Annual Open House
Friday, July 10, 2026 10AM – 2PM

Bigelow Laboratory scientists explore environments all over the world, and they bring all they learn back to our state-of-the-art campus at 60 Bigelow Drive in East Boothbay, Maine.

Each July, we invite the public to visit our laboratory and hear first-hand from the researchers conducting our bold ocean science. Our staff lead a wide range of scientific demonstrations and activities for visitors of all ages. Visitors can meet some of the ocean’s most important organisms, see autonomous gliders that travel across the Atlantic Ocean, and learn how scientists are working to improve the future for the planet and all of us that call it home.

On Friday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we invite you to visit our laboratory to hear first-hand from the researchers conducting our bold ocean science and engage with our staff in a range of scientific demonstrations and activities for visitors of all ages. Meet some of the ocean’s most important organisms in our new Education and Innovation wing, see autonomous gliders that travel across the Atlantic Ocean, and learn how scientists are working to improve the future for the planet and all of us that call it home.

ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Bring science and art together with activities including designing your own plankton, ocean life coloring, kelp pressing, and sidewalk chalk.

Conduct hands-on experiments exploring ocean acidification, strawberry DNA, and plankton migration.

Practice using oceanographic research equipment, such as a Secchi disk and a Niskin bottle.

View plankton from the Damariscotta River under a microscope in our new Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation.

More information on events will be available soon!

EVENT SCHEDULE

Events last 15 to 20 minutes. Schedule subject to change.

10:30
OCEANS FROM SPACE - Learn from Bigelow’s Marine Optics team about the science and art of using color and imagery to track large scale ocean changes.

10:30
CHARISMATIC MICROFAUNA – PhD student Zachary Wagner will provide fascinating insight into the amazing adaptations and physiological abilities of the tiny animals that drive so many ocean processes.

11:00
CULTURING DIVERSITY – Explore our National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the world’s largest and most diverse collection of marine phytoplankton, with Kristin Heidenreich.

11:00
THE CLEAN DRINKING WATER INITIATIVE – Join Dr. Rachel Sipler in an interactive discussion about watershed health and some of the water quality and pollution threats to our local waterways.

11:30
ECOLOGY OF MARINE DISEASES – Dr. Reyn Yoshioka will discuss the impact of infectious diseases on marine life and fisheries and consider how we study and manage these pathogens.

11:30
THE DNA AROUND US – Learn from Dr. Peter Countway about how DNA from the environment can provide scientists with a wealth of data about organisms, how they interact, and their ecosystems.

12:00
250 YEARS OF OCEAN SCIENCE – Hear from Dr. Deborah Bronk, president and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory, about the long history of ocean science and innovation in the United States.

12:30
OCEANS FROM SPACE – Learn from Bigelow’s Marine Optics team about the science and art of using color and imagery to track large scale ocean changes.

12:30
CHARISMATIC MICROFAUNA – PhD student Zachary Wagner will provide fascinating insight into the amazing adaptations and physiological abilities of the tiny animals that drive so many ocean processes.

1:00
CULTURING DIVERSITY – Explore our National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the world’s largest and most diverse collection of marine phytoplankton, with Kristin Heidenreich.

1:00
THE CLEAN DRINKING WATER INITIATIVE – Join Dr. Rachel Sipler in an interactive discussion about watershed health and some of the water quality and pollution threats to our local waterways.

1:30
ECOLOGY OF MARINE DISEASES – Dr. Reyn Yoshioka will discuss the impact of infectious diseases on marine life and fisheries and consider how we study and manage these pathogens.

1:30
THE DNA AROUND US – Learn from Dr. Peter Countway about how DNA from the environment can provide scientists with a wealth of data about organisms, how they interact, and their ecosystems.

Annual Open House Friday, July 10, 2026 10AM – 2PM

ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY

EVENT SCHEDULE

Events last 15 to 20 minutes. Schedule subject to change.

10:30OCEANS FROM SPACE - Learn from Bigelow’s Marine Optics team about the science and art of using color and imagery to track large scale ocean changes.

10:30CHARISMATIC MICROFAUNA – PhD student Zachary Wagner will provide fascinating insight into the amazing adaptations and physiological abilities of the tiny animals that drive so many ocean processes.

11:00CULTURING DIVERSITY – Explore our National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the world’s largest and most diverse collection of marine phytoplankton, with Kristin Heidenreich.

11:00THE CLEAN DRINKING WATER INITIATIVE – Join Dr. Rachel Sipler in an interactive discussion about watershed health and some of the water quality and pollution threats to our local waterways.

11:30ECOLOGY OF MARINE DISEASES – Dr. Reyn Yoshioka will discuss the impact of infectious diseases on marine life and fisheries and consider how we study and manage these pathogens.

11:30THE DNA AROUND US – Learn from Dr. Peter Countway about how DNA from the environment can provide scientists with a wealth of data about organisms, how they interact, and their ecosystems.

12:00250 YEARS OF OCEAN SCIENCE – Hear from Dr. Deborah Bronk, president and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory, about the long history of ocean science and innovation in the United States.

12:30OCEANS FROM SPACE – Learn from Bigelow’s Marine Optics team about the science and art of using color and imagery to track large scale ocean changes.

12:30CHARISMATIC MICROFAUNA – PhD student Zachary Wagner will provide fascinating insight into the amazing adaptations and physiological abilities of the tiny animals that drive so many ocean processes.

1:00CULTURING DIVERSITY – Explore our National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, the world’s largest and most diverse collection of marine phytoplankton, with Kristin Heidenreich.

1:00THE CLEAN DRINKING WATER INITIATIVE – Join Dr. Rachel Sipler in an interactive discussion about watershed health and some of the water quality and pollution threats to our local waterways.

1:30ECOLOGY OF MARINE DISEASES – Dr. Reyn Yoshioka will discuss the impact of infectious diseases on marine life and fisheries and consider how we study and manage these pathogens.

1:30THE DNA AROUND US – Learn from Dr. Peter Countway about how DNA from the environment can provide scientists with a wealth of data about organisms, how they interact, and their ecosystems.

Recent News