The Maine Maritime Academy Ocean Studies Department hosts speakers on a range of science and science related topics. These talks are open to the public.

Alice Hotopp will be speaking on “River Restoration and Science Communication in Downeast Maine”. River restoration can lead to a cascade of changes in natural ecosystems and local human communities. Both scientific research and creative forms of communication can be used to ask questions about these changes, deepening our understanding of the impacts of restoration. In this talk, Alice will present on her fisheries research and communications work with the Cherryfield Fish Passage Improvement Project, a restoration effort currently underway on the Narraguagus River. She will share preliminary results from a pre-restoration fish passage study, insights gathered from talking with researchers and local community members, and plans for future research and communications projects. Together, Alice's science and communications work paints a picture of pre-restoration river conditions and hope for the future.

Alice Hotopp is a Penobscot resident and Maine-based ecologist and communicator. Broadly curious about the natural world, Alice has worked with a wide range of animals, including snails, river otters, tidal marsh sparrows, and sea-run fish. Currently, she is the Fisheries Assessment and Science Communication Specialist at Downeast Salmon Federation, where she researches and communicates about restoration work on the Narraguagus River. Alice holds a PhD in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine and a Master's Degree from Frostburg State University in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology. Also a creative nonfiction writer, Alice published her first book about seabirds in the Gulf of Maine in 2025.