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 Cornell University 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.
College-level courses for High school students for summer of 2025 have not yet been finalized. Please check back next February for the opportunity to apply for summer 2025 season.
High School Courses
Explore SML's residential, college-level courses designed for high school students!
Admissions Process
We provide a step by step process as well as registration and payment information.
Tuition & Fees
The cost of each individual course varies depending on the number of Cornell University credits and length of the course. We provide a breakdown of per credit, per night, and other course fees on this page.
For interested high school students, parents, and teachers:
The Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs is a New England-based nonprofit with an international reach that has a mission to inspire and empower the next generation of ocean caretakers through art, science, and advocacy. Bow Seat runs an annual Ocean Awareness Student Contest, which challenges middle and high school students to communicate the science of pressing ocean issues through four categories: Art, Poetry, Prose, or Film. Bow Seat awards prizes up to $1,500, and also helps to find exhibition and publishing opportunities for the winners throughout the year. In 2016, the contest received over 2,100 submissions from 44 U.S. states and 67 countries this year! Shoals Marine Laboratory is a proud partner of Bow Seat because we both believe that art and science collaborations improve education and communication! For more information: fromthebowseat.org