--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
June 15, 2012
Contact: Tatiana Brailovskaya, Director of Communications, (202) 747-3255 ext. 103; tbrailovskaya@bigelow.org
Public Tours of the New Bigelow Laboratory Campus
EAST BOOTHBAY, ME – Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is hosting three public tours of the science facilities at its new Ocean Science and Education Campus at 60 Bigelow Drive in East Boothbay. The hour-long Friday afternoon tours are scheduled on June 22, July 20, and August 24, beginning at 3 p.m. in the Commons between the Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology and the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change.
Led by Laboratory Executive Director Dr. Graham Shimmield, the tours offer visitors an opportunity to see scientists working with the state-of-the-art instruments that are making it possible to explore the microbial ocean, understand the relationship between the planet’s smallest life forms and global environmental conditions, and discover new resources to help solve current problems. Tour stops will include the National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the Single Cell Genomics Center, the J. J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry, and the Ocean Observing and Optics 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 Kim 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: Inside the Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology. © 2011 Christopher Barnes.