The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine is set to host a talk “Becoming a Policy Entrepreneur: Learning to love the creative and sometimes surreal world of policy making” at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine Orono campus.

In this talk, Lisa Margonelli, editor-in-chief at Issues in Science and Technology, quarterly policy forum published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University, will discuss her path to understanding and participating in policymaking and the kinds of active roles scientists can take to engage with policymakers and become policy entrepreneurs, according to a news release from Ruth Hallsworth, strategic program manager at the center.

In addition to serving as editor-in-chief of Issues in Science and Technology, Margonelli is the author of “Oil on the Brain: Petroleum’s Long Strange Trip to Your Tank” and “Underbug: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology.” With a fellowship at the New America Foundation, Margonelli began to propose policies directly to decision-makers in 2006. She came to realize the myriad, and surprisingly chaotic, ways that the sausage of policy is made. Scientists often provide evidence for policymakers, but actively proposing policies can be a very effective avenue for creative problem solving on a big scale.

ll talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free. Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, visit umaine.edu.

Note that face coverings are required for all persons attending Mitchell Center Sustainability Talks. For the latest UMaine health and safety guidance, visit umaine.edu/return.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hallsworth at 207-581-3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu.

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