Pre-College Programs

Program length: 9 days

Cost: $3750 (includes tuition/program fees, housing, food, boat transportation)

Covering more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, oceans sustain extraordinary biodiversity, support global food systems, provide sources of clean energy, and regulate planetary processes such as climate. Yet human activities are rapidly altering ocean dynamics, leading to biodiversity loss and decreased system function. Addressing these challenges requires not only an understanding of marine organisms and habitats but also the ability to study them directly and evaluate their role within interconnected ecological and social systems.

This immersive, field-intensive course introduces students to the scientific methods used to observe, measure, and interpret marine life, while grounding these experiences in a systems-transformation perspective central to human ecology. Students will learn how field data contribute to evaluating ecological change, informing management decisions, and shaping equitable, resilient futures for the world’s oceans.

During an initial on-campus period at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, students will meet with faculty, local researchers, and marine stakeholders to explore emerging issues such as pollution, climate-driven species shifts, and marine industrialization (aquaculture, offshore energy, bioprospecting). Conversations will emphasize how human actions intersect with ecological processes and how field-based evidence can illuminate these links. Students will also receive initial training in core field skills (such as data recording and ethical wildlife observation) in preparation for the offshore trip.

The course will then shift to a transformative week at COA’s remote field station on Mount Desert Rock, a 3-acre island 25 miles offshore that hosts rich marine communities, including rocky intertidal systems, nesting seabirds, seal colonies, and occasional passing whales. Here, students will practice and refine field methods such as shore-based marine mammal surveys, seabird monitoring techniques, intertidal transects, oceanographic measurements, and behavioral observations. Through daily data collection and analysis, students will examine relationships among species, habitats, and environmental drivers, building toward a systems-level understanding of the island’s dynamic marine ecosystem. Students will integrate their field results into discussions of the root causes of biodiversity decline and evaluate management strategies that support ecological health and social equity, proposing solutions for the future of ocean stewardship.

By the end of the course, students will leave with practical field research experience, strengthened ocean literacy, and the analytical tools to study marine life and evaluate conservation challenges through a human ecological lens.

Upon completion of this course, students will:

• Synthesize the perspectives of professional experts and stakeholders connected to ocean systems.
• Develop and apply skills in fundamental methods used to study marine organisms and habitats.
• Record, analyze, and interpret field data to identify ecological patterns and relationships within marine systems.
• Explain how biological, physical, and human systems interact to shape marine biodiversity and ocean health.
• Evaluate major human-driven threats to marine ecosystems and describe how field-based evidence can inform effective management decisions.

Coordinator/lead instructor: Dr. Tanya Lubansky

Dr. Tanya Lubansky is the Director of Photo-Identification Research at College of the Atlantic Allied Whale. She holds a BS in environmental sciences from Wheaton College and has worked with universities, national parks, and environmental nonprofits. Tanya earned her PhD in ecology and evolution in 2015 through the Federated Department of Biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. Her doctoral research focused on quantifying individual movement patterns and social networks of humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine. With more than 15 years of involvement at Allied Whale, Tanya has contributed extensively to marine mammal research, coordinated longstanding intern programs, and supported the training of early-career scientists. She also brings significant experience in the logistics and operation of remote offshore research stations. A committed educator, Tanya is passionate about translating marine science into accessible learning experiences. She has shared her expertise with a wide range of audiences, from tourists aboard whale watch vessels to high school students in the classroom. Beyond her professional work, the ocean remains central to Tanya’s life. She is a competitive offshore rower and has spent years living aboard her sailboat along the coast of Maine. 

Location/accommodations: This program begins at College of the Atlantic’s Bar Harbor, Maine campus, where students will stay in campus residences and eat meals in the college’s dining hall. Students will then travel by boat to Mount Desert Rock, where they will stay for a week at the college’s Edward McC. Blair Marine Research Station. Accommodations at the field station are rustic and meals will be prepared by the group. 

