Student Highlights - James Marciano
James Marciano
This is a very exciting time and the university has given me an opportunity to work on a new and promising energy project.
Alternative energy, in the past, has had difficulty gaining ground in the U.S. due to the relative cheap cost of fossil fuels. It now appears that this cost advantage is slipping and will continue to do so.
Now we have a chance, on a regional basis, to create an industry that can both supply renewable energy and serve to protect and value forest lands in Maine because of:
- The state’s large forest resource and location near major U.S. population centers;
- A well-established, well-diversified forest products industry;
- The University of Maine’s (UMaine) newly-created $10-million bioproducts research program, jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Maine.
My role is to analyze the general public’s views and attitudes toward the emerging forest-based bioproducts industry. Just as windmills and hydro projects have faced public opposition in Maine and elsewhere, the forest-based bioproducts industry may face scrutiny as well. We hope to gain an understanding of these issues prior to the establishment of the industry. Hopefully, this understanding will lead to policy that will help the industry anticipate and address public concerns before they become controversies.
I’m also working with Ana Zivanovic from UMaine’s Business School who will be analyzing secondary stakeholders such as activist groups and state officials. Between her work and mine, we should be able to provide significant insight into the social acceptability of the bio-products industry.
This research, however, isn’t my whole story. Although it keeps me very busy, I find time to enjoy the outdoors as a certified whitewater kayak instructor, and an AMC certified trip leader, I also enjoy hiking, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,and back country skiing.
