Aug. 21, 2011

By Kevin Merrill

University of Michigan Professor Joan Iverson Nassauer has a lead role in a new $27.5 million federally funded center to promote synthesis of the social and  environmental sciences and produce actionable research for policy and practice.

Nassauer, a professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, leads social science research innovation for the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SeSynC), based in Annapolis and funded by a five-year National Science Foundation award to the University of Maryland.  The center will receive additional support from the University of Maryland, the state of Maryland and Resources for the Future, a Washington, D.C-based nonprofit research organization.

SESYNC will foster collaborative research on issues such as sustainability of metropolitan areas, water availability and sustainable food production. For example, SESYNC projects could probe the interaction between human activities and healthy ecosystems; the relationship between cultural values and conventions and the sustainability of natural resources; or the relationship between governance systems and enironmental sustainability.

"SeSynC will engage the international science and policy community to foster synthesis research and education related to the structure, functioning and sustainability of socio-environmental systems," Nassauer said. "Many University of Michigan scientists work in this arena, and they will be invited to participate through soon-to-be announced requests for proposals related to community-defined research themes, high-risk, high-reward research ventures and post-doc and sabbatical opportunities," she added.

SESYNC aims to bring together environmental, social and computational scientists, practitioners and policy experts from around the world.  Working with SESYNC, they will collaboratively identify relevant research questions that draw on the products of fundamental scientific discovery and drive new discoveries. According to NSF, discovery-driven synthesis research must be combined with a commitment to communicate scientific insights to decision-makers and stakeholders.

Joann Roskoski, NSF acting assistant director for Biological Sciences, said SESYNC "provides an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to combine information, ideas and concepts from disparate science and engineering fields into solutions for the complex environmental problems now confronting society."

"SESYNC is opening the door to a new level of collaboration among social and environmental scientists, policy makers and practitioners to advance the relevance of environmental research," Nassauer said. "There is no doubt that establishing greater rigor and insight into transdisciplinary research processes is part of the challenge.  It's been my great pleasure to work with the team led by Margaret Palmer to define an institutional framework that will foster that important work."

Professor Palmer is a University of Maryland environmental scientist who directs the new center.

Related links:

• SeSynC website: http://www.sesync.org/
• The NSF news release: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=121229&org=NSF&from=news
• National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC): http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504694
• Professor Nassauerí¢â‚¬â„¢s faculty website: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nassauer/
• Professor Nassauerí¢â‚¬â„¢s Landscape Ecology, Perception and Design Lab: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nassauer/lab.html

About the NSF:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2011, its budget is about $6.9 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.