University professors are bringing spatial approaches to enhance teaching in the classroom. Institute staff work with the Director of Spatial Curriculum and Research through the Learning Spatially (LENS) Initiative and with individual faculty to develop new courses and curricular materials. We also support Environmental Studies (EVST) design studios and senior capstone projects, as well as individual faculty and students in other programs on campus.

EVST Design Studios: In these discovery-based courses, student-faculty research teams solve problems for real-world clients and partners. Students receive hands-on experience working with GIS in a professional setting. The Redlands Institute provides technical support, data and mapping assistance as well as some instruction in GIS, data management, and spatial analysis. Design projects include:

• Carbonate Species: An investigation to resolve conflict between mining interests and endangered species management, funded by the USDA Forest Service.
• Torres-Martinez Tribal Governance Center: Using an interactive design and planning process, this studio developed guidelines for a future Tribal Governance/education and resource center.
• Inland Valleys Open Space Project: This studio created a fly-over view demonstrating the economic benefits of natural areas, and resulted in the creation of 2 new state parks.
• Rails To Trails Redlands-Highland Loop: Students worked with the Rails to Trails Conservancy to research, map and design a new rail-trail route on the historic Mentone Loop.
• Redlands Street Tree Project: Using GIS, satellite imagery and field data, this project provided an analysis of street tree status and benefits for improving quality of life in the City of Redlands.
• San Timoteo Canyon Critical Habitat: GIS-based models and maps on the comparative suitability of land for new development vs. critical habitat revealed areas of conflict.
• Big Bear Fire Evacuation Plan: This project focused on fire evacuation routes and areas of increased fire risk for mountain area residents in Southern California.
• Santa Ana Greenway: Research and planning for a multi-use regional trail system and parkway along the Santa Ana River corridor.
• Redlands "Emerald Necklace" Program: Students, faculty and Institute staff modeled future growth and investigated sites for a proposed multi-use greenbelt around the city of Redlands.

Senior Capstone Projects: Undergraduate students are using Institute projects and expertise to build GIS into their senior projects. The Institute provides data, analysis, and cartography support. Recent Senior project topics:

• 1999
• Daniel P. Chambers - AVIAN ANALYSIS: A New Approach to Christmas Bird Count Data at the Salton Sea
• Shuzo Yoshihara - Analysis of Avian Species Abundance Distribution Using Christmas Bird Count Data
• Joseph Buckles - Reconstruction of Prehistoric Shorelines for Cultural Restraints using GIS
• 2000
• Eric Kenas - Whitewater River Delta Restoration Project: An analysis into the feasibility of a proposed wetlands project
• Steve Francis - Analysis of Historical North American Breeding Bird Survey Data
• 2004
• Tim Jensen - Back Beetle impacts on the San Bernardino National Forest
• Vanessa Prast - Historical Trends of Raven Populations in the Mojave Desert
• Kristin Moobraaten - Analysis of common raven pellets to try to determine their diet composition
• 2007
• Alison Gravis - Effects of anthropogenic encroachment and development on the numbers of common ravens (Corvus corax) in the region immediately around Barstow, CA in the Mojave Desert.
• JoAnna Vance - Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Juvenile Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) Predation by the Common Raven

MS GIS MIPs (Master’s Individual Projects): The Institute supports the faculty and students of the MS GIS program on technology, data analysis, and instruction. Recent MIP topics:

• Spatial Data Integration and Analysis for Community-Based Organizations within the East Valley COMPASS Project
  Ani Balikian, Syria
• Spatio-Temporal Exploration of Sheep Grazing Operations in the California Mojave Desert
  Thangu Narasimhan, India and USA
• Fish Recovery Solutions on the Salton Sea – A Pilot Study of an On-water Fish Recovery System
  Linda Wen-Lin Shen, USA
• Incorporating Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling Data from Mojave Desert Biologic Surveys into a Geographic Information System
  John S. Wood, Texas, USA
• Electrical Distribution System Application for the University of Redlands
  Abdelhakim Ammari, Gaza, Israel
• Development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) for a Water Distribution Network
  Petya Maneva, Bulgaria and USA
• The Wildland/Urban Interface: Cheatgrass, Fire Danger, and Fuel Breaks
  Heidi Esh
• Temporal-Spatial Visualization and Crime Analysis of the University of Redlands
  Milton Thomas