Gray Jones – Empowering Community Resilience and Economic Development in Washington County
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Independent Ph.D.
Project: Empowering Community Resilience and Economic Development in Washington County
Team Leader: Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias; Jennifer Peters, Sunrise County Economic Council
What problem/s are you working to solve?
I am working to help municipalities in Washington County use spatial data to understand their vulnerabilities and their resources to inform future planning.
What progress are you making toward solutions?
So far, I have been focusing on creating useful maps that display several types of data, including critical habitats and conserved land, marine resources, and new building permits.
How could your findings contribute to a sustainable future in Maine and beyond?
A current inventory of resources and vulnerabilities is essential to inform how municipalities and the state respond to our changing climate and the disruptions it brings to both infrastructure and ecosystems. Visual representations make existent data accessible and useful to local leaders and planning teams.
Why did you get involved with this internship project?
My research centers around rural health disparities, which can be understood as the effects of large-scale systems on rural localities. While this project doesn’t directly further my research, it will help me develop skills in working with spatial data that will prove very useful, and further my connections within my communities of focus.
What do you find rewarding about collaborating with stakeholders? Most challenging?
I find it very rewarding to be asked for a specific product that will be used for a specific purpose, and be able to deliver something that I know will be helpful immediately. I find the most challenging aspect of working with stakeholders is coming to a mutual understanding of what product would be most useful, when there are infinite ways the data can be represented.
Where do you hope to be in five years?
In five years, I hope to have finished my Ph.D. and found a position that allows me to continue research that benefits rural communities and empowers them to navigate dramatic changes and big systems.
What’s your ultimate Maine experience?
I’ve lived in Maine my whole life, and I suppose my ultimate Maine experience is thinking “I’d rather be home” every time I leave this wonderful state.