Education Commons^™

S2e9: What Can We Learn From This Unfortunate Experiment?, Ron Lisnet, Sean Birkel

The Maine Question

Beyond the devastating health threat caused by the coronavirus, the world’s economy has been slowed to a crawl for months now. That pause in economic output has brought about some profound changes, including significant reductions in soot, particles in the air and many other sources of pollution. In this episode of The Maine Question, Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist and a research assistant professor at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, examines the changes that this unfortunate experiment has created.

S2e8: What Is Bioengineering?, Ron Lisnet, Karissa Tilbury

The Maine Question

It’s one of the fastest growing and changing fields in the world of engineering. Bioengineering, or biomedical engineering, is changing the way we do everything from producing fuel and paper to unlocking new ways to improve animal and human health. It’s a growing field — particularly for young women aspiring to be engineers. Karissa Tilbury, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at UMaine, helps us explore this relative newcomer to the world of engineering.

S2e7: Why Do Viruses Go Viral?, Ron Lisnet, Melissa Maginnis

The Maine Question

The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has led to a pandemic that swept the globe, halted economies and upended life as we know it. How and why infections like this occur is something that Melissa Maginnis, an assistant professor of microbiology at UMaine, thinks about every day. How do viruses work? How and why do they go viral? What is the best way to stop their spread and how might scientists learn from this ordeal? That and more on this episode of The Maine Question

S2e5: How Has Maine Changed In Its First 200 Years?, Ron Lisnet, Liam Roirdan

The Maine Question

Maine marks its 200th birthday March 15, 2020. So for this episode of “The Maine Question,” host Ron Lisnet talks with University of Maine history professor Liam Riordan about some of the key people involved in the drive to statehood, what life was like 200 years ago, and what themes from those early days are still recognizable today.

S2e6: What Color Is Your Fat?, Ron Lisnet, Kristy Townsend

The Maine Question

The word fat evokes a certain reaction in our culture. For associate professor of neurobiology Kristy Townsend and her students it’s the subject of research on many levels. Fat communicates with the brain, it battles disease, it plays a role in the aging process. It also comes in a variety of colors with differing functions. Townsend talks about her work on this connection and how it relates to obesity and diabetes — diseases that are becoming pandemics. She also talks about the role of basic research and the growing biotech industry in Maine.

S2e4: Can Studying Extinct Species Prepare Us For The Future?, Ron Lisnet, Jacquelyn Gill

The Maine Question

We visit with paleoecologist Jacquelyn Gill. She studies plants and animals that have been gone a long time- sometimes millions of years. She also studies our natural world today with the goal of trying to understand how and why some species have gone extinct while others have survived and what it means for how we and our planet adapt to the rapidly changing world we find ourselves in.

S2: The Maine Question Podcast Season 2 Trailer, Ron Lisnet

The Maine Question

Season two of The Maine Question podcast from the University of Maine kicks off February 6, 2020. We continue our conversations with UMaine researchers who are exploring big issues, intriguing topics and complex questions.

S1e8: What’S It Like Living And Doing Research In The World’S Most Remote Locations? (Part 2), Ron Lisnet, Paul Mayewski

The Maine Question

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, Mayewski recalls drilling ice cores on glaciers and living in a tent for weeks while it’s minus 50 degrees C. In addition to sharing exciting adventures, Mayewski talks about the tremendous power and responsibility of the media to report on climate change. While climate change has become politicized, Mayewski says climate science is fact-based and that it’s important to be a fact-based society. Although he believes the climate has already entered a period of instability, Mayewski says he’s optimistic about how the world could evolve.

