BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was scheduled to be held Thursday at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay for its new expansion wing. Construction for the Center for Ocean Education and Innovation will start today and is expected to be completed in two years.
Gov. Janet Mills, Sen. Susan Collins, and other representatives planned to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at 3:30 p.m.
Bigelow Laboratory's $30 million expansion project, funded partly by an $8 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, aims to increase programming efforts. The construction and future maintenance of the new center is being supported by $12 million in federal funding and more than $9 million from individual and institutional donors.
“Research to understand the foundation of global ocean health will always be at the core of our work,” Deborah Bronk, president and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory, said. “But our staff has doubled since we moved into our current space in 2012, and I’m excited by the growing ways we’re sharing what we learn and applying it to pressing societal problems.”
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The 25,000-square-foot addition will provide the resources needed to inflate the institute’s education, collaboration, and workforce development programs.
The center will include teaching labs for hands-on education to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.
“Bigelow Laboratory is a place that keeps Maine on the cutting-edge of ocean science,” Greg Powell, chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation Board of Trustees, said. “We are excited to again invest in this internationally renowned institute and see its discoveries and expertise continue to advance education and innovation in Maine.”
The center also includes a forum space that will be used for conferences and workshops for scientists and interested Mainers to work on the latest discoveries and applications in our changing climate related to the ocean.
Research and work at the new labs will focus on seaweed and shellfish aquaculture, carbon dioxide removal techniques, ocean forecasts powered by artificial intelligence, and other innovative topics.
"What we’re learning is vital to understanding our planet and how our society impacts it, but that alone is not enough,” Beth Orcutt, vice president for research, said. “The urgency of the global challenges we face makes it essential that we do all we can to help businesses, government leaders, and our society as a whole apply that knowledge as quickly and as effectively as possible.”
Click here for more details on the new wing at Bigelow Laboratory.
