The John Muir Institute is located in The Barn
| Location |
| The Barn |
| (just north of Bainer and Kemper on campus) |
| Phone |
| (530) 752-5643 (JMIE) |
| [email protected] |
| Website |
| johnmuir.ucdavis.edu |
The John Muir Institute of the Environment (JMIE) was created in 1997 in recognition of the need for UC Davis to find solutions to manage the biosphere so that it can support the rapidly growing human population and maintain an increasingly high quality of life for each and every person. For this reason, JMIE was designed to unite scholars across all units on campus and to provide effective mechanisms for bringing together multidisciplinary and multi-institutional teams of researchers and stakeholders, because creative and bold solutions to immense environmental problems can be achieved only with seamless collaborations, unimpeded by the artificial structures of research fields and institutional bureaucracies. A large and significant part of this multidisciplinary focus is the full recognition that solutions to environmental problems cannot be simple technological quick fixes but rather they must take on the daunting task of changing human behavior and values.
The institute currently provides political, administrative and communicative support for seven centers, one research initiative and several workgroups. Through these activity hubs, the institute currently provides grant administration support for more than 125 principal investigators (PIs) and co-PIs. These grant-related activities span the campus and encompass a broad range of disciplinary breadth. During the most recent three year period, the institute has grant-supported more than 200 graduate students and 40 postdoctoral researchers.
The institute engages the community and the region through seminars, book signings, films and conferences that relate to program research and global issues, such as climate change. The institute’s weekly e-bulletin goes out to over 1000 subscribers to provide regular updates of regional eco-events, career opportunities and calls for sponsored research. The Environmental Leaders Program creates transformative experiences for both graduate students and communities through civic engagement that addresses local environmental issues. Graduate students link theory and practice to provide technical, scientific, organizational and educational assistance, with an emphasis on collaborative problem solving. As the administrative home of the UC Davis Natural Reserve System, outdoor education is offered regularly through local reserves called Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve and McLaughlin.
