College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Center for Urban  Ecology

CUE Education

Shortridge Magnet School

The CUE is working closely with Indianapolis public Schools' Shortridge Magnet School for Law and Public Policy, assisting in the development of its curriculum, forging partnerships between Butler and Shortridge faculty, and developing outdoor learning experiences.  The school will open in fall, 2009 and the CUE is committed to working with Shortridge faculty and administration well into the future, mentoring them and providing professional development opportunities.

The CUE will initiate a Field Experience Program for Shortridge faculty and students. Funded by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Trust, this program will team Shortridge faculty and students with CUE members conducting field research in urban ecology. These field experiences will serve to expose Shortridge participants to field research and areas of urban ecology that have not been previously accessible. Further, this program will likely add to the skill set of Shortridge faculty and, ultimately, result in the incorporation of ecological exercises into the classroom curriculum. Shortridge students and faculty can participate in long-term projects in collaboration with the CUE, such as Cornell University’s Nest Watch Project, a national long-term data collection study of bluebirds and other box nesting bird species, or the Hoosier RiverWatch stream monitoring program.