Timothy Carter is an urban ecologist with a particular focus on the interface between the built and natural environments. He has evaluated how innovative multifunctional land cover can be used for urban watershed management. He built and directed a graduate research program on the first campus green roof research site in the southeast and studied ecological and economic effects at multiple spatial scales. As a faculty member at the University of Georgia, he administered over $1 million of grants and programs related to his research.
Since becoming the Center for Urban Ecology’s (CUE) first director in 2009, Dr. Carter has led existing program activities with students and faculty, created new programming and community outreach activities, and strategically aligned the CUE to become a national leader in the study and practice of urban ecology. Recent CUE projects have included green infrastructure installations and water quality testing, establishment of the Butler Campus Farm and city-wide food system analysis, and development of mobile device applications for ecological monitoring and public engagement.
2000 B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2006 Ph.D. Ecology, University of Georgia
Big Idea: “Indianapolis as a Science Museum: Urban Infrastructure for Science Learning”
Many cities have structures that facilitate informal science learning (ISL), such as museums, zoos, or science centers, with programmatic activities and exhibits that use well-researched modes of learning to increase knowledge with the participants. Less attention has been paid to spaces and places in existing urban neighborhoods as curated opportunities for science learning. We propose to build a science museum in the city of Indianapolis using the city itself as the museum space — focused on learning methods linking the arts and science, and connected to the six major urban waterways of the city.