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58 min ago

Bigelow Lab cuts ribbon on ocean education center

A group of people are smiling and clapping while one holds oversize scissors. Photo / Fred J. Field Bigelow Laboratory CEO Dr. Deborah Bronk used giant scissors at a ribbon-cutting on Thursday celebrating the new Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation at Bigelow’s East Boothbay campus.  Celebrating with her are from left, Gregory Powell, executive chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation, Karen Staples from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office, Bigelow Board of Directors chair Peter Handy and Christina Porter of Harriman Associates.

By Laurie Schreiber

Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay celebrated the opening of its Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation on Thursday.

The 25,000-square-foot addition increases the laboratory’s footprint by 40%, providing significant and essential space to accommodate a growing staff and research portfolio.

Deborah Bronk, the lab’s president and CEO, called the center “a launchpad for innovation and a new home for learning.” She was honored as a Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year in 2025.

The significant expansion to the campus includes state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, dedicated teaching labs and classrooms, and a 300-seat forum that will become a hub for community outreach and scientific collaboration.

Two people look upward.
Photo / Fred J. Field
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences President and CEO Dr. Deborah Bronk watched a video from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins during a celebration on Thursday for the new Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation at Bigelow’s East Boothbay campus.  With her is Bob Young, an advisory board member.


The ribbon-cutting included science talks by staff to introduce the public to research.

Attendees also had the opportunity to meet Henry and Grampus, two autonomous underwater gliders used to study the Gulf of Maine, and to explore the lab’s collection — one of the world’s largest and most diverse — of marine phytoplankton. 

An exterior view of a building shows lots of big windows.
PHOTO / COURTESY BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES
Bigelow Laboratory named its 25,000-square-foot expansion in honor of Harold Alfond.

Talks included a look at what scientists are learning from environmental DNA, how they’re addressing water quality challenges in the Boothbay region and how they study and manage infectious diseases impacting marine life.

The cutting-edge laboratory facilities will accommodate several new research groups, and newly endowed funds will provide “kickstarter” grants to explore promising, early-stage ideas, according to a news release.

The center is one of the first Build America Buy America Act-compliant construction projects in the nation, fostering domestic economic growth by prioritizing U.S.-made materials.

Funding came from the Harold Alfond Foundation, other philanthropic gifts and federal funding, plus a maintenance endowment contributed by an anonymous donor, which will permanently support capital repairs and equipment replacement to ensure the long-term viability of the new space.

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