Lillian Sherburne of Boothbay recently completed the spring semester of her sophomore year of high school at Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport. Coastal Studies for Girls is a Semester School for 10th grade girls. The school features rigorous academic courses and an integrated marine science and leadership curriculum based on fieldwork and experiential place-based learning.

While at CSG, Lilly completed a scientific research project examining the population genetics of Alexandrium fundyense, a harmful algal species that produces toxins that induce paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) known as red tide.

Lilly and her research team performed DNA amplification and sequencing to view the DNA sequence of A. fundyense cells collected at Jonesport, Phippsburg and Casco Bay in Maine, and the Bay of Fundy, Canada. The students structured their study and analyzed their data with the guidance of CSG’s Marine Ecosystems instructor, Dr. Kerry Whittaker.

Lilly presented her research results in a public forum held at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland. The other spring 2016 Coastal Studies for Girls Research Topics explored: The effect of microplastic pollution on bivalves; Ph levels in the intertidal and ocean; the effect of varying nitrogen concentrations; and invasive crab species in Maine.

In addition to producing original marine research during her semester at Coastal Studies for Girls, Lilly also completed a semester-long leadership course, earned honors credits in literature, history, math and foreign language, and traveled with her classmates on a 10-day expedition along the Maine coast and islands.

Each semester, Coastal Studies for girls accepts 20 girls from across the country to live in the farmhouse on the shores of Casco Bay. Together they create a community of engaged learners dedicated to observation, inquiry, connection and action.

Lilly will return to Boothbay Region High School in the fall.

Lilly is the sixth student from Boothbay Region High School to attend the Coastal Studies for Girls Semester School.

To learn more about Coastal Studies for Girls, or for information on applying, please visitwww.coastalstudiesforgirls.org