Polycom availability with Darling Marine Center, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and Bigelow Laboratories.
School of Marine Sciences presents
Dr. Heather Deese
Executive Vice President – Island Institute
People who live on the islands and coast of Maine, and along shorelines the world over, can benefit tremendously from the wisdom that scientists of all stripes – from sociologists to microbiologists – can bring to bear on local challenges. Conversely, individual researchers can find it professionally rewarding and personally meaningful to target their research toward locally relevant questions, informed through long-term relationships with local community members. This talk will highlight examples of how collaborative research has shaped community sustainability on Maine’s coast & islands in recent years, and point toward areas ripe for new collaborative research endeavors to meet our communities’ highest priority needs. Research examples will be presented within a framework for community development best practice emerging from Island Institute’s 35 years of partnering with local leaders. Key elements of the community development framework include an outcome-oriented, impact based approach with a transparent project lifecycle; a major focus on local capacity-building; and a deep commitment to innovative partnerships amongst private, public, and non-profit sectors to tackle challenges together.
Host: Heather Leslie