Bigelow Makes Room for Continued Discovery with New Laboratory Wing

A newly completed addition at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay represents a renewed commitment to discovery despite mounting challenges to science in the U.S., laboratory President, CEO, and Senior Research Scientist Deborah Bronk said.

“What is happening in Washington, D.C. right now with the science agencies is an existential threat to universities and to research institutes including Bigelow,” Bronk said at the grand opening of the Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation on Thursday, June 26. “We’ve got some rocky times coming out ahead of us. We can’t do it alone. So how are we going to manage it? This is part of it.”

The center, which makes up a new wing of the laboratory’s main building at its East Boothbay campus, is a major part of the organization’s strategic plan to adapt, evolve, and remain committed to studying and protecting the ocean, Bronk said.

The 25,000-square-foot expansion includes an auditorium with room to seat 300 people, where Bronk and other Bigelow scientists and supporters spoke on June 26; new laboratories and teaching spaces; gathering spaces for students and employees; and expanded office spaces.

The project totaled $33 million, of which $8 million was donated by the Harold Alfond Foundation, $13 million came from other donors, and $12 million was supplied in federal grant money from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s construction grant program.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree helped secure those federal dollars, Bronk said. In videos played at the grand opening, the legislators celebrated the event.

King called Bigelow “a great asset to our state, the region, and to the entire country.”

“The research done by the lab’s skilled oceanographers and other scientists benefits those employed in Maine’s fishing and tourism sectors, assists our entrepreneurs in developing new technologies, and supports our coastal communities,” said Collins.

Pingree said ocean research was more important now than ever.

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“These are exactly the kinds of projects the federal government should be supporting, projects that build knowledge and educate the public, expand access to hands-on STEM education, and put cutting-edge science to work in service of our communities and our planet,” she said.

When speeches concluded, attendees flowed through the new wing, touring laboratories, classrooms, and communal spaces.

In a student gathering area, Alejandro Mapula, a student at Texas A&M University who conducted research at Bigelow, said the new wing offered dedicated spaces for students to gather, study, and socialize that had previously been lacking.

Director of Education Aislyn Keyes demonstrated a new set of microscopes within a teaching laboratory that allow students to project images of what they’re seeing before the class in real time to facilitate discussion and teaching. Upstairs, Senior Research Associate Debra Lomas said the dedicated office spaces would help Bigelow’s staff and students breathe.

While the unveiling of Bigelow’s new space comes at a time when the scientific landscape of the U.S. is changing rapidly, Bronk urged those in attendance to continue supporting scientists and scientific institutions.

“My plea to you is that you will join me in protecting U.S. science,” she said.

She added she took encouragement from the support that had made Bigelow’s new wing possible.

“We will continually adapt and evolve, just like marine organisms, and one thing that we’re going to use throughout that plan is this new wing,” Bronk said. “The timing could not have been better.”