BELFAST — Registration is open for two STEM-related summer courses at the UMaine Hutchinson Center: Concepts in Oceanography, and Introduction to Integrated Science and Career Exploration. Both courses have an in-person component that will take place at the UMaine Hutchinson Center, in Belfast. Early College students and those interested in exploring STEM or Oceanography are encouraged to apply.

Concepts in Oceanography (SMS 110) is a three-credit hybrid/blended Summer University course that meets twice a week for six weeks, May 31–July 7. Classes meet from 4:30–7:30 p.m., with Tuesday classes meeting in-person at the Hutchinson Center and Thursday classes being online/synchronous. Basic concepts in physical, geological, chemical and biological oceanography will be discussed. An introduction to the relationship between the ocean and the atmosphere will also be explored, as well as global change issues. This course satisfies the General Education Applications of Scientific Knowledge. 

Course instructor and UMaine professor William “Wge” Ellis grew up in East Vassalboro and became a certified scuba diver, where he developed a love for the ocean. He went on to major in chemistry and then completed a graduate degree in chemical oceanography. Ellis is associate director of UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences.

Introduction to Integrated Science and Career Exploration (INT 188) is an hands-on, innovative four-week college STEM research course for qualified high school students (rising 11th–12th grade), offered July 18–Aug. 11 at the Hutchinson Center. It will meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Students will earn three college credits upon completion of the course. Sections of this course, on the same dates, are offered on the Orono and Machias campuses. Thirty percent of class time will be spent outdoors doing fieldwork, with the remainder spent in the classroom and lab at the Hutchinson Center.

INT 188 instructors Susan Therio and Dave Thomas are UMaine adjunct faculty members teaching chemistry and oceanography courses, respectively. Prior to coming to UMaine, Therio was an industry chemist in environmental and hydrocolloid fields. Thomas, a high school science teacher for over 18 years, spent four years as a research technician in northern Wisconsin and Michigan studying ecological changes.

Early College classes are offered tuition free for qualified high school students. Students who pay to attend high school in Maine, including out-of-state and international students, will be charged a reduced Early College rate. Early College is a partnership between the University of Maine System and the Maine Department of Education, supported by the Legislature.

High school students may register for either course as an Early College applicant at umaine.edu/earlycollege. All other applicants, visit hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu. 

For more information about Concepts in Oceanography, contact advisor Tiffany Peterson, 581.3151; tiffany.peterson@maine.edu. 

For more information about Integrated Science and Career Exploration, contact Early College, 581.8024; um.earlycollege@maine.edu.

About the Hutchinson Center:

The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community.

About the University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.