Bowdoin College

Bowdoin’s history includes the story of the land that became the Schiller Coastal Studies Center. William Hastings Thalheimer, a member of the Bowdoin Class of 1927, and his wife, Irma, purchased the Orr’s Island farm in 1957 and later expanded the property. They deeded the land to Bowdoin in 1981, and it transferred to the College in the 1990s. The former family farmhouse remains one of the center’s administrative buildings.

Today, the 118-acre center in Harpswell supports advanced marine research and interdisciplinary work focused on Maine’s coastal environments, economies, and communities. Its two and a half miles of coastline, forest, and field provide a setting for study and teaching. Bowdoin students have used the facility’s seawater-filled wet laboratories and contributed to eelgrass restoration in Casco Bay.

On the Brunswick campus, students study subjects including biology, chemistry, computer and data studies, economics, English, environmental studies, government and legal studies, mathematics, languages, and the arts. Research and practical opportunities include summer projects, community and public service internships, coastal studies, GIS mapping, and work involving artificial intelligence. Bowdoin’s liberal arts education connects classroom learning with questions in society, science, culture, and public life. International students should expect a small-college setting in Brunswick, Maine, with access to both campus resources and coastal fieldwork.