Café Sci Program Kicks Off July 16 in New Harold Alfond Center

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences will soon open its doors to community members, supporters, and ocean enthusiasts for its annual Café Sci series of science talks. This year, talks will take place on Wednesdays from July 16 through Aug. 6. People can join virtually or in-person at the Bigelow Laboratory campus in East Boothbay.

Café Sci is a fun, free way to engage with ocean researchers on critical issues and groundbreaking science. The event is free, but space is limited, and registration for both in-person and virtual attendance is required at www.bigelow.org/cafesci.

For the first time, talks are being held in the Burgess Forum of the Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation, which just opened this spring. The significant expansion to Bigelow Laboratory’s campus includes dedicated classrooms and teaching labs and cutting-edge research facilities, in addition to the versatile, multi-purpose forum, which seats up to 300 people. In-person attendees will get a first-hand look at this impressive new space, which has improved accessibility and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system to enhance both in-person and virtual attendance.

The 2025 series, sponsored by HM Payson, is focused on pressing environmental challenges facing coastal communities in Maine and beyond to highlight the invaluable role of science in informing management. New for this year, each talk will feature several scientists, giving attendees an opportunity to hear from earlier career scientists and get a deeper glimpse into Bigelow Laboratory’s collaborative research environment.

Talks kick off on July 16 with, “Whales in the Forecast: Using 21st Century Tools to Understand an Endangered Species.” Senior Research Scientist Nick Record and postdoctoral scientists Rebekah Shunmugapandi and Jonathan Syme will discuss how their team from the Tandy Center for Ocean Forecasting is combining advancing remote sensing and AI technology to help understand the movements of the elusive North Atlantic right whale in a changing ocean.

The series continues on July 23. In “Water Health and Humans: Leveraging Community Partnerships to Protect Maine’s Waterways,” Senior Research Scientist Rachel Sipler and Research Scientist Robin Sleith will showcase examples of how Bigelow Laboratory’s Water Health and Humans Initiative is partnering with communities along the coast to promote human health, inform community-based restoration, and protect Maine’s valuable water resources. On July 30, Senior Research Scientist Christoph Aeppli and Research Technician Hannah Sterling will present, “PFAS in Casco Bay: Tracking the Fate of Forever Chemicals on Maine’s Coast,” where they’ll highlight how scientists are using extensive sampling and cutting-edge analytical tools to illuminate the fate of PFAS chemicals in Maine’s dynamic coastal environment.

Finally, on Aug. 6, the series closes with “Ocean Epidemiology: Tracking Marine Diseases to Protect Fisheries and Ocean Health,” featuring Senior Research Scientist Maya Groner, Postdoctoral Scientist Melissa Rocker, and Research Scientist Reyn Yoshioka. They will share insights on some of the marine diseases that impact valuable fisheries, including how those diseases are responding to a warming ocean and why collaboration between agencies, resource managers, and scientists are essential.

Learn more at www.bigelow.org/cafesci. Talks will also be recorded and shared through Bigelow Laboratory’s newsletter and YouTube channel throughout the summer.