PRESS RELEASE: George Stevens Academy Graduate Earns Fulbright Fellowship toResearch Energy Security in Germany

BLUE HILL, Maine —June 30, 2026 — Chloe Sheahan, a 2022 graduate of George Stevens Academy and a 2026 graduate of Bowdoin College, has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship to conduct research in Potsdam, Germany, beginning in September 2026.

The Fulbright Program, established by Congress in 1946, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Administered by the Department of State, it awards roughly 2,000 grants to American students each year and is among the most competitive and prestigious fellowships available to recent graduates, with applicants undergoing a rigorous multi-stage selection process.

Over ten months, from September 2026 through July 2027, Sheahan will examine how Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine reshaped the strategy, implementation, and impact of Germany’s energy policy. Her work will be supported by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam and will draw on background research and interviews.

Sheahan chose Germany as her focus because, as Europe’s largest economy and a country that sourced roughly 55 percent of its gas imports from Russia in 2021, it offers a revealing case study in how nations respond to sudden energy crises. The 2022 invasion sent German energy prices climbing, she notes, as the country confronted its heavy dependence on Russian gas, oil, and coal. Her central question is direct: How did Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine affect the strategy, implementation, and impacts of Germany’s energy policy?

“Energy security is a pocketbook issue, a climate change issue, and a geopolitical issue,” Sheahan said. She hopes her research will surface policy decisions that helped Germany strengthen its energy security—lessons other countries, including the United States, could draw on to diversify energy sources, reinforce infrastructure, and build self-reliance as the global landscape grows more volatile.

Sheahan credited the Bowdoin Office of Student Fellowships and Research, along with her background in environmental research, for the strength of her application. At Bowdoin she conducted interview-based research for two projects, including a self-designed thesis.

She traced her path back to George Stevens Academy. “GSA provided me with many leadership opportunities over my four years, where I had the space to find what I was passionate about,” she said. It was a senior ISIP project researching microplastics in Maine waters that revealed both her love of environmental research and, as she puts it, her dislike for looking into a microscope—steering her toward social science and fieldwork with people rather than test tubes. “The tools I gained at GSA allow me to adapt to any situation and tackle any challenge.”

Media contact: Amy Strother / 207.266.4848 / a.strother@georgestevens.org