A summer of fieldwork, data analysis for Early College students

Eva came all the way from California to take the course. Sadie organized her summer job(s) around it. Albert’s parents drove him to and from Bangor to Belfast every day to participate in it. For what? Integrated Science and Research and Career Exploration, also known as INT 188.

This summer, seven high school students from across the U.S. took part in a five-week Integrated Science and Career Exploration Early College Course at the UMaine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. They sampled the sand on nearby Sears Island, looking for microplastics. They handled crabs and zebrafish embryos and researched the effects of green crab predation on clams in Belfast harbor. They designed their own research methodologies and built their own quadrats and extractors. They learned how to turn a light on and off using Arduino (an open-source electronic prototyping platform enabling users to create interactive electronic objects). They analyzed their data and confidently reported their findings, microphone in hand, standing in front of their posters at a small symposium in front of their families and community members, in polished shoes and freshly-ironed ensembles.

Read the full story on the Hutchinson Center’s website.