Page 12 - DENIN-2015

Progress Through Partnerships
Without effective partnerships, academic discoveries may simply languish in
scholarly journals. By combining forces with key stakeholders and decisions makers, DENIN works to put sustainable solutions into action.
Establishing closer ties between University of Delaware researchers and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has been a priority of DENIN over the past five years.
In 2010, DENIN initiated a series of informal workshops known as EcoCafés, designed to bring DNREC and University personnel together
for breakfast, networking, and discussion of a topic of common interest, thereby increasing the environmental managers’ knowledge of UD’s resources and academic researchers’ understanding of the state’s needs.
Right: DENIN associate director Jeanette Miller takes notes as DNREC and DENIN personnel exchange ideas about research priorities and future collaborations at an EcoCafé event.
Far right: Jack Gallagher, professor emeritus in UD’s School of Marine Science and Policy, has devoted years of research to exploring seashore mallow’s potential as a salt-tolerant crop.
The following year, DENIN and DNREC launched a joint internship program that provides environmental policy-making experience to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. DNREC personnel identify projects and serve
as mentors to the interns, who are recruited by DENIN. At the conclusion of their internships, the interns present written and oral reports of their work to DNREC’s senior management team.
The internship program has resulted in real policy improvements for Delaware, including a new
bill eliminating outdated and inadequate oil spill liability limits signed into law by Governor Jack Markell in 2013.
DENIN has formed additional partnerships and collaborations with numerous other academic institutions, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations — in each case with the ultimate aim of providing better ideas and better data to create better solutions. Here is a sampling of our regional and international partnerships:
• Argonne National Laboratory
• Brandywine Conservancy
• Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) • BrightFields, Inc. Environmental Services
• Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Canadian Light Source
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
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“Environmental managers depend on the most up-to- date science
to make sound decisions. The partnership between DNREC and DENIN has fostered collaborative learning, spurring research and resulting in innovative strategies and practical policies to address Delaware’s environmental challenges.”
— DNREC Secretary
David Small