In Biological Sciences .
Course Offerings (The marine sciences courses are currently administered by the Shoals Marine Lab. Not all of these courses are offered each semester; consult the SML website for current offerings: www.sml.cornell.edu.)
106A Kennedy Hall, (607) 255–3717
Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) provides a unique opportunity to explore marine sciences on Appledore Island, Maine, an island noted for its biota, geology, and history. SML has established a national reputation for excellence and is North America’s largest marine field station focusing on undergraduate education.
The summer population of Appledore Island is limited to one hundred people at any one time. Students and faculty literally and figuratively immerse themselves in their explorations, free from distractions common to most academic institutions. Because SML is a residential facility, a sense of community develops that makes courses and seminars at SML outstanding educational and intellectual experiences. Participants learn from and exchange ideas with a wide range of specialists whose primary interests are in marine sciences but whose perspectives often differ, providing fertile ground for lively discussions.
Credit courses at Shoals Marine Laboratory are full-time, intensive learning experiences. Courses may be taken sequentially, but not concurrently. A typical day combines lecture sessions, laboratory and field work, field trips to nearby islands or the mainland, and collecting and research excursions aboard the laboratory’s 47-foot research vessel, John M. Kingsbury, or the 36-foot research vessel, John B. Heiser. Field experience is integral to all courses, using Appledore’s extensive intertidal and subtidal zones and seabird colonies. Faculty, drawn from Cornell University, the University of New Hampshire, and other leading academic institutions, are selected based not only on their academic excellence, but also on their ability to teach in the field. Many guest lecturers including engineers, coastal planners, and specialists from private industry, government, as well as the academic community visit Appledore during the season. The SML main administrative office is located at Cornell’s Ithaca campus, 106A Kennedy Hall. The office serves as an advising center for students interested in the marine sciences, maintains updated information on graduate study and career opportunities as well as on marine programs at other institutions.