About Us
At the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), we believe all environmental problems are social problems by nature. As a result, we have spent the past 10 years bringing together people with diverse skills, data, knowledge, and perspectives who share a commitment to solving some of the most vexing environmental and social problems facing our world.
Funded by an award from the National Science Foundation to the University of Maryland, SESYNC opened its doors in 2011. From the outset, we have sought to accelerate interdisciplinary collaboration that can lead to innovative scientific discovery. Today, we share the knowledge we've gained over the past decade as a synthesis center in hopes of fostering interdisciplinary research beyond our doors. We encourage you to explore our Research and Resource collections to learn more.
Our Story & Impact
SESYNC adaptively developed and grew its structure, services, and programs to enable deep integration of the ideas, values, and epistemologies of its diverse researchers and learners. Integrated sets of organizational practices —“the SESYNC process”—and dispositional learning opportunities—“the Immersion Program”—enhanced research, team outcomes, and interdisciplinary capacity. The number and depth of scholarly products, the career paths of its graduate and postdoctoral fellows, and the many new collaborations spawned from the Center reflect SESYNC’s successes.
Resources for SESYNC Teams
Current SESYNC-supported researchers can find information here about our facilities and accessibility, our travel and reimbursement policies, and our resources for researchers—including computational support.
Our Partners
SESYNC is supported by an award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant numbers DBI-1052875 and DBI-1639145) to the University of Maryland with additional support from the University of Maryland, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and Resources for the Future.