Ingrid Burke

Indy Burke
Alma mater	Middlebury College (B.S. in Biology), University of Wyoming (PhD in Botany)
Spouse	William Lauenroth
Children	2
Scientific career
Fields	Ecosystem Ecology, Biogeochemistry

Ingrid C. "Indy" Burke is the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean of the Yale School of the Environment. She is the first female dean in the school's 125-year history. Her area of research is ecosystem ecology with a primary focus on carbon cycling and nitrogen cycling in semi-arid rangeland ecosystems. She teaches on subjects relating to ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry.

Early life and education

Burke grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where her mother, Louise Burke, was a committed conservationist, who, as the first woman to chair the Richmond City Planning Commission, co-led the effort to create James River Park. Burke earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Middlebury College and a doctorate in botany from the University of Wyoming. ^[1] At Middlebury, Burke had planned to major in English, but after taking a science class in which they examined the role of photosynthesis in aquatic environments she became fascinated by the topic of environmental science. She soon decided to switch her major to biology after realizing that she could spend her life working outside and conducting scientific investigations as a profession. ^[2] After graduating from Middlebury, she started a PhD track at Dartmouth College. There, she had planned to study a phenomenon known as “fir waves,” in which rows of balsam fir trees die collectively, forming arresting patterns across the landscape, but when her advisor accepted a position at the University of Wyoming, Burke decided to move, too.

Career and research

Burke's career as an environmental scientist and educator began in the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, where she was hired as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 1987. She was then appointed assistant professor and later associate professor and full professor in the Department of Forest Sciences at Colorado State University. ^[3] In 2008, she joined the faculty at the University of Wyoming, where she served as director and then dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2016, she became the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, which was renamed the Yale School of the Environment in 2020. ^[4]

She has published over 170 peer-reviewed articles, chapter, books, and reports, including the investigation of a significant project titled, "A Regional Assessment of Land Use Effects on Ecosystem Structure and Function in the Central Grasslands" from 1996-1999. This project had major implications for understanding and managing ecosystems in the central United States. ^[5]

Burke serves on the board of directors at The Conservation Fund ^[6] and on the governing council of The Wilderness Society. She is also on the board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy's Wyoming Chapter.

Selected publications

• The Importance of Land-Use Legacies to Ecology and Conservation (2003) BioScience, Vol 53, Issue 1, 77–88 ^[7]
• Texture, Climate, and Cultivation Effects on Soil Organic Matter Content in U.S. Grassland Soils (1989) Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 53 No. 3, 800-805 ^[8]
• Global-Scale Similarities in Nitrogen Release Patterns During Long-Term Decomposition (2007) Science, Vol. 315, Issue 5810, 361-364 ^[9]
• Plant-Soil Interactions in Temperate Grasslands (1998) "Biogeochemistry," Vol. 42, No. 1/2, pp. 121-143
• Regional and Temporal Variation in Net Primary Production and Nitrogen Mineralization in Grasslands (1997) "Ecology," Vol. 78, no. 5: 1330–40 https://doi.org/10.2307/2266128.
• ANPP Estimates From NDVI for the Central Grasslands Region of The United States (1997) Ecology, Vol. 78, No 3, 953-958 ^[10]
• Interactions Between Individual Plant Species and Soil Nutrient Status in Shortgrass Steppe (1995) Ecology, Vol. 76, No 4, 45-52 ^[11]

Additional publications can be found on her Google Scholar profile. ^[12]

Her awards and honors include:

• 2019 Fellow, Ecological Society of America, for advancing our understanding of ecosystem processes, in particular nitrogen and carbon cycling in grasslands. ^{[13] [14]}
• 2018 Fellow, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering ^{[15] [16]}
• 2012 Promoting Intellectual Engagement Award, University of Wyoming ^[17]
• 2010 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences ^[18]
• 2008 USDA Agricultural Research Service, Rangeland Resources Unit: Award for Enhancing Collaborative Research Partnerships ^[3]
• 2005 Colorado State University Honors Professor ^[1]
• 2004–2005 National Academy of Sciences Education Fellow in the Life Science ^[3]
• 2001-2008 University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Colorado State University
• 2000 Mortar Board Rose Award, Colorado State University
• 1993–‘98 National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow Award

References

1. "Ingrid Burke - University Distinguished Teaching Scholars". udts.colostate.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
2. "Biogeochemist Indy Burke named dean of Yale's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies". YaleNews. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
3. "Curriculum Vitae | Ingrid C. "Indy" Burke, PhD". environment.yale.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
4. "Yale F&ES to Become the Yale School of the Environment". environment.yale.edu. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
5. "A Regional Assessment of Land Use Effects on Ecosystem Structure and Function in the Central Grasslands | Research Project Database | Grantee Research Project | ORD | US EPA". cfpub.epa.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
6. "Board of Directors". The Conservation Fund. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
7. Foster, David; Swanson, Frederick; Aber, John; Burke, Ingrid; Brokaw, Nicholas; Tilman, David; Knapp, Alan (2003). "The Importance of Land-Use Legacies to Ecology and Conservation". BioScience. 53 (1): 77. doi: 10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0077:TIOLUL]2.0.CO;2 . ISSN   0006-3568.
8. Burke, I. C.; Yonker, C. M.; Parton, W. J.; Cole, C. V.; Flach, K.; Schimel, D. S. (1989). "Texture, Climate, and Cultivation Effects on Soil Organic Matter Content in U.S. Grassland Soils" . Soil Science Society of America Journal. 53 (3): 800–805. Bibcode:1989SSASJ..53..800B. doi:10.2136/sssaj1989.03615995005300030029x. ISSN   1435-0661.
9. Parton, William; Silver, Whendee L.; Burke, Ingrid C.; Grassens, Leo; Harmon, Mark E.; Currie, William S.; King, Jennifer Y.; Adair, E. Carol; Brandt, Leslie A.; Hart, Stephen C.; Fasth, Becky (2007-01-19). "Global-Scale Similarities in Nitrogen Release Patterns During Long-Term Decomposition" . Science. 315 (5810): 361–364. Bibcode:2007Sci...315..361P. doi:10.1126/science.1134853. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   17234944. S2CID   40017189.
10. Paruelo, José M.; Epstein, Howard E.; Lauenroth, William K.; Burke, Ingrid C. (1997). "Anpp Estimates from Ndvi for the Central Grassland Region of the United States" . Ecology. 78 (3): 953–958. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[0953:AEFNFT]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   1939-9170.
11. Vinton, Mary Ann; Burke, Ingrid C. (1995). "Interactions Between Individual Plant Species and Soil Nutrient Status in Shortgrass Steppe". Ecology. 76 (4): 1116–1133. doi:10.2307/1940920. hdl: 10217/83311 . ISSN   1939-9170. JSTOR   1940920.
12. "Ingrid C "Indy" Burke - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
13. "Ecological Society of America announces 2019 Fellows | EcoTone: News and Views on Ecological Science" . Retrieved 2020-05-21.
14. "Dean Indy Burke Named 2019 Ecological Society of America Fellow". Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
15. "Burke, Seto Elected to Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering". Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
16. "Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering elects 10 from Yale". YaleNews. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
17. "2008 University of Wyoming News Archive". uwyo.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
18. "Elected Fellows". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2020-03-09.