S1e7: What Is It Like In The Most Remote, Harsh And Spectacular Locations On Earth?, Ron Lisnet, Paul Mayewski

The Maine Question

In Part 1 of this two-part podcast, “The Maine Question” asks what it’s like in the most remote, harsh and spectacular locations on Earth? Anyone with a thirst for adventure has likely dreamed of seeing the South Pole, Mount Everest, or the massive ice sheets of Greenland. Paul Mayewski has done all of that and more. Here, he talks with host Ron Lisnet about his adventures during his 55-plus expeditions in extreme locales. Mayewski, a scientist, explorer and director of the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, estimates he’s lived about four years’ total in a tent or under the …

S1e6: What Does It Take To Run A Successful Food Business In Maine?, Ron Lisnet, Jason Bolton

The Maine Question

In this episode we’ll look at the challenges and opportunities of starting and running a food or beverage business in Maine. Is Maine a good place to create businesses such as these? What is the Maine brand? It’s one thing to have a great idea for a delicious food product or a unique beverage but that is just a starting point. Jason Bolton, a food safety specialist from UMaine Cooperative Extension, has been the go-to guy for the vast majority of food and beverage companies in Maine when they face these challenges. He has advised businesses of all shapes and …

S1e5: What Does Choosing To Be Child-Free Mean For Individuals And Our Society?, Ron Lisnet, Amy Blackstone

The Maine Question

In this episode we’ll delve into what is perhaps the most personal and profound decision an individual, a couple, or a family can make… The choice on whether to have children or not. It is a decision that is life changing on a personal level, but it also ripples out into communities and into our politics, immigration, tax issues, workforce development among other areas.

S1e4: How Do You Get From The Maine Woods To Broadway?, Ron Lisnet, Donald Holder

The Maine Question

In this episode, we explore the unique career path of lighting designer Don Holder, UMaine class of ’80 who has worked on Broadway, in film, television, opera and dance across the globe. His lighting designs have earned 13 Tony Award nominations and two Tonys — most notably for Disney’s “The Lion King,” which garnered him his first award in 1998. In this episode, Holder tells his story — beginning in the late ’70s when he was, of all things, a forestry major at UMaine.

S1e3: Why Is Maine’S Reuse Economy So Vibrant?, Ron Lisnet, Cindy Isenhour

The Maine Question

If you’ve ever bought something at a yard sale or a flea market, if you’ve ever left a piece of furniture or some other item out on the sidewalk for someone else to take and use, you’ve taken part in the reuse economy. And it’s a bigger part of the overall Maine economy than you might imagine. Cindy Isenhour, associate professor of anthropology who also works with the Climate Change Institute and the Senator George J. Mitchell Center, has studied this topic for several years now — why the reuse economy is so robust in Maine and where this trend …

S1e2: Would You Feed Your Dog Biscuits That Were Made With Green Crabs?, Ron Lisnet, Angela Myracle, Denise Skonberg

The Maine Question

The green crab is a voracious invasive species that is wreaking havoc on many popular types of seafood species and in Maine’s fishing communities. What if a use could be found for this invasive species that turned them into a desirable product? Food scientists at UMaine are attempting to do just that and if they are successful it could mean a special treat for a land-based animal- none other than man’s best friend. Beyond that it could make for some tasty options on the menu the next time you visit your favorite seafood restaurant.

S1e1: What Is Edna And How Will It Change Maine’S Coastal Communities?, Ron Lisnet, Michael Kinnison

The Maine Question

From streams and ponds to the Gulf of Maine, water defines the state of Maine in many ways. For thousands of years, counting or harvesting the plants and animals in those bodies of water has been pretty low-tech, usually involving nets of some sort. Now a new technology can do this counting using DNA and this tool will revolutionize and expand how this work is done. Beyond that it will allow the public, school groups, coastal residents and others to contribute as citizen scientists and it will enhance Maine’s workforce and promote high-tech jobs as well. Michael Kinnison, a professor …

S1: The Maine Question Podcast Season 1 Trailer, Ron Lisnet

The Maine Question

This podcast series will engage in a pursuit of knowledge on topics ranging from the nanoscale to the polar icecaps and everything in between.

The world can be complex, fascinating and daunting all at the same time.

The Maine Question will explore ways to navigate and make sense of today’s world.

We’ll look at how UMaine researchers and students do what they do, what it means for Maine and the world, and why they are passionate about their work.