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From October 1st to October 3rd of 2021, the International Student Programs and First Gen Low Income Program (FLI) leaders went to Allen Island to prepair for the upcoming year. Both programs are part of Colby’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and are vital programs in helping international and first gen low income students feel welcomed to Colby and provide them the resources they need to fit in and succeed at Colby.

While on Allen Island, the student leaders engaged in many team-building activities and discussions, as well as had free time to do things like cook and hike together. In being isolated on the island, the student leaders were able to engage with eachother and form a bond that would be hard to replicate anywhere else. As a result of their trip, they were able to come back to Colby ready to support their respective programs and the students involved in them. 

On October 3rd, 2021, Professor Twining from Bigelow Labratories, brought his Intro to Ocean Science class to Allen Island. On the island, the class discussed the collection of wave and environmental data, the impacts of wave energy on island coasts and geological formations and ecosystems, and the history of the Maine coast and economic aspects of like on an island.

Being able to take advantage of such a beautiful island to help visualize the material taught in class, as well as being able to be taught by a world renouned scientist from a world renouned research lab (for an introduction class nonetheless) is one of the many reasons why we at Colby are so priviledges to be here. In taking advantage of every resource availible, Colby students are setting themselves up to be leaders in whatever field they decide to go in.

At Colby, one of the great programs we have access to is the Sea Change Semester with Bigelow Labratories, a world renouned ocean science research center. Through this program, students at Colby have the opportunity to live on Bigelow’s campus, and take advantage of world class research in addition to their classes taught by incredible scientists. As part of the program, students along with Bigelow researchers went to Allen Island from September 22nd to the 24th to have an immersive experiance in a remote coastal environment and conduct oceanographic observations. In addition, on the island they had lectures and discussions, were able to do a marine debris survey and conduct a zooplankton night tow. Access to such a remote coastal environment would be impossible without access to Allen Island, so Colby is very fortunate to have access to it.

At Colby, there are many ways students are able to quench their academic curiosities. One example is the senior capstone projects. Senior Zack Dubosky, with faculty mentor Aleja Ortiz, went to Allen Island on Sept 26th, 2021 to work on his senior honors thesis. 

On September 19th, 2021, Colby hosted it’s 6th explore trip. The first of the academic year, this trip was opened to students, faculty and colby community family members. With a couple first years in attendance, it provided them a great way to meet faculty members and see the opportunities availible to them here at Colby. Especially as a first year, being able to meet Colby faculty in such a casual and intimate setting not only helps to reduce the shyness at asking professors for help, but also allows first years to see what opportunities there are on campus as well as how to go about taking advantage of said opportunites. With Allen Island being fully utilized until the winter, we are excited to restart the explore trips this spring. 

On September 11th, 2021, Colby hosted an Allen Island trip welcoming the newest CAPS members to Colby. For those who don’t know, CAPS is the Colby Achievement Program in Science, a program which aids and supports students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, and provides them with hands on research experiances and early exposure to Colby faculty. As covid prevented the CAPS students from going out last year, everyone involved was especially eager to go out to Allen Island.

Unofficially I’ve heard that Allen Island COOT is the best COOT!

Interim Director of Outdoor Education and Leadership SJ Tinker on Allen Island COOT

COOT’s back! After a year long haitus due to Covid-19, the members of the class of 2025 were able to participate in the yearly welcoming tradition, COOT from Sept 3rd to Sept 5th. For those who don’t know, COOT is the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips, which are trips led by upper classmen for freshman in their first week of school to help them acclimate to the culture of Colby and form a community from the get go. For the class of 2025, one of the COOT options was going to Allen Island.

On August 4th, the Colby Environmental Humanities Summer Event brought academics in the environmental humanities field from other institutions and from across the world, as well as members of the Colby community who work in the environmental humanities field.