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AWARD B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 M A R C H 2 4 , 2 0 2 5 ainebiz: What's the lab's mission? Deborah Bronk: We study the micro- scopic organisms that are the foun- dation of life in the ocean. at's our foundational research. e other side is our solution-based work, getting products or services into the market to drive change. We also have education programs that train the next genera- tion of scientists. MB: What attracted you to Bigelow? DB: Bigelow is tops in microbial oceanography — and I mean glob- ally, not just the States. I was attracted to Bigelow's business model, which is the most efficient I have seen for doing science. We provide 12 weeks of salary to our scientists each year. at's it. at means they have to consistently innovate and produce new ideas to get additional funding to support their lab group. When some- body gets a grant, everyone is excited, because grants keep the doors open. It's a brilliant model that encourages collaboration. We're very nimble. We can decide on something and execute that after- noon. We also have a flat gover- nance structure. e empowerment of scientists allows us to jump on opportunities. MB: What's the status of the expansion? DB: We'll move into the new space in April. e building we're in now is Platinum LEED certified and uber-efficient. But the three wings are purely research, with no teaching labs and only one classroom. e new space has teaching labora- tories, two classrooms and innovation space for research with commercial applications. We want to be the ideal place that helps launch and support companies throughout Maine. e new center also has a forum to host events. Our scientists travel around the country for confer- ences and workshops. I want bring those conferences and workshops to Boothbay and to Bigelow. I also would love to get Boothbay high school students here for upper divi- sion science classes. MB: What's involved in fit-up? DB: I have to raise $250,000 for teach- ing-lab equipment. We'll move some older equipment in to get us started, but we want students on state-of-the- art equipment. It's been amazing to watch the building go up. I can't say enough about how great Consigli Construction has been to work with. Building a laboratory is daunting, but we're (knock on wood) on time and on budget. MB: Are federal uncertainties affecting the lab? DB: Yes. We have $5 million in [National Science Foundation] grants that were recommended for fund- ing in limbo. We've lost contracts for fee-for-service activities, from places that are losing funding. at threatens our ability to provide other services — for example, biotoxin testing for the scallop industry. I hoped to hire four to five new scientists, each building their own groups with people who now may not be moving to Boothbay. We're in good financial shape, but I don't want to oversell our security. If the science agencies take draconian cuts, that's an existential threat. MB: What do you love about this field? DB: I come to work every day know- ing that we're making the world bet- ter. e climate is changing, the ocean is overtaxed, the fisheries are depleted, we're looking at a scary future. But we can do remarkable things and sci- ence is the foundation of that. I know that if we get these projects across the finish line, we can make dramatic changes. Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz Business Property and Liability Insurance Products Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance Employment Practices Liability Insurance, EPLI & Equipment and Mechanical Breakdown INSURING MAINE BUSINESS — INSURING MAINE PEOPLE We've been in business more than 145 years, and continue to innovate by providing you a portfolio that offers the kind of protection your business needs — today. Visit Patrons.com to find an independent agent near you. INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY'S BUSINESS CHALLENGES. D a m a r i s c o t t a S h o w r o o m H A M M O N D L U M B E R . C O M | 1 - 8 0 0 - H A M M O N D L o o k i n g t o s t a r t a w i n d o w s & d o o r s p r o j e c t ? W e ' d l o v e t o h e l p ! V i s i t o n e o f o u r s t o r e s t o g e t s t a r t e d ! 22 LOCATIONS ACROSS MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOWROOMS Deborah Bronk is president, CEO and a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, which will soon open its $31 million, 25,000-square- foot Center for Ocean Education and Innovation, to support expanded programming and solutions-focused science. Bronk's fascination with microscopic organisms and the ocean guided her career, including three decades of research cruises and field expeditions spanning the poles. Bigelow Laboratory gets about half of its funding from federal grants. M

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