Rising high school juniors and seniors gain college credit and become eligible for a 10,000 annual scholarship to College of the Atlantic after taking part in the Islands Through Time summer program.
Islands Through Time students study and explore marine biology, field ecology, history, literature, writing, drawing, and public policy. The group of 12 students spend several nights at the college’s offshore field station on Great Duck Island, visit whale feeding grounds, seal haul-outs, seabird colonies, and small island villages, all while working closely with faculty in literature, the arts, ecology, and science.
Throughout their two weeks with College of the Atlantic, Islands Through Time students study different aspects of the Maine coastal environment, including marine biology, field ecology, literature, writing, drawing, and public policy.
“If you have a distaste for walls—walls between you and the world, between ideas, experiences, and disciplines—if you dream of distant harbors and horizons, of the gull on the wing of the wave on the beach, this might be the perfect program for you,” said COA ecology/natural history professor John Anderson. “Each year we look for a small band of adventurous students, willing to go out where the weather takes us, to explore islands, talk to new people, discover old histories, and learn about the sea. We read books and papers, we listen to stories, we sketch, paint and draw. We interview conservation professionals and discuss ways of protecting vital natural resources. Mostly however we immerse ourselves in the island landscape of coastal Maine.”
Islands Through Time students arriving at Mount Desert Rock, 25 miles out to sea and home to College of the Atlantic's Edward McC. Blair Marine Research Station.
The program begins with an introduction to the ecology and culture of Downeast Maine at College of the Atlantic’s waterfront campus. Groups of students rotate through a variety of activities and learning experiences, while individuals or smaller groups participate in intensive tutorials.
The first few days of the course focus on the marine ecology, literature, and cultural history of the Maine coastline. Next, students journey to COA Alice Eno Field Research Station on Great Duck Island, using it as a base to explore other islands, nature, conservation, and more.
College of the Atlantic professor of ecology and natural history John Anderson explains the coastal landscape to Islands Through Time students aboard M/V Osprey, one of COA's ocean-going research fleet.
The program is intense, physical, and rewarding, Anderson said. “You may get wet, you may get cold, and you will get grubby,” he said. “You will dissect creatures you probably never saw in your high school biology classroom. You will climb mountains to look at the sea, and go out on the sea to look at mountains. You will make new friends in the best possible way—by working together to achieve common goals.”
Throughout the course, students work directly with College of the Atlantic teacher-mentors, on thought-provoking and rigorous academic assignments in multiple disciplines. Successful completion of the program offers students who apply and are accepted to College of the Atlantic a $10,000/year scholarship.
