.co/JUPFJVOwX3
Winter nature interactions - https://t.co/B10jNDElTV

[Adam Russell @Adam_Russell5]

A once-in-a-lifetime vote to fund natural grass research & promotion.

Please share & ask your local sod producer to vote: https://t.co/KigXvmftEN

[UMN Turfgrass Science @UMNTurf]

ICYMI: Our team recently presented at the 2024 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meetings in San Antonio, TX.

Check out the blog below to read more about the trip and learn more about the research presentations.

https://t.co/oaGi0KwUbc

[Tanja Straka @TanjaStraka]

Wie erleben Sie städtische Grünflächen und Gewässer im Winter? In unserer kurzen Umfrage (10min) sind wir sehr an Ihren Erfahrungen und Eindrücken interessiert: https://t.co/BbLS3JCgCR ❄️🌊

[M.R. Barnes @envpsychmike]

Turfgrass systems are often thought of as involving people, policy, and plants. However, they are also some of the most technologically integrated landscapes. Come read about turfgrass as social-ecological-technological systems here -> https://t.co/clPFqmBBgC