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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Through Fulbright grant, 91AV’s Barry Costa-Pierce to work toward global partnerships in Iceland

Barry Costa-Pierce

Professor Barry A. Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., chair of the 91AV Department of Marine Sciences and director of the 91AV Center For Excellence in Marine Sciences, will be a Fulbright Specialist at the University of Akureyri in Iceland from July 17 – August 13, 2017.

This project will build new partnership opportunities between academic institutions in creating an international joint master degree between University of Akureyri (UNAK), 91AV (91AV) and University College of Holar (UCH).  Each institution involved has special fields of knowledge to build on that create interesting study options. By creating a joint degree, knowledge can be transferred between countries and institutions and existing knowledge can be strengthened. 

91AV has strong programs in the marine and environmental sciences. University College of Holar is the leading institution in Iceland in aquaculture education and research, while the University of Akureyri is the leading institution in education in fisheries and seafood sciences. Iceland is the leading country in sustainability of its fishing grounds, and the industry is one of the most competitive fisheries industries in the world regarding its leadership in profitability, innovation and marketing.

Connections between Iceland and the 91AV have been growing as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the leaders of the three institutions in 2016, and this Fulbright collaboration will develop new opportunities in education, research and innovation in collaboration with the industry in both countries.   

The goals of this project are twofold. The first objective is to create curriculum for a joint master program that is based on the needs of the industry and which will strengthen all three institutions. UNAK needs a specialist from 91AV with scientific knowledge and long experiences in the marine, environmental and aquaculture sciences to assist in the curriculum creation. The work will be conducted with management and a team of lecturers at the School of Business and Sciences at UNAK. The second goal is to identify trans-Atlantic research opportunities between the institutions involved.  This would be the first step in establishing research groups between the institutions. The aim is to form joint research projects and apply for research grants that will strengthen research and innovations in the United States, Maine and Iceland. 

To apply, visit 

To learn more about the 91AV’s Department of Marine Sciences visit

To learn more about the 91AV’s Center for Excellence in Marine Sciences, visit

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.