Research Partnerships for Rural Community Development
This work studies environmental resilience and how severe weather impacts landscapes and how human beings react resiliently. Specifically, the project studies the North Atlantic Oscillation, which is currently imperfectly understood. Using GIS technology to identify potential areas of interest, the project evaluates grass dunes and sediment samples to find clues about historic coastal towns and the weather events they endured. The model Bampton is producing has the potential to predict future locations where drastic weather events will not be survivable or rebuildable, preventing a misuse of valuable resources for economic planners.
Vision
Dr. Hoffman’s current project funding in Norway lasts until September 2021, and in the meantime he is actively seeking to develop new projects with new and existing partners. His priority in this regard will be projects that directly engage resource management and economic development challenges in Maine, especially projects that provide opportunities for students, industry partners, and policy makers in Maine, to connect with and learn from their counterparts in Norway. Both the Maine grazing access project and the travel course will provide such opportunities, and additional ideas or connections are welcome.
Collaborators
The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (multiple locations, Norway)
RURALIS Institute for Rural and Regional Research (Trondheim, Norway)
Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Ås, Norway)
Nofence AS (grazing technology company in Batnfjordsøra, Norway)
The James Hutton Institute (Aberdeen, Scotland
