Press Release
Herring Gut Coastal Science Center Welcomes Kayleigh Amerman as AmeriCorps Assistant Environmental Educator
Port Clyde, ME — Herring Gut Coastal Science Center is thrilled to announce that Kayleigh Amerman has joined its team as an AmeriCorps member serving as Assistant Environmental Educator through Goodwill Northern New England’s GoodHealth Works AmeriCorps program.
During her year of service, Amerman will help expand hands-on environmental education opportunities at Herring Gut’s three-acre waterfront campus. Her responsibilities will include enhancing the Center’s aquaponics facility, developing outdoor classrooms and exhibits, creating interpretive signage, assisting with environmental monitoring and citizen science projects, and engaging students and visitors in programs that explore Maine’s coastal environment.
The position is part of Goodwill NNE’s GoodHealth Works AmeriCorps program, which places members with community-based organizations throughout Maine, offering them valuable professional experience and workforce development training.
“We are delighted to have Kayleigh join us,” said Sarah D. Oktay, Ph.D., Executive Director of Herring Gut Coastal Science Center. “Her background in sustainability science, combined with her enthusiasm for community involvement and environmental learning, is a wonderful fit for Herring Gut. There are so many opportunities on our campus for Kayleigh to help us turn the coastal environment itself into a classroom.”
A native of New Jersey, Amerman earned her Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Science from Montclair State University before relocating to Midcoast Maine in 2024.
Beyond her professional work, Amerman actively engages with the local community. She is on the board of the Midcoast Community Chorus and sings with the a cappella group VoXX: Voice of Twenty. In her leisure time, she enjoys kayaking, exploring local restaurants, building fairy houses in the woods, quilting, and spending time with her cat.
“I am very excited to join the Herring Gut team as an AmeriCorps member and to have the opportunity to grow and explore new scientific interests,” said Amerman.
Her initiatives will enhance Herring Gut’s waterfront campus as an interactive learning environment. Planned projects include expanding educational opportunities within the aquaponics greenhouse, designing outdoor exhibits and signage, conducting environmental experiments, and co-leading citizen science initiatives on topics such as ocean pH and sea-level rise.
Last fiscal year, Herring Gut Coastal Science Center served 5,540 children and adults from 11 Maine counties, offering programs ranging from touch-tank experiences and tide-pool exploration to marine science camps and teacher professional development.
Amerman’s service term will run from September 2026 through August 2027.
About Herring Gut Coastal Science Center
Located in Port Clyde, Maine, near Marshall Point Lighthouse, Herring Gut Coastal Science Center provides year-round, hands-on science education for learners of all ages. The Center focuses on watersheds, the marine environment, and Maine’s blue economy, educating students and communities about the connections between the ocean, inland waters, and the Maine economy.
The Sea, The Future, and Us.
