2026 Marine Science & Mentoring Summer Program

The Marine Science & Mentoring Summer Program is a five-week, immersive experience centered on hands-on marine research, scientific skill-building, and mentored inquiry in Nantucket’s coastal ecosystems. While the program maintains a strong foundation in the population ecology, reproductive biology, and habitat requirements of the Nantucket Bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), its scope has been expanded to ensure that every student—regardless of whether they attend for one week or the full program—engages in meaningful, authentic scientific research.

A primary research theme this summer will examine the impacts of climate change on nearshore marine systems, with particular emphasis on the timing of bay scallop reproduction and larval development. Students will participate in testing the hypothesis that warming seawater temperatures are shifting spawning phenology, potentially creating a mismatch between larval release and the availability of phytoplankton food sources. In parallel, students will investigate broader habitat changes affecting scallop populations, including eelgrass loss, altered water quality, and the increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms, all of which may be partially driven by climate change.

Throughout the program, students build core field and laboratory skills each week, including water sampling and water-quality testing (e.g., temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen), species and habitat observation and identification, microscopy, basic dissection or histological techniques, and systematic data collection. Students also develop scientific communication skills through maintaining field and lab journals, graphing and analyzing data, writing observations, and delivering short oral “field updates” or summaries of findings.

A key component of the program is mentored research. Each student selects—or helps define—a focused research or monitoring question related to the program’s marine science themes. With guidance from staff and partners, students collect data, analyze results, and reflect on their findings. Students attending multiple weeks build depth through repeated sampling, more advanced techniques, and increasingly independent inquiry, while those attending a single week still complete a coherent, hands-on research experience.

Whether you’re interested in bay scallops, coastal ecosystems, water quality, habitat restoration, marine technology, or conservation — our program offers a pathway to learn, contribute, and grow.

Session Info:

•Session III: July 20 – July 31 Coastal Ecology, Biodiversity & Habitat Studies

Broader ecosystem studies — flora, fauna, habitats beyond shellfish; habitat health; community ecology

*Please note that session participants will be dedicated to a fieldtrip on the first Friday of the program and host a presentation of their work on the last Friday of the program. 

Cost per participant: $950 per session, discounts available if registering for entire series or multiple session

Contact email: programs@mariamitchell.org

*Nantucket residents qualify for scholarships