Wow!  That is unprecedented.  Perhaps a group of academic-minded greenies could bring propose this to a local university? My plate is full right now or I'd volunteer. (where the heck did they get all the funding I wonder???) Joan "...the greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter." - Bill Mollison --- On Fri, 10/30/09, Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com> Subject: [Lapg] Southern California version of this To: lapg@arashi.com, "City Repair LA" <cityrepairla@lists.riseup.net> Date: Friday, October 30, 2009, 2:15 PM LAPG and City Repair Folks: Is there one like this or its equivalent in the L.A. area? Where or why not? Maine is nice, but far away. california is nice and a lot closer (permaculture)... Towards sustainability, DP Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), a partnership between the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine, offers unprecedented opportunities for graduate students to experience a truly interdisciplinary learning experience through a $20 million, 5-year program funded by the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program. The SSI’s mission is to create an integrative research program and strong stakeholder partnerships to generate improved solutions to intersecting ecological, social, and economic challenges in and beyond Maine. Graduate students will participate in collaborative research experiences with interdisciplinary faculty teams focused on urbanization, forest ecosystem management, and climate change.  These efforts address the dynamics of social-ecological systems with an emphasis on moving from knowledge to action. Students with backgrounds in a wide range of disciplines are encouraged to apply: e.g. social sciences, biological, earth, and chemical sciences, natural resource management, communication, engineering, education, mathematics, and more. Up to 25 Ph.D. fellowships will be awarded at the University of Maine with a substantial portion of these beginning in fall 2010. Each fellowship will include a stipend of $20-25,000/ yr for up to five years, a tuition waiver, subsidy for health insurance, and some funds to support thesis research. Masters degrees opportunities will be offered at the University of Southern Maine. For more information on SSI and fellowship applications, visit www.umaine.edu/sustainabilitysolutions -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Lapg mailing list Lapg@arashi.com https://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/lapg