Dear SML Community,
"Have patience; here are flowers and songs of birds, Beauty and fragrance, wealth of sound and sight, All summer's glory thine from morn till night, And life too full of joy for uttered words... O Earth! Thy summer son of joy may soar, ringing to heaven in triumph.” -Celia Thaxter
This is a bittersweet moment in the SML summer. The undergraduates who have been drinking deep from the well of wonder and appreciation for science and the natural history of the Isles of Shoals are leaving our shores and heading back to their mainland academic pursuits. We are grateful for the Shoals Undergraduate Research Group, who presented their research findings this week. Wow! They have progressed our collective understanding of seabirds, seals, toxicology, and much more! These students are leaving SML as scientists. We wish them a lifetime of discovery and success.
Next week, high school students descend upon Appledore. They will dive into college courses and high school programs aimed at sparking their passion for science. Their energy is infectious, and our job will be to channel it into exploring the tide pools, shark fishing, analyzing the green energy grid, plankton tows, and more. We will soon welcome students from Codman Academy in Dorchester, MA and Manchester, NH into custom-made, immersive, active-learning adventures that will provide hands-on exposure to marine science and sustainable engineering. For many students, this expedition will provide their first experience on boats, stepping into the ocean, living on an island, and working with professional scientists and engineers. We are excited to provide experiences that we hope will translate into new learning and career ambitions. And just maybe, down the road, we will see one or more of these students in our undergraduate programs!
