Partnerships
The Mitchell Center partnered with undergraduate colleges and universities across Maine on the NSF EPSCoR-funded Sustainability Solutions Initiative. Partner institutions contributed directly to the goals and objectives of the core research focus on sustainability science through interdisciplinary research teams, integrated educational activities, and workforce development activities.
Sustainability Solutions Initiative Collaborative Projects
Bates College, Bowdoin College and University of Southern Maine
SSI Project: Restoring Maine’s Rivers
“I think working with colleagues at other institutions and in other disciplines creates space for collaborative leadership and change. Learning from each other informs our research. The interdisciplinary focus is key.”
—Lynne Lewis, Associate Professor of Economics, Bates College
Colby College
SSI Project: Sustaining Our Lakes
“Community engagement in the research process takes a lot of time, but the outcomes can be much more significant than traditional research programs.”
—D. Whitney King, Miselis Professor of Chemistry,Colby College
Unity College
SSI Project: Understanding An Insect Threat to Maine’s Hemlock Trees
University of Maine at Augusta
SSI Project: Evaluating the Interactions Between Wild Turkeys and Maine Agriculture
University of Maine at Farmington
SSI Project: Charting the Rangeley Region’s Social-Ecological System
University of Maine at Fort Kent
SSI Project: Biomass Energy Resources in the St. John Valley
University of Maine at Presque Isle
SSI Project: Renewable Energy Production in the Aroostook River Watershed
University of Maine School of Law
SSI Project: Mapping a Sustainable Future
“Maine, like a lot of places, faces challenges reconciling its desire to preserve a high quality environment with its need for continued economic development. We’re looking for ways for Maine communities to have both.”
—Dave Owen, Associate Professor, University of Maine School of Law
University of New England
SSI Project: Sustaining Quality of Place in the Saco River Estuary
“By engaging the people who care for a place with researchers who are willing to direct their studies to answer questions important for land use policy, conservation and stewardship, we are developing a model for collaborative research that supports community goals for sustaining local values.”
—Christine Feurt, Director, Center for Sustainable Communities, University of New England
University of Southern Maine
SSI Projects:
- Restoring Maine’s Rivers;
- Sustainable Urban Regions Project (SURP)
- Safeguarding a Vulnerable Watershed
“This has been a great opportunity to do some useful, applied science with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and stakeholders.”
—Karen Wilson, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Environmental Science & Aquatic Systems Group, University of Southern Maine