The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Statement of Intent
On June 3, 2010, Laboratory Executive Director Dr. Graham Shimmield met with fellow members of the Consortium
on Ocean Leadership (COL) at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge for a scientific symposium on the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill. The meeting identified existing gaps in knowledge about the rate of the spill, projections
about its fate, and the impacts of oil and dispersants on ecosystems and communities. The 200 scientists present
formulated priorities for rapid federal funding that would address these research needs.Ê The Laboratory has
published a Statement of Intent Regarding the Oil Spill, which will continue to be updated as events unfold,
and contributed to COL’s Scientific Symposium Meeting Summary, made public on July 1.
Unanimous Approval, and a Momentous Stage in Our History
The Town of Boothbay has granted the Laboratory complete approval for its site master plan to develop the new Ocean Science and Education Campus in
East Boothbay. The vote took place at the meeting of the Planning Board on June 16, 2010, and was unanimous on all parts of the submission.
Read more…
July Cafés: Pictures of the Invisible, Green Gold, and Mountaineering in the Oceans
The Laboratory’s summer Café Scientifique gatherings on Tuesday evenings at the Boothbay Opera House are in full swing.
Don’t miss special guest scientific artist Glynn Gorick’s discussion of Making Pictures to Describe the Invisible July
13 at 6 p.m., followed by Dr. Willie Wilson on July 20 with Green Gold: Are Algae the Fuel of the Future? and a conversation
with Dr. David Emerson on July 27 about Mountaineering in the OceanÑDiscoveries about the Least Explored Mountain Ranges
in the Solar System. The complete 2010 summer Café Scientifique schedule is available on our website.
Detail from a poster by Glynn Gorick for his July 13, 2010 Café Scientifique in Boothbay Harbor. Courtesy of Glynn Gorick.
Whales in the Urban Ocean, in case you missed them…
North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Photo courtesy of NOAA.
Dr. Scott Kraus, Vice President for Research at the New England Aquarium in Boston, was the Laboratory’s
guest speaker at the June 26 Café Scientifique, leading a discussion about “whales in the urban ocean,”
which focused on his research work with the North Atlantic Right Whale. Boothbay Region Community Television
was there to film the event and has made the video available on the BRCTV website.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences ...exploring the world’s oceans, from microbes to global ecosystems
Announcements
Recent Federal Research Grants
On June 30, the Laboratory received official notification about a series of major federal research awards.
The National Science Foundation awarded a five-year, $1,807,672 grant to the
Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Culture of Marine Phytoplankton; a four-year,
$1,065,191 Collaborative Research grant to Drs. Barney Balch and Ben Twining for
research on “The Great Southern Coccolithophore Belt”; and a three-year, $610,893
award to Dr. David Emerson, including a subcontract with Dr. Whitney King at Colby
College, for “Microbial Systems in the Biosphere: Unraveling the Lifestyles of
Dominant Freshwater Fe-oxidizing Bacteria.” Dr. Paty Matrai has received a four-year,
$445,171 National Aeronautics and Space Administration subaward from the University of
Washington for the Autonomous Polar Productivity Sampling System (APPSS) Project.
Laboratory Open House August 2, 2010
Photo by Greg Bernard
The Laboratory’s annual open house for the public is scheduled for Monday, August 2,
from 1 to 4 p.m. Meet our scientists, sign up for tours of their laboratories, take part in dockside sampling
and experiments, and get a first-hand, personal view of ocean science in action. It’s free and fun for all
ages, rain or shine.
Become a part of our discoveries. Your help is more important to us now than ever before. Thank you!
plus… Make a donation online, and we’ll send you our popular got plankton sticker!
On June 3, 2010, Laboratory Executive Director Dr. Graham Shimmield met with fellow members of the Consortium
on Ocean Leadership (COL) at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge for a scientific symposium on the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill. The meeting identified existing gaps in knowledge about the rate of the spill, projections
about its fate, and the impacts of oil and dispersants on ecosystems and communities. The 200 scientists present
formulated priorities for rapid federal funding that would address these research needs.Ê The Laboratory has
published a 
The Laboratory’s summer Café Scientifique gatherings on Tuesday evenings at the Boothbay Opera House are in full swing.
Don’t miss special guest scientific artist Glynn Gorick’s discussion of Making Pictures to Describe the Invisible July
13 at 6 p.m., followed by Dr. Willie Wilson on July 20 with Green Gold: Are Algae the Fuel of the Future? and a conversation
with Dr. David Emerson on July 27 about Mountaineering in the OceanÑDiscoveries about the Least Explored Mountain Ranges
in the Solar System. The complete 
