Maine Policy Matters

About Maine Policy Matters

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center is a nonpartisan, independent research and public service unit of the University of Maine (UMaine).

Publisher

Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center

Category

government · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Mar 2020

Latest episode

29 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

4 of 47 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   29 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   S9E4 Connecting Maine: The Future of Rural Transit & Community Resilience

   Host Jennifer Grant interviews Lisa Smith and Katherine Freund about innovative solutions for rural Maine's transportation resilience and community mobility.

2. 

   17 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   S9E3 Community and Citizen Science: Mainers Leading the Way

   Today, we’ll be interviewing Linda Silka, Sarah Kirn, and Jane Disney on citizen and community science in Maine. Dr. Linda Silka is a social and community psychologist by training, with much of her work focusing on building community-university research partnerships. She has several decades of experience in leading community-university research partnerships on environmental, economic development, and environmental health issues. Sarah Kirn is the Participatory Science Strategist at NASA at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Kirn leads the planning and production of a professional development series for people leading participatory research efforts, with particular focus on meeting the needs of scientists funded by NASA to conduct research using citizen science methods. Jane Disney is currently an Associate Professor of Environmental Health at MDI Biological Laboratory. She is also the Director of the Community Environmental Health Laboratory. She is a co-developer of the citizen science online data portal, Anecdata.org. Donate to Maine Policy Review: https://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/donate-to-maine-policy-review/ Our Website: https://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/maine-policy-matters/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umainepolicycenter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/umainepolicy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcs.policy.center/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/umainepolicy Transcript: https://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/2026/02/12/s9e1-the-nuclear-frontier-when-maine-was-the-frontline-of-the-cold-war/

3. 

   4 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   S9E2 From Maine and Beyond: Nuclear Weapons Technology, Treaties, and an Uncertain Future

   Host [Host Name] interviews Rebecca Gibbons, assistant professor of political science, about nuclear weapons technology, treaties, and Maine's strategic role in an uncertain future.

Inside a recent episode

S9E4 Connecting Maine: The Future of Rural Transit & Community Resilience

Published 29 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Hi all, thank you so much for joining us today. How do you define transportation resilience within the geographic and demographic context of rural Maine? Lisa, if you wouldn't mind starting us off. I think about the ability to adapt and to change and to see the upcoming needs of the community that we serve. So in Aroostook County, we cover 6,600 square miles, and we also cover part of Washington County and also part of Penobscot County. And so some of our passengers are coming 85 miles each way from Allagash to Presque Isle to get to the essential services that they need. So regardless of the challenges that we have, whether it be with climate, whether it be with funding, whether it be with vehicles in the fleet that we have, we just always need to be thinking forward as to what the next challenges are and how we can mitigate those so that we can make sure that everybody is connected to the services and have the independence that they need. […]

Who has been a guest on Maine Policy Matters

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jennifer Grant
• Lisa Smith
• Katherine Freund
• Rebecca Gibbons

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.5 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

9

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Maine Policy Matters

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Maine Policy Matters