Gain firsthand experience exploring marine science

Precollege programs at Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island, Maine, give you the chance to transform yourself from a student to a scientist.

Through hands-on labs and field work, you'll earn college credits while exploring topics including marine biology and conservation.

You can choose from

  • Marine Environmental Science (3 credit, two-week summer course)
  • Introduction to the Biology of Sharks, Skates, and Rays (1 credit, one-week summer course)

Classroom and field activities include deploying oceanographic equipment to collect water samples, exploring the rock intertidal zone, traveling to adjacent islands to observe seal and seabird colonies, dissecting sharks and rays to learn their unique anatomy, fishing for mackerel and bottom fish and observing whales in their foraging grounds.

To learn more and apply for programs, visit the Shoals Marine Laboratory high school course page.