Program Length: 14 days

Cost: $4400 (includes all tuition/program fees, housing, food, boat transportation)

Have you ever watched a fisherman deftly maneuvering a small craft and wondered: where do those boats come from and how can they move so elegantly? This two-week course invites high school students to coastal Maine, where we will take part in the construction of an 11-foot Monhegan Island Skiff, a traditional wooden boat that has served the fishermen of Maine’s coast for generations.

Through the building of this small craft, students will uncover time-honored methods of craftsmanship and design that predate computer-generated plans and synthetic materials. Participants will explore how wooden boats were designed centuries ago, learn to use hand tools such as chisels and planes, develop joinery skills, and apply building techniques that are slowly disappearing from boatyards across the country.

Beyond boat construction, students will also learn the art of rowing and sculling, line handling, and basic knots. The course includes reading and reflective discussions on the value of manual skills and the fading art of craftsmanship. We will explore how creativity, inspiration, technical prowess, and life’s demands merge together when we achieve great works like the wooden boat. Students will also enjoy excursions exploring Maine’s rich maritime heritage, including short sailing trips set against the backdrop of Acadia National Park and potential field trips to nearby coastal islands.

Instructors: Capt. Toby Stephenson ’98 & Dr. Franklin Jacoby ’12

Captain Toby Stephenson began his career as a carpenter and cabinetmaker before entering an apprenticeship in which he learned the craft of building small wooden boats. During this apprenticeship, he developed a deep understanding of the qualities of wood, the use of traditional hand tools, and the many types of traditional boats found along the Maine coast. After completing his apprenticeship, he taught kayak construction for several years at the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset, Maine, and worked as a boatwright in South Portland, repairing a wide range of recreational and commercial wooden boats. Although he later left professional woodworking to teach high school biology, and subsequently navigation and seamanship at the College of the Atlantic, his passion for woodworking never faded. He continues to teach the craft to students at COA and serves as the college’s captain and director of marine operations.

Dr. Franklin Jacoby’s love of teaching has taken him across the US and Europe. He now lives and works on the Maine coast, teaching philosophy at College of the Atlantic alongside varied other work, ranging from woodworking, farming, to baking. When not working, he likes exploring Maine’s waters and forests, especially by sail or by paddle. One of his special passions is inspiring students to develop traditional technical skills, both academic and in woodcraft, a passion he values bringing to wooden boats. Franklin holds PhD and MSc degrees in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh, and a BA from College of the Atlantic. 

Location/accommodations: This program takes place on College of the Atlantic’s campus in Bar Harbor, Maine. Participants will stay in on-campus residences and meals will be served in the college’s dining hall. 

1. Complete the APPLICATION FORM – be sure to have your high school transcript available to upload with your application. 
2. Download the TEACHER RECOMMENDATION FORM (standard PDF or fillable PDF form) and complete/sign the top section to give consent to the teacher to recommend you for this course.
3. Deliver the recommendation form to a teacher of your choice who, once completed, should email the form back to the COA staff member indicated on the form by the March 13 deadline.

Applications for The Future of Our Oceans are due March 13.

Applications for Traditional Boat Building are due April 1.

Students will be informed of admission decisions by April 8 (or sooner).

If accepted, a $500 deposit is due by May 1 to secure your spot in the course.

The Future of our Oceans: $3500 (includes $500 deposit)

Traditional Skiff Building: $4400 (includes $500 deposit)

Fees are all-inclusive, covering in-course transportation, materials, room, board, and tuition. 

Students are responsible for their own travel to and from campus, in addition to personal gear associated with participation (e.g., binoculars, dry bags). A full packing list will be distributed after students are admitted.

Limited financial aid is available, based on household income. Please do not submit financial documents until after the student has been admitted to the course, at which point instructions for submitting parent/guardian’s most recent tax filings will be provided. 

• Application deadline: March 13
• Teacher recommendations due: March 13
• Decision returned no later than: April 8
• Deposit ($500) due: May 1
• Requests for aid due: May 1
• Final payment due: June 15
• Participant medical records due: June 15
• Last call for airport shuttle sign-up: July 1

If you have questions, please contact pre-college-programs@coa.edu.