Mitchell Lecture on Sustainability Sept. 25

The Senator George J. Mitchell Lecture on Sustainability will take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Hauck Auditorium at the University of Maine and will feature Pamela Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences and the Goldman Professor of Environmental Science at Stanford University. The title of her presentation is “A Call to Arms for a Transition to Sustainability.”

Matson’s research addresses a range of environment and sustainability issues, including sustainability of agricultural systems; vulnerability of particular people and places to climate change; and the environmental consequences of global change in the nitrogen and carbon cycles. With multidisciplinary teams, she has worked to develop agricultural approaches that reduce environmental impacts while maintaining livelihoods and human well-being.

Matson is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has received a MacArthur Fellowship and directs the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. Her recent publications include “Seeds of Sustainability: Lessons from the Birthplace of the Green Revolution” and the National Research Council volume titled “Advancing the Science of Climate Change.”

“In her diverse leadership roles, Professor Matson has pioneered new strategies for linking scientific knowledge with societal action to solve pressing sustainability problems related to food and energy security, forest management and climate change,” says David Hart, director of UMaine’s Mitchell Center and leader of Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative. “We are actively working to build upon her visionary work as we seek to create a brighter economic, social and environmental future for the people of Maine.”

The event is free and open to the public, although tickets are required and can be obtained by calling (207) 581-3244 or visiting the Senator George J. Mitchell Center and Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative website.

Contact: George Manlove, (207) 581-3756