The Interns Have Landed! We are so excited to welcome our 2024 cohort of the Research Experience for Undergraduates program here at the lab. 18 students — representing 14 different institutions around the country — were selected from over 220 applications to participate in our summer research experience. For 10 weeks, students will work alongside senior research scientists and postdoctoral researchers on a scientific project while living together on our beautiful East Boothbay campus. They bring an assortment of scientific and life experiences, and we are very excited to host them as they continue to grow their knowledge and research skills. Here's to a great summer! Learn more about the REU program: https://lnkd.in/d7R-Cb5.
About us
The microbial ocean is the largest – yet least explored – natural resource on the planet. It contains a colossal reserve of biological diversity waiting to be discovered and understood. Our goal is to help conserve and responsibly use this vast and vital resource. At Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, we discover how ocean microbes affect – and are affected by – life on Earth. Our scientists conduct their research at our new state-of-the-art laboratory in Maine and at sea, from the Gulf of Maine to the polar regions to the deep ocean crust. Recognized as a world leader in cutting-edge marine search, Bigelow Laboratory’s scientific discoveries play a key role in understanding the physical and biological impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, and ecosystem effects. In Maine, the Laboratory is a major contributor to the regional economy and a key training ground for young scientists and technicians. Our services range from providing and storing algal cultures to state-of-the-art analytical services, to capabilities to replicate in situ ocean experiments. We also offer access to the world’s first single cell genomics center and complementary flow cytometry facility. Named for Henry Bryant Bigelow, a visionary scientist and pioneer of modern oceanography, Bigelow Laboratory was founded in 1974 as a private, non-profit research institution. Henry Bigelow's approach to oceanography stressed the interdependence of the biological, chemical and physical sciences. This perspective has served as a cornerstone of our programs throughout our history.
- Website
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http://www.bigelow.org
External link for Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
- Industry
- Research
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- East Boothbay, ME
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1974
- Specialties
- algae-based biofuel research, single-cell genome analysis, ocean biogeochemistry and climate change, research on ocean microorganisms, ocean health, algae cultivation, marine science, seafood security, aquaculture, plankton, and STEM education
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
60 Bigelow Drive
East Boothbay, ME 04544, US
Employees at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Updates
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Setting Sail with Colby Geology: Earlier this month, our marine educator Aislyn Keyes, pictured here, and senior research scientist David Fields spent the day with a group from Colby College. The students are taking a geology course called Earth's Climate: Past, Present, and Future, and there's few better classrooms for learning about the climate than the ocean! The young scientists — including one very young budding scientist who tagged along — got to tour the lab, test field equipment aboard our research vessel, and check out the zooplankton samples they collected under a microscope. Colby College is one of our closest academic partners, and we love these opportunities to get out on the water with their impressive students!
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Double your Impact: Our research helps uncover, protect, and unlock the potential of the oceans. But we can't do it without your help. And now is the perfect time to make a difference. An anonymous donor will match all new or increased gifts — dollar for dollar — made by World Ocean Day on June 8. Thank you for standing with us and working toward a better future! Donate today at bigelow.org/donate.
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Full STEM Ahead: This spring, two Bigelow research technicians, Vishaan Nursey and Rachele Spadafore, traveled down the coast for the Portland Public Schools STEM Expo. Roughly 1000 middle and high school students attended the two days we joined for — one day at Portland High School and one at Deering High School. The Expo, now in its 10th year, is a fun event that showcases science education in Maine and exposes students to STEM career options. Bigelow was happy to be there to share opportunities in ocean science and get students excited about the microscopic life we study!
