Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences


Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, founded in 1974, is an independent, non-profit research institution that investigates the ways in which microscopic marine life drives the health of the planet and can be harnessed to address global challenges. The Laboratory's research ranges from microbial oceanography to the large-scale biogeochemical processes that drive ocean ecosystems and global environmental conditions. The institute's 60,000 square-foot laboratory is located on its research and education campus in East Boothbay, Maine, on the Damariscotta River estuary. In December 2012, the campus became the first LEED Platinum certified laboratory in Maine and one of seven in the New England area.
The majority of the Laboratory's funding comes from federal and state grants and contracts, licenses and contracts with the private sector, and philanthropic support. Bigelow Laboratory supports the work of over 80 scientists and staff.
The Laboratory's education programs include numerous professional courses and workshops, undergraduate training through a semester-in-residence program, a National Science Foundation-funded summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program, and immersive ocean education experiences for both Maine high school students and teachers. The Laboratory is also home to several service facilities, including the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the Single Cell Genomics Center, Bigelow Analytic Services, and the J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry.

History

The Laboratory was established by Charles and Clarice Yentsch in 1974 as a private, non-profit research institution named for the oceanographer Henry Bryant Bigelow, founding director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Bigelow's extensive investigations in the early part of the twentieth century are recognized as the foundation of modern oceanography. His multi-year expeditions in the Gulf of Maine, where he collected water samples and data on phytoplankton, fish populations, and hydrography, established a new paradigm of intensive, ecologically-based oceanographic research in the United States and made this region one of the most thoroughly studied bodies of water, for its size, in the world.
Since its founding, the Laboratory has attracted federal grants for research projects by winning competitive, peer reviewed awards from all of the principal federal research granting agencies. The Laboratory's total operating revenue has grown to more than $10 million dollars a year. Federal research grants have supported most of the Laboratory's research operations. Education and outreach programs rely on other sources of support, primarily contributions from individuals and private philanthropic foundations.
From 2008 until his death in December 2016, the Laboratory's executive director was Graham Shimmield, a marine geochemist and former director of the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences. In February 2018, Deborah Bronk became the president and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory. Prior to joining the Laboratory, Bronk was the Moses D. Nunnally Distinguished Professor of Marine Sciences and department chair at Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences. She previously served as division director for the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Science and as president of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

Mission

Bigelow Laboratory's mission is to understand the ocean’s microbial engine and to harness the potential of these and the other organisms at the base of the ocean food web through research, education, and innovation. Their research aims to inspire and inform responsible use of the ocean, drive technological advances, and help all life on the planet thrive. To achieve this, Bigelow scientists conduct fundamental research on the oceans, use what they learn to address global issues and opportunities through applied research and commercialization, and engage students of all ages with experiential programs designed to train tomorrow’s ocean leaders.

Organization

The Laboratory's research facilities are organized into three “Centers of Discovery”.
The Walter and Helen Norton Center for Blue Biotechnology. Research in the NCBB applies molecular biology and microbial ecology to the viruses, bacteria, archaea, and algae living in diverse environments throughout the world's oceans in order to understand their evolution, genetic and chemical make-up, and their culture and industrial application. NCBB scientists work with the reservoir of microbial organisms in the natural environment and those preserved in cultures. The NCBB houses the world's first microbial single cell genomics facility, the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, and the state-of-the-art J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry.
The Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change. The research conducted at the COBCC addresses questions of ocean biogeochemistry and climate change at many scales, from local to global, and from individual cells to entire ocean basins. By bringing together the research activities in ocean observing, air-sea interactions, ocean biogeochemistry, cellular biogeochemistry, and land-sea interactions into a single, integrated space, the COBCC catalyzes the collaboration needed to provide scientific information on the role of microscopic marine communities in global ocean processes and climate change.
The Center for Ocean Health. Collectively, Bigelow Laboratory's research brings a systems biology perspective to oceanographic research. Current developments in microbial and genomic research offer the opportunity to develop fundamental new research methods in ocean systems that go beyond traditional field-to-laboratory approaches. Research in the COH is focused on advancing the knowledge needed for future management and stewardship of marine ecosystems. The COH also houses Bigelow Laboratory’s Center for Seafood Solutions.

Education programs

The Laboratory's education activities include high school, undergraduate, postdoctoral, and professional training programs. The Laboratory also hosts public events and programs, such as its popular Café Sci series of talks for nonscientists, and provides online resources for teachers and students.
At the high school level, Bigelow Laboratory offers the annual Keller BLOOM program for Maine high school juniors, and the BLOOM Educators program for Maine teachers to bring ocean science into their classrooms. The week-long BLOOM programs offer participants the opportunity to work alongside professional researchers and explore the local marine environment through field and laboratory work.
The Laboratory also offers a full semester-in-residence program for undergraduate students at its campus. Students live in the Laboratory's Graham Shimmield Residence Hall, take classes from Bigelow Laboratory scientists, experience hands-on field research on the Damariscotta River, and conduct independent research under the supervision of a senior research scientist mentor. In addition, Bigelow Laboratory senior scientists offer five-week "Jan Plan" courses, as well as regular semester-long courses, to Colby College students.
The Laboratory annually offers a 10-week summer training program as a national site of the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Over the last ten years, about 150 undergraduate students from across the country have traveled to East Boothbay to conduct original research under the mentorship of Bigelow Laboratory scientists.