Bigelow Laboratory's Café Sci is a fun, free way for you to dive into global ocean issues and opportunities with leading scientists, made possible through sponsorship by HM Payson.

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You can join us for this popular series virtually or in person at our laboratory in East Boothbay!

Registration is required and space is limited. Reserve your spot today!

Art and Science:

Sharing Inspiration Through Creative Collaboration

Showcase by a variety of scientists and artists

Bigelow Laboratory scientists regularly collaborate with artists to share their research and inspire people to embrace the opportunities it reveals. These partnerships can provide the emotional translation needed to communicate the significance of science and spread the passion researchers feel for the natural world. Join us for a special showcase of these creative collaborations and hear how they provide new insights to the artists, scientists, and the public. Anna Dibble and other artists from Maine EcoArts will talk about their two-story installation, “Majestic Fragility,” on display at our laboratory. Michel Droge will share paintings and insights from an ongoing collaboration about the mystery and beauty of the deep sea. Julie Crane will speak about the process of creating a large, new outdoor sculpture of a coccolithophore – one of the most important and ubiquitous phytoplankton on the planet. To close the event, Halcyon String Quartet will perform "Shifting Shores," a collaboration with video artist Luke Fatora to explore the shifting boundaries of Maine’s shorelines and waterways in the face of climate change.

Our Defining Decade:

An Urgent Look at Climate Change and Opportunities

By Dr. Deborah Bronk

Climate change is rapidly transforming our world. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this spring concluded that we are unlikely to keep global warming under critical thresholds unless we dramatically accelerate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade, but ocean science is revealing clear pathways to a better future. Join President and CEO Deborah Bronk as she speaks about the state of global climate change, and the work of Bigelow Laboratory scientists that gives her hope.

Currents of Change:

A New Look at 20 Transformational Years in the Gulf of Maine

By Dr. Barney Balch

Senior Research Scientist Barney Balch has been studying the Gulf of Maine for over five decades, but it still manages to amaze him. This year, he published a comprehensive report on 20 years of data that illuminates a wealth of information on the physical, chemical, and biological conditions in the Gulf – and the dramatic transformations they have gone through. The Gulf is being increasingly influenced by factors beyond its waters, and this is changing the very foundation of its food web. Join Balch as he shares his reflections on the changing Gulf of Maine and some thoughts on how to move forward.

Course Correction:

Can Ocean CO2 Removal Reduce the Cost of Rising Emissions?

By Dr. Ben Twining

It is too late for emission reduction alone to save our society from facing major consequences from two centuries of carbon dioxide emissions. However, our planet has amazing ways it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and scientists around the world are exploring approaches that amplify these natural ocean processes. Research is urgently needed to explore these potential solutions – and prevent uninformed decisions from causing unintended outcomes. Join Senior Research Scientist Ben Twining as he discusses some of the strategies being considered, and the ways Bigelow Laboratory scientists are working to inform global decision making and buy time to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.