Colby at Bigelow Laboratory: Sea Change Semester

The Sea Change program (offered fall semester) is intellectually intense, truly immersive, and life changing for Colby students. A highly individualized mentorship experience that provides broad training as a research scientist, the program gives a unique advantage to any student interested in pursuing graduate work in marine, environmental, and biological sciences at the nation’s top universities. 

The semester combines course work, fieldwork, and research at Bigelow’s state-of-the-art campus, where students are immersed in senior research scientists’ laboratories. Students work closely with scientists using cutting-edge oceanographic techniques and complete a culminating independent research project of their own design. 

The program consists of four courses. These courses cover topics like climate change, microbial oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, molecular biological oceanography, pelagic and benthic ecology, marine biotechnology, and humans and the ocean.

• The Ocean Environment: A Cross-Disciplinary Foundation (ES383, 4 credits) 
• Biological Oceanography: Diversity and Function of Life in Marine Ecosystems (BI384, 4 credits) 
• Ocean Biogeochemistry on a Changing Planet (CH385, 4 credits)
• Oceanographic Field Methods and Independent Research (BI386, 4 credits)

Throughout the semester, students work with cultured and field-collected microbes and use advanced oceanographic techniques, including genomic tools, remote sensing, single-cell analysis, and monoclonal culture studies. In addition to laboratory work, students participate in day-long research cruises every other week. While at sea, students use a full range of physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic instruments to collect water samples and environmental data for analysis and synthesis in the lab. Students are also trained to complete data analysis using the R coding language.

In addition to the lab and field experience students get in their courses, students complete a research project, which includes the development of a research plan, experiments, and analysis, all under the guidance of a professional science mentor. At the end of the semester, students present their research in a research symposium. This project can form the basis for an honors thesis, a paper, or a conference presentation.

Students earn 16 credits through four, four-credit courses. Students that participate in Sea Change Semester and take 1 additional approved course at Colby will receive a minor in Marine Science.

Credits that count toward Colby biology, environmental studies, chemistry, and geology majors have been pre-approved.  Grades are determined by Bigelow faculty and will be factored into the Colby GPA.

Sea Change Semester students live in the Graham Shimmield Residence Hall located on Bigelow Laboratory’s campus. The Graham Shimmield Residence Hall has a fully equipped kitchen, dormitory and apartment-style bedrooms, study space,  fitness room, laundry facilities, and WiFi. There are no dining halls at Bigelow Laboratory and students cook for themselves. 

Students receive a food stipend and a shared membership to the local YMCA, providing them with access to its Olympic-size swimming pool, indoor track, basketball, racquetball, squash, pickleball, and tennis courts, and weight and cardio exercise facilities.

Over the semester, students become part of the Bigelow community, attending seminars by invited scientists, joining staff potlucks, and interacting with non-research staff like the science communications team. These opportunities provide networking, special training, and exposure to career options within the diverse field of ocean science.

The Boothbay region is highly seasonal and many businesses either close down in September or take a fall break before the holidays. East Boothbay is a small community in midcoast Maine. The region offers plenty of outdoor activities with vistas of the rugged coastline and there are a number of other activities to do around Midcoast Maine in your free time.

The fee for Colby programs off-campus is equivalent to the comprehensive fee for Colby. (Program fees are also subject to any annual comprehensive fee increases). Students are billed by Colby and are exempt from the $1,500 study abroad fee. The fee covers tuition, room, a board allowance, and excursions. Insurance and other personal expenses including travel are not included. A $300 deposit is required 30 days after acceptance.

Students in all academic disciplines who meet the program requirements and are interested in hands-on lab work and ocean science or policy are welcome to apply. Desirable applicants will have a genuine curiosity about how the ocean works and how scientists unravel its many mysteries. Students who have participated in the program have had a variety of majors, including chemistry, psychology, art, biology, STS, geology, and environmental science. 

The program is designed for students in their third year of college but students that meet the eligibility criteria in their second or fourth year are also invited to apply. To be eligible for this program, students must have taken at least three lab science courses and one semester each of chemistry, biology, and precalculus/calculus. If you do not meet these requirements but wish to participate, please contact the Program Director, Aislyn Keyes ([email protected]).

There are two things that students must complete to apply for Sea Change Semester: 

1. The Initial Study Abroad Plan (November 15th) and Final Study Abroad Plan (February 20th) administered by GEO.
2.  
3. Bigelow Laboratory’s application for Sea Change Semester

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and we recommend applying early. We begin accepting applications for the following fall semester in October each year.