OPPORTUNITIES
WITH ENROLLMENT
IMMERSION Exposure to cutting-edge
questions and approaches to marine science,
one intensive course module at a time.
BOWDOIN
INQUIRY AND INDEPENDENCE
Inquiry-based learning and independent research
in diverse marine ecosystems.
DISCOVERY
Hands-on experience with marine
biodiversity—from microbes to whales.
ENGAGEMENT
Contribute to long-term
research projects to detect the effects of
climate change.
REGISTRATION
EXPERIENCE
Fall 2015 course registration for Bowdoin
students begins April 7, 2015. Check the website
for prerequisites and other course details.
2015 COURSE MODULES
Students from the 12 College Exchange are
encouraged to apply (use the 12 College Exchange
application). Students from other institutions
should contact David Carlon.
Small classes taught by
Bowdoin faculty in unique environmental settings.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Biological Oceanography 1
Benthic Ecology 2
Marine Molecular Ecology and Evolution 3
Writing about the Coastal Environment,
taught by acclaimed author Russ Rymer
The three science courses can count toward the
biology and environmental studies (ES) majors.
(See footnotes for details.)
1
Biological Oceanography is an upper-level elective for the biology major,
and an elective for the ES major.
2
Benthic Ecology is an elective for the biology and ES majors.
3
Marine Molecular Ecology and Evolution is a group 3 core course for the
biology major and an elective for the ES major.
“The fieldwork I participated in at Hurricane Island
opened my eyes to a career in marine biology and the
beautiful setting of coastal Maine. I really enjoyed
Bowdoin’s wet lab because the setting provided me with
resources to create an individualized experiment of my
design. It has delivered a realistic snapshot into the
research marine biologists participate in.”
ELIZABETH CAREW ’15
A Bowdoin student in the course Marine Biodiversity, Fall 2014
For more information, visit
BOWDOIN.EDU/COASTAL-STUDIES- CENTER/COURSES
Contact David Carlon, director of the
Bowdoin College Coastal Studies Center
and associate professor of biology, at
dcarlon@bowdoin.edu or 207-798-4364.
MARINE
SCIENCE
SEMESTER
THE PROGRAM
This new program offers immersive experience
in marine field work, lab work, and independent
research for students interested in marine biology,
biology, biochemistry, chemistry, earth and
oceanographic science, and environmental studies.
WHERE: The Bowdoin College Coastal Studies
Center on Harpswell Sound in Maine, eleven miles
from campus. (Students will reside on Bowdoin’s
main campus in Brunswick.)
WHEN: Fall semester, starting in 2015.
(Classes, labs, and field trips are generally Monday–Thursday,
9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m., with some arrival and departure
exceptions due to tides. Fridays are flexible—students might
work on independent research or remain on the main campus.)
WHO: Sophomores–Seniors. Students from
the 12 College Program may also enroll.
FEATURES: Field trips and field seminars
in the Gulf of Maine and Baja, California.
CREDIT: Four course credits for the entire
semester. Each course module has the same
contact hours as a full semester course.
Students from other institutions should consult
David Carlon and their advisor at their home
institution to discuss course credit.
BOWDOIN.EDU/COASTAL-STUDIES - CENTER
FIELD WORK
AND FIELD TRIPS
■ The semester will take advantage of pelagic
and benthic habitats in and around Casco Bay,
using the Coastal Studies Center as a base
(eleven miles from Bowdoin’s main campus).
■ Longer excursions to other key ecosystems
in the Gulf of Maine will include:
A three-day cruise on the schooner Bowdoin
(the seventy-two-foot sailing vessel once used for
Arctic travel and exploration by Donald MacMillan,
Bowdoin Class of 1898) to collect plankton
samples across an inshore-offshore transect
into the gulf.
A multi-day trip to Hurricane Island in Vinalhaven,
Maine, involving a long-term project on measuring
climate change in the rocky intertidal.
■ Tropical Field Seminar: A ten-day trip to Baja
California Sur featuring near-shore tropical
ecosystems including coral reefs, introductions
to the biodiversity of reef and pelagic systems,
and offering contrasts in ecosystem function and
climate change resilience compared to the native
temperate waters of the Gulf of Maine.
“With this class, we learn the techniques but
also the process of conducting research from
gathering samples, analyzing data, finding
patterns, and determining the statistical
relevance of these patterns. We have the
unique experience to work toward publication
and conduct research where we do not know
the outcome. Everything about this class is
‘hands-on.’ Lecture and lab are well integrated
so we are able to learn the background or theory
behind procedures or statistical testing and then
perform them first-hand in our labs.”
SELENA LORREY ’17
A Bowdoin student in the course Marine
Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Fall 2014
“It is both challenging yet exhilarating at the
same time. Having the opportunity to partake
in such new research and using state-of-theart technologies including Next-Generation
Sequencing is unbelievable.”
ROBERT BARRON ’17
A Bowdoin student in Marine Molecular Ecology
and Evolution, Fall 2014