Training and Professional Development

Our Lab is Your Classroom

We believe in the power of algae. This includes the belief that the world is a better place when more people are empowered to identify, understand, grow, and utilize algae — and our laboratory in East Boothbay, Maine, is the perfect place to learn.

The National Center for Maine Algae and Microbiota offers hands-on short courses and workshops that will get your staff up to speed quickly so you can innovate and make discoveries on your own. These include:

Algal Culturing Techniques

Essential to anyone entering the field, this course teaches students the basics of culturing phytoplankton – from sterile technique to the use of growth media and everything in between. There will also be sessions on automated optical microscopy, molecular techniques for identification, a brief introduction to mass culturing at 100s-of-liters scale, and other practical knowledge needed for successfully growing phytoplankton. LEARN MORE

Microalgal Mass Culturing Techniques

This hands-on course exposes students to the details of mass culturing in closed systems under natural conditions (i.e., greenhouse) and practical datasets relating productivity to environmental variables. LEARN MORE

Karen A. Steidinger Marine Harmful Algae Taxonomy Training

Named in honor of the preeminent scientist who helped us start the program, this course provides expert instruction and empowers students to effectively monitor harmful algal blooms (HABs) through accurate species identification. Methods include classic microscopic examination – for which a certificate of proficiency is given – as well as alternative identification methods. LEARN MORE

If there are courses you’d be interested in that you don’t see here, please contact us and we'd be happy to discuss the possibilities.