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Sarah Karle is Interim Program Director and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research examines how landscapes shape identity and learning, from cultural heritage conservation to children’s first experiences in nature. She co-directs the LEAF (Learning Environments for All to Flourish) Initiative, a Grand Challenges-funded interdisciplinary project advancing outdoor learning environments in early childhood education. She also directs the Prairie States Forestry Digital Archive, which documents the New Deal’s Prairie States Forestry Project and received the 2022 Outstanding Paper Award from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.

An award-winning teacher, Karle has received the College of Architecture Distinguished Teaching Award and multiple campus honors for her contributions to students. She is deeply committed to student mentorship, having sponsored more than a dozen undergraduate research projects through UNL’s UCARE program, and she currently leads a summer study abroad program in Rome, where students engage directly with historic and contemporary landscapes.

Her research began with an interest in place attachment and cultural landscape conservation, which has developed into a deeper focus on the significance of early childhood experiences in nature. She serves on the board of the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation and collaborates with its Nature Explore initiative to design outdoor classrooms, most recently transforming a school courtyard into a vibrant outdoor learning space at St. Joseph School in Lincoln.

Explore My Teaching Mentorship

• Study Abroad in Rome 

• Undergraduate Research Mentorship (UCARE Projects)

• Collaborative Design Studios

Select Research & Service:

LEAF initiative

LEAF Video: Link

Prairie States Forestry Digital Archive 

Service

Board Member: Dimensions Educational Research Foundation