About Us

What is the MIT Science Impact Collaborative?

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology established the Science Impact Collaborative in 2003 to test new ways of incorporating science into environmental decision making. With initial support from the United States Geological Survey, the Science Impact Collaborative began testing tools and strategies of adaptive management, "joint fact finding", scenario planning and collaborative decision-making in resource management.

Currently, five students enrolled in the two-year Masters of City Planning (MCP) program at MIT are interns supported by the Science Impact Collaborative. MIT matches the financial support provided by government agencies. There are also six doctoral students supported by MIT (with help from TNO, the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research). Science Impact Collaborative interns engage in action-research and the doctoral researchers are focused on field-based interventions aimed at providing direct assistance to stakeholders in decision-making situations and how these work. Projects have included:

Addressing the challenge of climate change through strategic habitat conservation in the Everglades;

Assessing ecosystem sustainability and vulnerability to climate change in the Lower Mississippi Valley;

A collaborative simulation process and toolkit for building "coast-smart" communities in Maryland;

Guidance tools for planning and management of urban drainage systems under a changing climate;

Building adaptive capacity in nearshore ecosystems in Maine;

Adaptive strategies to achieve sustainable energy in the dace of changing climate through the use of offshore wind farms.

The interns, with guidance from MIT faculty and agency staff, produce reports, models, role play simulations and other other materials showing how joint fact finding and collaborative processes can be used to meet stakeholder and agency objectives.