Second Public Tour of the New Bigelow Laboratory Campus on July 20

East Boothbay, Maine - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is hosting the second of three public tours of the science facilities at its new Ocean Science and Education Campus at 60 Bigelow Drive in East Boothbay on Friday afternoon, July 20, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to gather in the Commons between the first two completed wings of the new campus —the Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology and the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change.

Led by Laboratory Executive Director Dr. Graham Shimmield and members of the science and administrative teams, the tour will offer visitors an opportunity to speak with scientists and see the state-of-the-art instruments and facilities of the National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the Single Cell Genomics Center, the J. J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry, the Geomicrobiology Research Laboratory, the Deep Biosphere Laboratory, the Ocean and Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory, the Ocean Observing and Optics Laboratory, and the Trace Metal Biogeochemistry Laboratory, among others.

The third science wing of the campus, the Center for Ocean Health, is scheduled for completion in mid-November of this year. Funded by major state and federal grants and private contributions, construction of the Laboratory’s campus is providing over 250 jobs in the region, and creating a combined local impact of $57 million. The campus is designed, constructed, and operates to qualify for LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The tours are free and open to all – children are welcome, but must be supervised by adults at all times. No pets, however. The campus is handicapped accessible and parking is available on site. For more information, contact Kimberly Reed at (202) 747-3255 ext. 104.

Bigelow Laboratory conducts research ranging from microbial oceanography to large-scale ocean processes that affect the global environment. Recognized as a leader in Maine’s emerging innovation economy, the Laboratory’s construction of the Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay is spurring significant economic growth in the state. ####

Photo: The first public tour of Bigelow Laboratory’s new facilities in East Boothbay drew more than 65 visitors to the campus on June 22, 2012.