College of the Atlantic has research stations on two of them: Great Duck Island and Mount Desert Rock. But we also have students, faculty, and alumni doing research all over the world, from French Frigate Shoals to the Barren Islands of Alaska.

Related Areas of Study:

COA student members of the Island Research Center, directed by conservation biologist John Anderson, have the opportunity not only to monitor populations of seabirds, but also to learn techniques for censusing wildlife, running an island research station, and applying GIS and GPS technologies to real-world conservation projects.

  • NEWS
    Herring Gull
    Video of gull swallowing a squirrel whole is totally normal and fine, say researchers [CBC Radio]
    A viral video of a herring gull swallowing an entire squirrel whole has many people shocked and horrified. But the people who study these birds, including College of the Atlantic W.H. Drury Professor of Ecology/Natural History John Anderson, say there’s nothing to be alarmed about.
  • NEWS
    What exactly does a petrel chick smell like? [Down East]
    Great Duck Island is a notoriously tough place to land a boat. There’s no dock, just a steep, slippery ramp on the island’s exposed south side, which can only be approached in a Zodiac on a day when seas are under four feet. But one afternoon late last September, a pair of students from Bar Harbor’s College of the Atlantic finessed the landing and hauled hundreds of pounds of boat and passengers partway up the ramp—saving us not only from slipping but also from the dreaded “ass slapper,” a ledge where breaking waves tend to soak one’s derriere.
  • NEWS
    Love of gulls leads to Goldwater award

    Wriley Hodge ’24, a College of the Atlantic student with a passion for seabirds and the islands they inhabit, is named a Barry Goldwater Scholar, a prestigious, highly selective designation supporting students intending to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.