Mitchell Center members receive CONVERGE Maine seed grants

Mitchell Center members Jessica Jansujwicz, Linda Silka, Sandra De Urioste-Stone, and Darren Ranco are among the recipients of the first round of CONVERGE Maine seed grants through the University of Maine Portland Gateway.

Jansujwicz is research assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. Silka is a senior fellow with the Mitchell Center. De Urioste-Stone is associate professor in the School of Forest Resources and assistant vice president for research. Ranco is associate professor of anthropology and chair of Native American Programs.

CONVERGE Maine brings together University of Maine System experts with an interest in transdisciplinary work, developing and strengthening partnerships with other institutions and organizations within the state, and addressing a societal challenge or scientific question facing Maine today, according to a news release.

Jansujwicz, Silka, and De Urioste-Stone are collaborating on “Building Sustainable Transdisciplinary Networks to Support Just and Equitable Energy Transitions,” which will establish a cross-campus network to advance research on energy transformation, with a particular focus on inclusive, equitable and just approaches to that process.

Ranco is a collaborator on “Transdisciplinary One Health Approach to Zoonotic Canid Parasites in Maine,” a transdisciplinary project that seeks to better understand the risk of parasites to wild and domestic canid health, as well as to human health.

Read more at UMaine News.