Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay recently announced that it will again open its doors for two popular, free events this summer! Its series of Café Sci talks will be at the laboratory at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays from July 12 through Aug. 2, and its open house will be held July 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Space is limited for Café Sci talks, and registration at bigelow.org/cafesci is required to attend in person or virtually. Bigelow Laboratory is kicking off the series on July 12 with a new version of their most popular event ever, “Art and Science: Sharing Inspiration Through Creative Collaboration.” It will feature a showcase of Maine artists – and the Bigelow Laboratory scientists who inspired their work. Anna Dibble and other artists from Maine EcoArts will talk about their two-story installation, “Majestic Fragility,” which is currently on display at the 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.

The series will continue with “Our Defining Decade: An Urgent Look at Climate Change and Opportunities” by Dr. Deborah Bronk on July 19; “Currents of Change: A New Look at 20 Transformational Years in the Gulf of Maine” by Dr. Barney Balch on July 26; and “Course Correction: Can Ocean CO2 Removal Reduce the Cost of Rising Emissions?” by Dr. Ben Twining on Aug. 2.

On July 15, Bigelow Laboratory will again hold its annual open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., after a two-year hiatus. Researchers will share their science from around the globe and lead a wide range of scientific demonstrations and activities for visitors of all ages. Visitors will get to meet some of the ocean’s microscopic and most important organisms, see autonomous underwater gliders that travel the Gulf of Maine, and learn how Bigelow Laboratory scientists are working to improve the future for all life on the planet. More information and a detailed schedule can be found at bigelow.org/openhouse.

All events are free and will be held on the Bigelow Laboratory campus at 60 Bigelow Drive in East Boothbay.