No RFP for 2027.
After over a decade of successful research fellowships, we are pausing the program to evaluate how we might best support early-career scientists in Acadia in the future.
About
Protecting Acadia National Park in today’s rapidly changing world demands high-quality, forward-looking research, greater access to and engagement with science, communication skills, and increased relevance within and beyond the park.
Through the Acadia Science Fellowship, Schoodic Institute has supported a new generation of talented scientists doing innovative, management-relevant research; telling stories of park science that inform, inspire, and reach new audiences; and engaged the public in ways that stimulate learning, curiosity, and connection to Acadia and national parks more broadly.
Support
The Acadia Science Fellowship and its predecessor Second Century Stewardship are a partnership between Schoodic Institute and the National Park Service with support from the David Evans Shaw Family Foundation and the Sibley-Saltonstall Family Foundation as well as individual donors. We supported 26 early-career researchers to conduct research in Acadia National Park, helping to guide management actions, and supported science communication and citizen science training across the National Park System. The fellows continue to advance critical science in Acadia, inspiring audiences of all ages by inviting visitors and others to engage with science in parks.
Current & Previous Fellows
- Deirdre McGrath, doctoral student at the University of Maine: Assessing Climate Change Vulnerability of Indigenous Archaeological Sites with UAV Surveys (2026)
- Katie Castagno, doctoral student in the Center for Coastal Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Understanding Storm Impacts at Sand Beach (2026)
- Colby Bosley-Smith, doctoral student at the University of Maine: Tracking Understory Conditions to Predict Forest Futures (2025)
- Veronica Winter, doctoral student at The Pennsylvania State University: Making National Songbird Data Local (2025)
- Peter Howe, University of Maine: Exploring Landscape Change in Acadia with Historical Aerial Imagery and Modern Photogrammetry (2024)
- Marisa Monroe, University of Maine: Informing Management of Amphibian Road Crossings in Acadia National Park (2024)
Meet the twenty fellows supported through Second Century Stewardship (2016-2023) here.