High Schoolers Spend Week as Ocean Researchers

Sixteen Maine high school juniors completed a week of living and learning at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences on May 26. They worked side-by-side with Bigelow Laboratory scientists, went on a research cruise, conducted experiments, and learned how to analyze their results as part of the 28th annual Keller BLOOM (Bigelow Laboratory Orders Of Magnitude) Program.

The five-day summer workshop provides students with a hands-on experience to learn about the biological, chemical, and geological characteristics of the local marine environment and to get an idea of what a career as a scientist might be like. Bigelow Laboratory researchers Drs. Nicole Poulton and David Fields lead the program. Students apply for the program, and sixteen are selected from across all the counties in Maine.

All costs for participation are covered by private donations to the Keller BLOOM Program, named in honor of the late Maureen Keller, a Bigelow Laboratory scientist, to make it open and accessible to all.

“This is our 28th year of providing an opportunity for students all across Maine to learn about the ocean that is so vital to our lives here in Maine and beyond,” Poulton said. “The students take home an appreciation for how much is known and yet to be discovered about the ocean. We, as scientists, end the program with a renewed energy from the students’ endless curiosity and excitement. It’s a winning combination for everyone involved.”

The 16 Maine students who participated in the 2017 Keller BLOOM Program were:

• Madison Bangs, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School
• Jake Brewer, Boothbay Region High School
• Kathryn Caldwell, Falmouth High School
• Sierra Fahrman, Falmouth High School
• Rosamond Hickey, Medomak Valley High School
• Sommer Huntress, Traip Academy
• Mason Lagasse, Edward Little High School
• Olivia LaRoche, Belfast Area High School
• Hallie Macdougal, Watershed School
• Nowak Maciej, Foxcroft Academy
• Daniel McKeon, Searsport District High School
• Clara Mugnai, Wiscasset Middle High School
• Claire Pierce, Camden Hills Regional High School
• Candice Powers, Falmouth High School
• Allison Wells, Camden Hills Regional High School
• Sophie Wilson, Morse High School

Photo by Kevin Fahrman, Foreside Photography