Catherine Schmitt

As Science Communication Specialist, Catherine works with Schoodic Institute and National Park Service staff to write and share stories of science past and present, manage communications for Second Century Stewardship, and provide science communication training for researchers working in our national parks.

Prior to joining Schoodic Institute, Catherine was a science writer and communications director for Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine. She has been writing about Acadia National Park since moving to Maine in 2001, and was a Fitz Eugene Dixon Fellow at Schoodic in 2009. She is the author of the book Historic Acadia National Park, as well as The President’s Salmon and A Coastal Companion. She continues to write freelance articles and essays for newspapers, magazines, and literary journals. Catherine earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine, a master’s degree in ecology and environmental science from the Senator George J. Mitchell Center at UMaine, and an undergraduate degree in environmental science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Catherine finds inspiration at Schoodic Point, and she believes Acadia’s diversity of environments, from rocky shores and beaches to forests, lakes, and mountaintops, and the long legacy of scientific inquiry in the region, provide infinite story possibilities. When not spending time outside, Catherine enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and music.