Michael Barnes

A new, open access article co-authored by Michael Barnes, Eric Watkins, Kevin Frank, Bryan Runck, and Marylee Murphy has been published in HortTechnology. This study quantified psychological stress of golf course superintendents during the wintertime and identified specific environmental variables that drive or alleviate that stress.

Barnes, M. R., Watkins, E., Frank, K. W., Runck, B. C., & Murphy, M. S. (2026). Wintertime Stress among Golf Course Superintendents: Identifying Environmental Triggers and Anticipatory Responses. HortTechnology, 36(5), 1025–1029. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05982-26

As a social scientist I often get asked about how I exactly ‘do’ my research, how do I collect data, what types of data, how it gets analyzed, and if it’s valid. The answers to all of these questions largely depend on the research question being asked but there is one thing that is common across the vast majority of my projects which is the use of mixed methods. Rest assured, this isn't a dense methodology piece on sampling or statistical validation. It's simply an inside look at the practical 'how' and 'why' behind applying mixed methods to turfgrass research.

By Michael Barnes

Our research on annual emissions from turfgrass maintenance in Los Angeles County was highlighted in Golf Course Magazine's Cutting Edge: Greenhouse gas emissions, wetting agents.

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

Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Valerie Rountree, Michael Barnes, Martin S. Hoecker-Martinez, and Nathan W. Strout has been published in Cities and the Environment. The authors calculated the total annual greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emitted from maintaining turfgrass across Los Angeles County. 

Rountree, V., Barnes, M., Hoecker-Martinez, M. S., and Strout, N. W. (2025). Annual GHG emissions in CO₂e from turfgrass maintenance in Los Angeles County. Cities and the Environment, 18(2). 10.15365/cate.2025.180201. 

By Michael Barnes

Lawns are everywhere in our yards, parks, and sports fields but they’re more than just green spaces. They are part of a complex system that connects people, nature, and technology. Managing them well requires balancing environmental concerns, evolving technology, and social expectations.

Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Michael Barnes, Joshua Friell, Bryan Runck, Douglas Soldat, Eric Watkins, and Chengyan Yue has been published in Crop Science. The authors propose the adoption of a new framework – social–ecological–technological systems (SETS) – for turfgrass to improve research collaboration.