The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
November 2022
Above photo by Donna Collins
Below photos by Olivia Brown and Jennifer Seavey
Dear SML Community,
The days are getting shorter and shorter here in New England and the SML team is (mostly) back in the office. Although summer feels far away, this is the time of year when our planning process gets kicked into high gear. SML’s faculty are helping us build the academic calendar, students are already inquiring about courses and undergraduate research opportunities, plans are being hatched for public programs, and Ross and Zach are busy taking care of end-of-season facility and boat projects so that everything is again ready for the summer season.
As Amy Fish mentioned in our September newsletter, 2022 was one of the busiest years on record for SML’s academic programs with the highest number of student enrollments ever! Our Academic Committee (Eugene Won, Liz Craig, and I) take great pride in guiding students through the course selection and enrollment process. Engaging with students about our academic offerings starts now and doesn’t stop until well into May.

For me personally, one of the more rewarding aspects of my job revolves around SML’s student scholarships. I manage the disbursement of our need-based aid, merit-based awards, and other special scholarships such as the SML Diversity Scholarship. These scholarships are what makes it possible for many of our students to take a course at SML - this past summer, almost 70% of our undergraduate student population received a scholarship!
SML is fortunate to have endowments at both Cornell and UNH that help fund some of our scholarships. However, half of the monies used for scholarships this year actually came to the lab via annual gifts. The strong increase in student enrollments that SML has experienced over the past several years coupled with the fact that many of our students need and are eligible for financial support make these annual gifts increasingly important. The annual gifts that SML receives helps make our academic programs accessible to a whole host of students that might not otherwise be able to experience a summer on Appledore.

I speak for all the SML staff in saying thank you to our community for supporting our annual fund. You make it possible to allow me the honor of disbursing scholarships and more importantly, these gifts make it possible for SML to help build the next generation of marine scientists and conservation-minded citizens.
Wishing you all the best at the start of this holiday season,
Dr. David Buck
Associate Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
SML Annual Appeal 2022 - Give the Gift of Opportunity
At the end of each year, we reach out to our SML community for a final push to help fulfill our mission of providing life-changing opportunities to transform students to scientists.

Together, we can ensure that SML continues to advance understanding, discovery, and sustainability of the marine environment.

A gift to the annual fund supports SML’s immediate priorities:  
  • Student Scholarships
  • Research Internships
  • Faculty Support
  • Island Operations
Photo by Olivia Brown
Your financial support makes all our work possible – and we are filled with gratitude for the gifts we have already received.  

Thanks for your continued support!
Join our Alumni and Friends Association
Established in 2016, the SML Alumni and Friends Association (AFA) is a volunteer-led initiative to engage the SML community (alumni, donors, faculty, researchers, public, etc.) in a manner that expresses the pride, tradition, and life-long learning that stretches across time and space.

We are currently recruiting new members to join. Members choose one of our three committees to join and volunteer with - Recruitment, Fundraising, or Networking & Engagement.

Interested in joining? Please contact Michael Coburn, our AFA chair, at mcoburn@bcm.edu for more information about how to get involved.
Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.