Maine Policy Scholars begin their research

Six University of Maine System students are participating in the Maine Policy Scholars Program for 2019. The students from USM, UMF, UMM, UMPI, UMA, and UMaine have started their research projects on a policy topic of their own choosing that is relevant to Maine. These topics include first-generation college students, resources for victims of human trafficking, sales tax on recreational marijuana, increasing Maine’s retention of young workers, Maine adult drug courts in the opioid epidemic, and the limitations of Maine’s power transmission system.

In the Maine Policy Scholars Program, one student at each UMS campus works with a faculty advisor on their campus throughout the year. Each student will spend two semesters of 2019 learning about their topic in detail and carrying out original research to arrive at a policy recommendation. During the year the students learn more about how to research a topic and how policy is made, and they make connections outside the university with people working in their topic area. In the fall, the students give a presentation on their topic and write a recommendation to the governor or a legislator.

The Maine Policy Scholars Program is supported by funding from the Maine Community Foundation.