Bowdoin College

Once it was a family farmhouse and a much-loved summer retreat. Now it’s a thriving coastal studies center serving the Bowdoin community, thanks to one family. The College launches an oral history project to recognize the generosity of the Thalheimers.

“For a child, it was like ‘Wow, this is really amazing,’” recalled Elizabeth “Betsy” Brett, née Thalheimer, who, along with her three siblings—Will, John, and Andrew—was interviewed for a new oral history project.

The interviews were conducted by Ruqayyah Abouraya ’28, who produced the project over the summer as an intern with the Schiller Coastal Studies Center (SCSC).

Oral History Project Honors Family Who Donated Schiller Center Property With huge fields and a dense forest, leading down to “this big surrounding ocean,” the family farmhouse on Orr’s Island left quite an impression on the Thalheimer children over the many summers they spent there.

About twenty percent of the 223 students who received funded internships from Bowdoin this summer gravitated toward the field of health and medicine, interested in research or work that is improving people's lives.

We heard from five of these students; they are working at a neuroscience lab, a professional group linking climate and public health, a hospital, a vaccine research center, and a public health institute. Along the way, they're acquiring technical and communication skills, learning from mentors, widening their networks, and gaining insight into their career aspirations.

Five Students, Five Paths to Better Health About twenty percent of the 223 students who received funded internships from Bowdoin this summer gravitated toward the the field of health and medicine, interested in research or work that is improving people's lives.

Five students are being funded by the Hastings Initiative to pursue projects over the summer in a range of areas, inside and outside the classroom. They are all working with faculty or staff on projects using artificial intelligence tools to make the world a better place. Learn more about Camily Guimarães Carvalho ’29, Aubrey Gifford ’28, Sabina Gill ’29, Henry Risch ’28, Calvin Cecil ’28, and their projects here!

Harnessing AI for the Common Good The inaugural cohort of Hastings Summer Fellows have been using and learning about various artificial intelligence (AI) tools during the break as they work faculty and staff on a wide range of projects, all of them aimed at making the world a better place.

When Gary Hernandez learned he had been selected as a Newman Civic Fellow, one aspect of the honor stood out: the chance to join a national community of students committed to strengthening their communities.

In his personal statement for the fellowship, Hernandez reflected on learning the importance of community service from his mother. He recalled accompanying her as an eight-year-old to help assemble Thanksgiving food baskets for families in need. His own family also received one of those baskets. He wrote that he sees community service “as a web of mutual support, as an exchange between neighbors who at different moments both give and receive.” Read more about him here!

Gary Hernandez ’27 is Selected for Public Service Fellowship When Hernandez learned he had been selected as a Newman Civic Fellow, one aspect of the honor stood out: the chance to join a national community of students committed to strengthening their communities.

This summer, three Bowdoin students are contributing to the common good by analyzing the consequences of US trade policy, sharing the stories of soldiers whose sacrifices shaped the nation, and preparing for a career protecting lives on the water. Read more about Daniel Lee ’27, Grace Campbell ’27, and JP Felmlee ’27 here.

Their internships are among more than 200 supported this summer through Bowdoin's Career Exploration and Development (CXD) office. Each year, CXD provides “funded internship” grants to allow students to pursue unpaid or low-paying opportunities across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Three Funded Interns Serve Society Through Policy Research, Preservation, and Public Safety This summer, three Bowdoin students are contributing to the common good by analyzing the consequences of US trade policy, sharing the stories of soldiers whose sacrifices shaped the nation, and preparing for a career protecting lives on the water.

Bowdoin students have been based at Schiller Coastal Studies Center over the summer break pursuing a variety of research projects.

From sea snails to lobsters to sea stars (a.k.a. “starfish”), a number of undergraduates (plus one recent graduate) have been making full use of the center’s facilities, including dry labs and the seawater-filled web laboratories.

Listen to James Ingraham ’28, Court Callis ’27, and Graham Lucas ’26 explain their work and read more about the summer at Schiller here!

Tracking Marine Life: Students Showcase Summer Research at Schiller Bowdoin students have been based at Schiller Coastal Studies Center over the summer break pursuing a variety of research projects.

Several students with funded internships are learning to use the tools of technology, finance, and policy to help the environment. They are making electric vehicle charging more accessible, researching lower-energy manufacturing, protecting endangered wildlife, and helping communities pay for climate projects.

Read about Mateo Morales Gómez ’29, Zai Yang ’27, Siddhu Srivatsan ’27, and Henry Burnham ’27 and their incredible summer projects here!

Bowdoin Students Explore Many Paths to Sustainability They are making electric vehicle charging more accessible, researching lower-energy manufacturing, protecting endangered wildlife, and helping communities pay for climate projects.

Bowdoin undergraduates are pursuing a wide range of funded academic projects over the summer. Continuing with our series of summer fellowship profiles, we check in with an earth scientist, a sociologist, and a theater major.

Salt Marshes and Sea Level Rise, Community Care in the Mexican Borderlands, and Bringing Folk Tales to Life: A Taste of Student Summer Projects Bowdoin undergraduates are pursuing a wide range of funded academic projects over the break. In all, 180 students have received research fellowships this summer, many of whom are undertaking their work on campus, advised by a faculty member.

The Schiller Coastal Studies Center (SCSC) at Bowdoin College is contributing to an ongoing effort to restore the vital but deteriorating eelgrass ecosystem in Casco Bay.

Building on work that began in 2024, SCSC, in collaboration with several local partners, secured grant funding from Restore America’s Estuaries and has led the design of eelgrass seed maturation and storage facilities and seed processing methods in support of seed-based restoration efforts in Casco Bay. Read more about it here!

Bowdoin’s Schiller Coastal Studies Center Supports Eelgrass Restoration Effort in Casco Bay Bowdoin’s Schiller Coastal Studies Center Supports Eelgrass Restoration Effort in Casco Bay By Bowdoin News The Schiller Coastal Studies Center (SCSC) at Bowdoin College is contributing to an ongoing effort to restore the vital but deteriorating eelgrass ecosystem in Casco Bay. Building on work th...