microscopic organisms

Our Programs

Our students range from curious young minds to educators and working scientists. At every level, our students leave more capable, confident, and prepared for the next step of their journey.

One of the great joys of our educational programs is seeing students return at different stages of their careers. Many develop lifelong relationships with our scientists, which are reflected in their publications, fieldwork, and other career advancement opportunities. Not to mention friendships.

Students in a lab at Bigelow.

High School

Keller BLOOM Program: A one-week program for Maine high school juniors. Students spend a week living at our East Boothbay campus learning from our scientists both in the lab and on the water.
Dave Fields explaining an instrument with a student.

Undergraduate

Internship/REU: Our 10-week, paid summer internships provide an in-depth, hands-on research experience with access to – and the support of – the entire Bigelow Laboratory community.

Sea Change Semester: A 14-week undergraduate accredited academic program where students research real-world questions they are interested in and leave with the skills and professional connections to pursue the next step of their academic or professional career.
Shane Farrell holding kelp

Postgraduate

Postdoctoral research positions: Our postdoctoral training program equips early career scientists with advanced experience on the latest tools alongside senior scientists as well a cohort of fellow postdocs from diverse fields. This combination creates ample opportunities to collaborate, seek funding, and publish.

Visiting graduate students: We frequently host masters and doctoral students who visit from other institutions to conduct research in collaboration with Bigelow Laboratory scientists. We currently host a cohort of Ph.D. students involved in the Maine NSF EPSCoR eDNA Program.
Students with an instructor at our MERHAB course.

Professional

Science Educators: Our BLOOM Educator workshop gives Maine middle and high school teachers the training and tools to improve (or start) their ocean science curriculum. These workshops are free and include lodging, most meals, travel reimbursement and a toolkit worth ~ $700.

Professional development: Learn professional skills from the best in the field with a small group in a beautiful setting. We have a series of courses throughout the year on topics ranging from bioinformatics to algal culture techniques.

Education