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PHOTO BY MARK LUINENBERG
Deb Swackhamer
Environmental Health Sciences
“We're not dreaming
... this university is uniquely positioned to make it happen,”
says Swackhamer.
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When it
comes to the new Institute on the Environment at the University
of Minnesota , the biggest obstacle may not be locating funding,
researchers, or even physical space. The challenge may be realizing
the full scope and bold ambition of the project.
The vision is easy to catch: The most qualified researchers, policy-makers,
communicators, and citizens coming together in a living laboratory
to bridge the gaps between environmental problems, solutions, implementation,
and adoption.
The question is, can it be done?
Uniquely suited
Absolutely, says Deb Swackhamer, interim director of the
fledgling institute and professor of environmental health sciences:
“Without question, this institute will take the U to a whole new
level in terms of reaching across disciplines to solve major environmental
problems. ... This is a sweeping effort, across the University system,
that will foster cooperation and enable us to access new resources
and multidisciplinary grant opportunities that wouldn't be achievable
without this institute.”
David Mulla, a soil, water and climate professor and member of the
provost's advisory committee that developed plans for the institute,
says the University's land-grant mission helps differentiate this
institute from other environmental think tanks.
“Our basic mission is to provide solutions to the people of Minnesota
—we have more than 150 years of experience doing that,” says Mulla.
“But we're also an economic engine, graduating young professionals
and helping to start new businesses. At the same time, we have a
strong reputation for doing research, developing new information,
new technologies, and new solutions.”
As further evidence of the U's unique position, Swackhamer points
to its geographic footprint. “Our state is at a confluence of the
Great Lakes, the Great Plains , and great rivers as well,” she says.
“We are connected to three major drainage basins—the Great Lakes,
the Mississippi River and the Red River —and major biomes, including
hardwood forests and prairie.”
Environmental issues manifest themselves in different ways across
these systems, and the University's statewide network of campuses
and research centers are ideally positioned to track such problems.
Swackhamer is quick to point out, however, that the scope of the
institute is global.
"Most of our state's environmental concerns—such as climate
change, sustainable energy, and land-use issues—are also national
and global,” Swackhamer says. “So while we anticipate engaging local
expertise as appropriate, we also envision joining with other institutions
around the world.”
Room for everyone
The proposed structure for the institute includes resident
fellows, associate faculty, and external partners working in transdisciplinary
teams on specific problems (or aspects of problems) related to specific
global environmental themes established by the institute. Swackhamer
uses transdisciplinary rather than interdisciplinary to
emphasize that these experts will be from many different colleges,
let alone departments. Teams or groups of teams will conduct core
research, develop solutions, and help to bring those solutions to
decision-makers—and ultimately to the consumer, if appropriate.
“If the theme is sustainable energy, consider biofuels research,
for example,” she says. “We need chemists to work on how cellulose
can be broken down to create energy. We need epidemiologists and
doctors to investigate public health issues related to exposures
during manufacture and use, agronomists to study cropping systems
for production of the fuel, and economists and other scientists
to look at the costs of production (in terms of dollars, energy
used, and environmental impact, such as agricultural run-off) versus
the savings from using the fuel. We need engineers to ensure our
engines will run on the fuel, a business plan to market and distribute
the new fuel, and social scientists and communicators to help us
analyze and overcome obstacles to adoption.”
No degrees will be conferred through the organization, but the institute
will serve as a single gateway to environmental knowledge and resources
throughout the University.
“The idea is to be small in size, big in scope, and powerful in
impact,” says Swackhamer. “But we're not dreaming—we can do it.
This university is uniquely positioned to make this happen.”
By Jim Thorp
Reprinted with permission from the Winter 2007 edition of M,
the University's alumni quarterly.
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