About Us

What is MUSIC?

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology established MUSIC—MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative— to test new ways of incorporating science in environmental decision making. MUSIC advocates adapative management, “joint fact finding”, and collaboration in resource management.
Currently, eight MUSIC researchers are enrolled in the two-year Masters of City Planning (MCP) program at MIT. USGS supports two, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports one, Department of the Interior Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution with the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance support one. MIT matches each agency-sponsored MCP researcher. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is supporting a PhD student. The researchers engage in activities in support of the agencies. Their work has included:

• NEPA and the public involvement process
• Collaborative approaches to mountain top mining
• Joint fact finding approach to a water dispute in Hawaii
• Case studies of adaptive management
• Negotiated rule making as an approach to offshore wind energy permitting.

The researchers, with guidance from MIT faculty and agency staff, produce action memos and other products suggesting ways in which joint fact finding and collaborative processes can be used to meet agency objectives.