The Mitchell Center has awarded funding to four projects run by 91���� faculty, students, and their partners to address real-world sustainability problems in Maine. Three of the four projects are lead by EES-affiliated faculty!

Check out their projects below.

Co-developing Local Sustainability Solutions Within Statewide Coalition-Building

Sharon Klein, Associate Professor in the School of Economics, is leading “Co-developing Local Sustainability Solutions Within Statewide Coalition-Building.” Team members also include EES affiliate faculty member Caroline Noblet and EES PhD student Jasmine Lamb. This project strengthens and further develops the .

Please see the Mitchell Center’s article detailing this project here!

Drivers of Nutritional Intake in Maine’s Social-Ecological Marine System

Joshua Stoll, Associate Professor in the School of Marine Sciences, is leading “Drivers of Nutritional Intake in Maine’s Social-Ecological Marine System.” Team members also include EES PhD student Tolulope Oyikeke. This project examines the dietary contributions of local fisheries and aquaculture to Maine’s coastal communities.

Please see the Mitchell Center’s article detailing this project here!

Exploring Barriers to Prescribed Fire Adoption in the Northeast

Rose Abramoff, Assistant Professor in the School of Forest Resources, is leading “Exploring Barriers to Prescribed Fire Adoption in the Northeast.” Team members also include EES Co-Director Adam Daigneault, EES-affiliated faculty member John Daigle, and EES PhD alumni Lydia Horne. This project examines the consequences and barriers associated with prescribed fires in Maine.

Please see the Mitchell Center’s article detailing this project here!

Thank you to the Mitchell Center for your continued support of our student’s and faculty’s research.

Our faculty spotlight this semester is Dr. Sharon Tisher, an EES faculty member who teaches two popular classes on and . Her principal research and writing project, , is ongoing.�� ��Dr. Tisher was recently interviewed by Izzy Kostelnick , the EES Social Media Coordinator.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU INTO THE FIELD OF ACADEMIA?

“I came to teach at 91���� in a roundabout way. In college I was torn between the goal I had set for myself in high school — to teach and write about literature —and the urge to work to address the problems in my world — war, injustice, and environmental degradation. The Clean Air Act was passed and the first Earth Day celebrated in my first year in college, and the Clean Water Act two years later.”

“After graduating from college, I sought a dose of the “real world” by working as a correctional officer at the Connecticut Women’s Prison, and teaching a course in corrections history and policy at the University of New Haven. That work propelled me to Harvard Law School, where I worked for the EPA Region I and for consumer advocate Ralph Nader while in school. After law school I joined the largest law firm in Connecticut, determined to hone my advocacy skills. I joined the trial department, became the firm’s first woman partner, and wrote the firm’s policy on parental leave and part time partnership. My husband, a psychiatrist, also took the unprecedented step of doing his internship and residency part time to be with the children.”

WHY UMAINE?

“When our children were school age, we decided we most wanted to return to my home state of Maine to raise them. What was then the Resource Economics Department at 91���� was hunting for a lawyer to teach a course on environmental law and policy, and I grabbed for it. I soon thereafter joined the faculty of the Honors College. I had come full circle, merging my early ambitions of teaching literature, and actively engaging with policy in the real world. My part time status gave me time to work with leading environmental organizations in Maine, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Environmental Health Strategy Association (now Defend Our Health), through their boards and various committees and task forces.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT UMAINE?

“The students of course: talented, hard-working, curious, courageous, caring about the world and determined to make a difference. In all of my teaching across the disciplines, I try to focus on skills necessary to make that difference: critical thinking, careful reading, collaborative working, and effective advocacy in speech and writing.”

EES is happy to announce that Dr. Hamish Greig joined its leadership team. Greig started a three-year term as the EES Assistant Director and Graduate Coordinator in September. An Assistant Professor of Stream Ecology at 91����, his research studies how environmental gradients influence community structure and function. Many of his graduate students are pursuing EES degrees. Greig is an enthusiastic supporter of the interdisciplinary mission of the EES program and his research evaluating how changing climate, forests, invasives, and other factors affect fish and macroinvertebrate ecology is emblematic of core connections across EES disciplines.

In his role as Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Greig serves as a resource for prospective graduate students that are interested in learning more about our degree options and the application process. He also works with current graduate students and their advisors to help them meet EES and 91���� degree requirements. Greig is interested in building on the excellent work of his predecessor Assistant Director and Graduate Coordinator Dr. Brian Olsen: establishing a stronger cohort for EES graduate students, more networking opportunities for EES students, professional development opportunities, and developing unique funding opportunities. “The EES program provides a unique opportunity for 91���� graduate students to meld the ideas and approaches of different disciplines and immerse themselves in a diverse network of collaborators. I am excited to join the EES leadership team in helping our students to develop as interdisciplinary scientists, make discoveries, and solve environmental problems,” Greig said.

EES would like to thank Brian Olsen for his three years of service to EES, and to congratulate him on his new role of Chair of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. Reflecting on the leadership transition, EES Director Sarah Nelson said,��“While we will miss Brian’s novel ideas, boundless enthusiasm, and signature laugh, I’m thrilled that Hamish has joined the EES leadership team. He is an excellent graduate student mentor and his background and research highlight the success of bringing a forward-looking, interdisciplinary approach to bear on pressing environmental problems.”����To learn more about Dr. Greig and his research visit the School of Biology and Ecology For information about EES graduate programs, visit our website.

Climate change resilience research receives $150K NIFA grant

The project, “Developing adaptive forest management practices to mitigate impacts of climate change on human health,” aims to understand the impacts of timber harvesting on risk exposures to tick-borne diseases, and to develop management practices that could mitigate the spread of tick-borne diseases in our forests.��The research team also includes EES faculty affiliates , a professor of human dimensions of natural resources with the School of Forest Resources, Anne Lichtenwalner, a professor, veterinarian, and director of the Animal Health Laboratory with the School of Food and Agriculture, and a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service and faculty associate with the School of Forest Resources.

According to Dr. Sponarski, she��“joined EES as affiliated faculty because of the flexibility the program provides its students to build their own curriculum. In a world that requires young professionals to be able to adapt and be interdisciplinary, this program allows students to expand their knowledge and experience base, work with students across disciplines and gain exposure to different forms of knowledge.”��Currently there are over 80��faculty��participating from over 16 units on campus and over 60 graduate students enrolled. Over the last five years, one fifth of the PhD students from NSFA graduated with an��EES��degree.�� Being an��EES��faculty��member allows faculty to advise graduate students in our MS and PhD programs, teach graduate and undergraduate courses, recruit��EES��honors students to their labs, and allows their graduate students to apply for��EES��fellowships and awards.

91���� faculty that are interested in joining EES should contact us at ees@maine.edu or 207-581-3176.