The Boothbay Sea and Science Center (BSSC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce this summer’s principal instructors and waterfront director who share an abiding passion and commitment to introducing young people to all the wonders that lie between the surface and the sea floor. The BSSC is entering its eighth year of providing uniquely integrated boating, sailing, and marine science summer programs, fourth year of Exploring the Science of Seaweed Farming public school program, and first full year of its afterschool Science Club for local middle schoolers at the Boothbay Region Elementary School.

Genevieve Black has been teaching biology and ocean science at Mount View High School for four years following her work at Mid Coast School of Technology. This will be Genevieve’s third summer at BSSC. Genevieve graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 2014 with a degree in marine biology and from Unity College in 2018 with a master’s degree in sustainable natural resource management. Her passion for fisheries science comes from growing up on a lobster boat in Belfast, Maine where her father still fishes. Since graduating from college, she spent a season working for the Maine Department of Marine Resources sampling lobsters around the state. Aside from lobsters and teaching Genevieve loves cooking and traveling whenever possible. Every Monday beginning on June 29 until Aug. 17 Genevieve will take us to “A World Below the Waves.”

Dr. Rebecca Edwards has been teaching environmental studies and climate science courses at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas for 10 years. She has done research on how climate affects everything from air quality to the frequency of extreme precipitation events in Central Texas. She is passionate about teaching climate science to all audiences. This fall she will begin pursuing a master’s in divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Dr. Edwards grew up sailing on Linekin Bay and now returns each summer with her husband and four children. This will be Dr. Edwards’ first summer teaching at BSSC. Every Tuesday beginning June 30 and ending Aug. 18, Dr. Edwards will be exploring the topic of “Sea Fever; What’s Hot in the Gulf of Maine.”

Amy Palmer is back to BSSC for her third summer of teaching. Amy started her career as a naturalist at environmental education centers from Ohio to California to Alaska. She studied sea turtles in Hawaii and experienced first-hand the “great Pacific garbage patch.” Amy studied marine science at Moss Landing Marine Lab in California, focusing on lingcod migration using remote sensing technology. She then became a middle school science teacher on an island in Maine! “My most recent adventures include leading a middle school Lego Robotics team, teaching 2nd graders how to code, and creating a mini village powered by renewable energy with 4th graders using a 3D printer and lots of ingenuity”. Amy is currently the K-8 STEAM teacher at the Saint George School in Tenants Harbor. This summer, every Wednesday beginning July 1 to Aug. 19, Amy will be “Tracking Trash; The Secret Lives of Trash.”

Heather Sinclair is returning to BSSC for her third summer. A middle school science teacher at Wiscasset Middle High School, Heather lives in Edgecomb with her son, Myles. She has lived in Maine for more than 10 years and “never further than a mile from saltwater.” At Wiscasset Middle High School, Heather teaches life science and physical science. She believes in a modeling approach to science education - where students learn about natural phenomena before utilizing vocabulary and formulas to describe their new knowledge. She has taught every science class imaginable to all grades from 6th to 12th, including physics, chemistry, biology, environmental science, oceanography, genetics, and science fiction. She has a BS in biology and a master of arts in teaching. She believes that hands on learning, science education, and advocacy is critical for students today. Heather agrees that Isak Dinesen said it best when she wrote “the cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears or the sea.” Students can experience Heather’s passion for “Tall Ships and Taller Tales” every Thursday from July 2 to Aug. 20.

Gray Ferris, this summer’s waterfront director, is a founding staff member of the Boothbay Sea and Science Center. A Virginia native, Gray has been spending summers in Boothbay Harbor for as long as he can remember. He began his sailing experience with his father on their Catalina 22 before participating in the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club's junior sailing program. After turning 16, he began to work as an apprentice instructor, and in the following years, as an instructor and director of the program. In 2013 Gray began working at the BSSC and has been thrilled that his schedule has allowed him to return nearly every summer since. In addition to teaching sailing, Gray was a member of the University of New Hampshire's sailing team and active crew for GMORA sailing events. When not out on the water, Gray plays the french horn with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and works as an educational technician at the Boothbay Region Elementary School. Rounding-off the week, Gray will explore all that’s off-shore and on-shore in “Ship to Shore” every Friday beginning July 3 and ending on Aug. 21.

For more information about this summer’s program or to register, please go to BSSC’s website at www.boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org

For questions, please email Pauline Dion at info@boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org or call (207) 350-5357.