Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

The following Mitchell Center Faculty Fellows received tenure and/or promotion this spring in recognition of their outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship and research, and community engagement. “These are world-class faculty members who contribute to the quality of the UMaine student experience, and to the mission of the state’s R1 university in meeting the needs in […]

The Mitchell Center launches its Maine School Cafeteria Food Waste Study pilot this week at four elementary schools in Orono, Buxton, Lisbon and Sebago. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, approximately $5 million of edible food is wasted every school day in the U.S. In many Maine schools, about three-quarters of the waste […]

Lead investigator Josh Stoll is launching the first-ever national assessment of seafood marketing practices in the United States. The assessment is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NOAA Fisheries. The American Seafood Harvesters Marketing Practices Survey aims to bring attention to the role that seafood harvesters play in the nation’s food systems […]

The Watershed Process and Estuary Sustainability Research Group (WPES) at the University of Maine is pleased to announce an online training workshop to mark the release of the “Estuary Builder” spatial data tool for coastal Maine. This interactive ArcGIS tool allows users to draw an outlet line across the mouth of any user-defined embayment or […]

The U.S. Geological Survey has published fiscal year 2023 requests for 104g applications for the Water Resources Research Act Program, including National Competitive Grants, Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grants, and Per-and Polyflouroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Grants. Proposals must be submitted through the Maine Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) at the Mitchell Center. Program questions or submission […]

An Op-Ed by Linda Silka, senior faculty fellow at the Mitchell Center, was published on Feb. 21, 2023 in the Bangor Daily News. The Op-Ed focuses on citizen science and how it can help us address some of our most pressing needs. The article discusses the terms “citizen science” and “community science” and the reference […]

Ash trees throughout the region are under severe threat due to the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  In response to the growing interest in protecting the future of ash trees, John Daigle and his team of graduate researchers working together as the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW), are organizing a multi-part training […]

Scientific research can often feel prescriptive, sterile and disconnected from the communities where it happens — but it doesn’t have to be. Using two case studies of watershed restoration and environmental monitoring projects in Maine, a new paper illustrates how scientists can successfully use “embodiment,” or the nuanced practices and everyday interactions that shape collaboration, […]

Researchers from the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions have found that community-university collaborations focused on local concerns can help communities make decisions and take actions to resolve them, even when complete agreement isn’t possible. In their recent essay for the journal Issues in Science and Technology, Mitchell Center Director […]

Darren Ranco, professor in Anthropology and the Mitchell Center, and chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, received funding from Jane’s Trust Foundation for a project to develop adaptive resilience to climate change with Wabanaki communities. The funds will be used to host two knowledge-gathering conferences with Wabanaki elders and knowledge keepers […]