Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

A position is available for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Estuarine Modeler) on the NEST Safe Beaches and Shellfish Project. The successful candidate will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team developing and implementing estuarine-coastal models to investigate the interaction between estuarine conditions and bacterial pollution. To see job details or apply, please visit the […]

Among environmental researchers, the challenges of interdisciplinary engagement have become a hot topic. The participants in that discussion range from environmental economists to communications specialists to ecologists. Yet the literature says hardly anything about the potential role of law. Meanwhile, the legal world has been engaged in its own debates about interdisciplinary research. Many participants […]

Plants that grow in alpine environments are often the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to climate change. A number of plants have disappeared from Acadia National Park despite being protected for nearly a century. Climate change is the prime suspect. Christine Lamanna, a post-doctoral fellow at the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Solutions […]

A new article in the Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences (PNAS) documents nearly 15 years of crucial, dynamic vernal pools research and management by UMaine’s Aram Calhoun who is leading an interdisciplinary team at the Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), a program of the Mitchell Center. In the article, published this week online at www.pnas.org, Calhoun […]

Senator George Mitchell and David Hart will appear at the Jesup Memorial Library on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 PM to speak about the economic and environmental conundrums facing us on MDI, and how we can work together to address these issues. For example, we need more housing on MDI, but we want to preserve […]

In a July 11, 2014 op-ed for Bangor Daily News, SSI researcher Rob Lilieholm reflects on the history and changes in the Penobscot watershed, and on the future for towns along the river in a time of great transition. “Those who came before us used the river for fish and transport, and they harnessed its […]

Linda Silka, SSI team member and Director of UMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, spoke about the role of innovation in the State’s economy in a recent interview with MPBN. She reflects on the importance of bringing people together with different skill sets and experiences in order to promote such innovation.  The latest issue of […]

SSI researchers Shaleen Jain and Esperanza Stancioff were featured in a June 23 article in the Bangor Daily News which discussed the increase in frequency and intensity of coastal storms and, more specifically, their impact on culverts. The researchers have been working to understand the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and infrastructure, working […]

Mainers prefer to buy local food from in-state farmers, fishermen and businesses, according to a new survey. The findings are indicative of a sea change happening in the food industry, says SSI/Mitchell Center researcher Timothy Waring, who was part of a multi-institution team that prepared the report. And Maine is on the leading edge. In […]

Research published recently in the International Journal of Sustainable Development by Bridie McGreavy and Laura Lindenfeld examines how films featuring global warming and climate change can affect public understanding and sustainable development values. The researchers analyzed three films that feature global warming prominently, and examined how race and gender representations in entertainment may affect our […]