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Our contribution to graduation season: Meet the Keller BLOOM class of '24. These (soon-to-be) high school seniors are all exceptionally bright, motivated, and passionate about ocean science. It was a pleasure hosting them this week both in the lab and on the water. Congrats and good luck out there, class! We know you'll do good (and well). Learn more about the program: https://lnkd.in/dsZcyde #oceanscience #scienceeducation #highschoolscience
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New(ish) Bigelowian: This week we’re welcoming Postdoctoral Scientist Isaac Miller (no relation to Farley whom we featured last week), who joined us in January. Isaac is working with Nicole Poulton and Karen Stamieszkin on an NSF-funded project on mixotrophy, where he hopes to help redefine long-held paradigms about carbon cycling in marine algae. Isaac received his Ph.D. in October from Montana State University, where he was investigating how the interactions between algae and bacteria impact their productivity. At our lab he’s helping study mixotrophic algae — meaning algae that can get their carbon and energy from both photosynthesis (like plants) or from ingesting prey (like us). When he’s not aiming to shatter paradigms, Isaac enjoys cooking, backpacking, playing soccer, and never missing the opportunity for a good wisecrack. In these images he can be seen researching algal biofuels and blowing young minds (he’s on the right in both cases). Welcome, Isaac! To learn more about the algae feeding behavior he’s working on, check out our mixotrophy story from last summer: https://ow.ly/PjBb50RihfZ
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Editor's Choice: In recent years, there's been an noticeable decline in the recruitment of young-of-year American lobsters to coastal nurseries in the Gulf of Maine. A team of scientists, including our own David Fields, is working to solve this mystery. Using over 30 years of data on the abundance of lobster larvae and zooplankton off the New Hampshire coast, they've identified a growing mismatch in the timing between lobster larvae and their primary source of food, the foundational zooplankton species Calanus finmarchicus. This seasonal mismatch, along with recent declines in this energy-rich prey, may be contributing to the recent lobster recruitment troubles. The study, out earlier this month in ICES Journal of Marine Science, is the latest's Editor's Choice. Check it out: https://ow.ly/OhRj50ROPgx Pictured is a stage III lobster larva courtesy of former Bigelow intern and research tech Jesica Waller.
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Eau de Low Tide: Summer is nearly upon us, and many will be flocking to the Maine coast to take in the sights and smells. When it comes to the aroma of a tidal mudflat, some people will take a deep breath and relish in childhood memories. For some, it leaves a bit to be desired. No matter how you feel about that egg-yolk odor of tidal flats, it’s the sign of a truly fascinating and critical ecosystem! These flats are low-oxygen environments, which would lead many people to think there isn’t much life in there, but every handful (or core sample) of sediment is rich with organic matter and teeming with biodiversity, particularly at the microbial level. We’re just beginning to understand the complexity of these ecosystems, and they have a lot to teach us about how life operates in extreme environments, from the deep-ocean to earth’s crust to other planets! To learn more, check out our story on the Research Scientist Melody Lindsay’s continuing work at Edgecomb Eddy: https://ow.ly/pjfu50RfbWH #oceanscience #tidalflats #anaerobic
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Hot Off the Press! Our research is revealing the impacts of climate change around the world, but almost nowhere in the global ocean is warming as fast as our own backyard. We've been researching the critical ecosystem of the Gulf of Maine for 50 years, so we're thrilled to see the work of two of our scientists featured in the latest National Geographic cover story. Told from the perspective of Brian Skerry, a well-known photographer who has been diving in the Gulf of Maine throughout his life, the story looks at the dramatic changes and glimmers of hope he has found in this amazing body of water. Check out the full story: https://ow.ly/3rL650RILSV
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New(ish) Bigelowian: This week we’re featuring Farley Miller, who joined us as a research associate last fall working with Senior Research Scientist Cath Mitchell in our Marine Optics and Remote Sensing Laboratory. Farley came to us most recently from France via Ireland, and he spent a lot of time at sea with Sea Education Association (SEA). During this time, he transited the Atlantic thrice through the Sargasso Sea and conducted research for the Tongan Geological Survey in partnership with NASA. This work focused on the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano, which, a few short years after his visit, became famous for an eruption that devastated Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu. He's currently working with NASA to calibrate their newest Earth-observing satellite, PACE, for phytoplankton communities in the Gulf of Maine. He is also part of a team working with researchers in the UK on developing a new carbon budget for the oceans, focusing on calcium carbonate and coccolithophores. Their hope is that this work will provide a clearer understanding of the movement of carbon into and out of the ocean, as well as its impact on climate change. He's also quite funny, which isn’t officially part of his role here, but is very much appreciated. Welcome, Farley!
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