The East Boothbay campus of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences will be quiet next week as nearly half of its scientists travel to Louisiana to share their research findings with international colleagues at the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans next week. Included in the entourage will be 10 college students who will present research findings from this past summer working under the mentorship of Bigelow Laboratory scientists. The February 21-26 meeting, co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union, Association of Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, and The Oceanography Society is expected to attract thousands of scientists from around the globe.

"This meeting serves as a global platform for the world's experts to share information, data, and new insights that participants take home and incorporate into their own research," said Dr. David Fields, who leads the undergraduate research program at Bigelow Laboratory. "We are delighted to provide this opportunity for students for it will not only expand their thinking, but they will also have the unique chance to present their research findings in a professional setting among leaders in ocean science research. It will be an amazing experience for them."

The 11 students--Francisco Spaulding Astudillo, Emma Cold, Evangeline Fachon, Andrew Goode, Jeremiah Ets-Hokin, Alicia Hoeglund, Devan Khana, Julia Maine, Halley McVeigh, and Jes Waller--will be accompanied by their Bigelow Laboratory mentors. In addition to Fields, Research Scientists Christoph Aeppli, William Balch, Pete Countway, Mike Lomas, Patricia Matrai, Nicole Poulton, Ramunas Stepanauskas, and Benjamin Twining will be attending the meeting. Postdoctoral Researchers Steven Baer, Jason Hopkins, Younjoo Lee, Daniel Ohnemus, Kerstin Suffrian, LeAnn Whitney, and Meredith White also will be presenting. Research Technician Laura Lubelczyk rounds out the Bigelow Laboratory contingent.

"This meeting comes at a critical time for the oceans and is a superb venue for sharing what is known about what is happening in the global ocean," said Matrai, who also served as ASLO treasurer. "It offers scientists an opportunity to share what they are learning, discuss new findings, and collectively get a better handle on the state of the ocean.

The Bigelow Laboratory cohort promises to share what they learn over the course of the meeting. Check back at [140]www.bigelow.org regularly for updates or follow along on Twitter and Facebook at @Bigelowlab.