The document discusses Maine's participation in the National Science Foundation's Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), which aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and place-based research that addresses sustainability challenges in Maine through partnerships between higher education and stakeholders; it provides examples of SSI research projects focused on issues like invasive species, renewable energy, and watershed management; and it outlines how SSI seeks to strengthen the impact of research by aligning university work with community needs and building statewide networks.

1. NATIONAL INITIATIVES WITH
STATEWIDE IMPACT: THE
SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS
INITIATIVE
Karen Hutchins & Linda
Silka, Margaret Chase Smith Policy
Center, University of Maine

2. Maine is Participating in National
Efforts to Increase Impact of
Individual Work: SSI
• Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI)
• Funded by National Science Foundation
• Part of national and international efforts to
change the way science is done so science
makes a difference
• Move away from what has been called the
“loading dock” problem

3. What Are the Changes?
• Higher Ed Working With Stakeholders
(Knowledge to Action)
• Disciplines Working Together
• Groups Working Across Campuses
• Place-Based Work that can Generalize

4. SSI Examples
• “Sustainable Urban Regions Project”
• “Safeguarding a Vulnerable Watershed”
• “Ecological and Social Change: Adaptation, Place and
Evaluation”
• “Mapping a Sustainable Future”
• “Helping Communities Weather the Storms”
• “Mobilizing to Fight an Invasive Insect”
• “Renewable Energy from the Tides”
• “Restoring Maine’s Rivers”

5. SSI Examples
• “Sustaining Our Lakes”
• “Sustaining Quality of Place in the Saco River Estuary
through Community Based Ecosystem Management”
• “Assessing the Feasibility and Sustainability of
Renewable Energy Production in the Aroostook River
Watershed Through Research and Stakeholder
Partnerships”
• “Charting the Rangeley Region’s Social-Ecological
System and Identifying Community Sustainability
Strategies”

6. How Do These Fit Together?
• Connecting knowledge with action in ways that
promote:
– strong economies,
– vibrant communities, and
– healthy ecosystems in and beyond Maine
• Seeking to transform Maine’s capacity for
addressing scientific challenges by building a
statewide network of higher education
institutions and partnership institutions

7. Identifying Ways to Work with
Partners Throughout Maine
• Identifying alignment between research and
community needs
• Strengthening impact: studying and working
with relevant organizations that have regional
or statewide reach
Maine Salt
Management Taskforce

8. Implications, Conclusions,
Next Steps
• Regional and statewide partners: unique
opportunities for conducting research that
can have local and broad impacts

9. Implications for Sustainable Solutions
Identifying Needs and Problems Together: Aligning Supply and Demand
Institutionalizing Informing
Training Present and
Opportunities Future Research
Identifying
Factors
Influencing the
System Mentoring
Building a
Program
Identifying New Research
Frames; Seeking New
Communication Outlets

10. CONTACT INFO
karen.hutchins@umit.maine.edu
silka@maine.edu
For Information about SSI:
www.umaine.edu/sustainabilitysolutions
/ This project is supported by National Science Foundation
award EPS-0904155 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine.