Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.80
Liaison Daniel Dixon
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Maine
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Karina Graeter
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
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Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
Yes

A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

In 2018, the Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Collaborative launched its inaugural grant program funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School and the UMS Research Reinvestment Fund (RRF). Funded projects involve teams of two or more faculty members from different disciplines with primarily undergraduate researchers working in areas of UMaine’s Signature and Emerging Areas of Excellence. The Signature and Emerging Areas of Excellence include Sustainability Solutions and Technologies, Climate Change, Forestry and the Environment, Marine Sciences, and Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy, all of which have a large sustainability-focused research component. Some examples of awarded projects include:
1. “Making Maine’s local food system sustainable: Opportunities to address hunger and reduce waste”
Principal Investigator: Deborah Saber, Nursing
Partners: Jean MacRae, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Cindy Isenhour, Anthropology; Balu Nayak, Food and Agriculture; Travis Blackmer, Economics; Linda Silka, Mitchell Center
Sector: Environment, Food

2. “Planning for uncertainty: The role of schools and community institutions in preparing the next generation for a new economy”
Principal Investigator: Catharine Biddle, Education and Human Development
Partners: Mindy Crandall, Forest Resources; Kathleen Bell, Economics
Sector: Socioeconomics, Education

3. “Track III: Coastal ecosystem science for Maine’s marine economy and coastal communities”
Principal Investigator: Heather Leslie, Darling Marine Center
Partners: University of Maine at Machias, University of Southern Maine
Sector: Marine Sciences

(source: https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2018/04/13/inaugural-grant-program-awards-245000-interdisciplinary-undergraduate-research/)


Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

In 2018, the Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Collaborative launched its inaugural grant program funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School and the UMS Research Reinvestment Fund (RRF). Funded projects involve teams of two or more faculty members from different disciplines with primarily undergraduate researchers working in areas of UMaine’s Signature and Emerging Areas of Excellence. The Signature and Emerging Areas of Excellence include Sustainability Solutions and Technologies, Climate Change, Forestry and the Environment, Marine Sciences, and Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy, all of which have a large sustainability-focused research component. Some examples of awarded projects include:
1. “Making Maine’s local food system sustainable: Opportunities to address hunger and reduce waste”
Principal Investigator: Deborah Saber, Nursing
Partners: Jean MacRae, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Cindy Isenhour, Anthropology; Balu Nayak, Food and Agriculture; Travis Blackmer, Economics; Linda Silka, Mitchell Center
Sector: Environment, Food

2. “Planning for uncertainty: The role of schools and community institutions in preparing the next generation for a new economy”
Principal Investigator: Catharine Biddle, Education and Human Development
Partners: Mindy Crandall, Forest Resources; Kathleen Bell, Economics
Sector: Socioeconomics, Education

3. “Track III: Coastal ecosystem science for Maine’s marine economy and coastal communities”
Principal Investigator: Heather Leslie, Darling Marine Center
Partners: University of Maine at Machias, University of Southern Maine
Sector: Marine Sciences

(source: https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2018/04/13/inaugural-grant-program-awards-245000-interdisciplinary-undergraduate-research/)


Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
No

A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
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Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The Folger library at UMaine maintains many research guides that promote sustainability research on campus. These include the Energy and Sustainability research guide (http://libguides.library.umaine.edu/sustainability), Climate Studies research guide (http://libguides.library.umaine.edu/climateweather), Peace and Reconciliation Studies research guide (http://libguides.library.umaine.edu/peacestudies), Earth and Climate Sciences research guide (http://libguides.library.umaine.edu/ecs), and Anthropology: Human Dimensions of Climate Change research guide (http://libguides.library.umaine.edu/ant/climate).


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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