Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay was the setting for a dedication ceremony May 12.

A crowd of around 250 people gathered to celebrate the opening of the newest addition to the campus, the Graham Shimmield Residence Hall, a $6 million residence facility.

The dedication celebrated the life and legacy of Graham Shimmield, the executive director of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences from 2008 until his death on December 24, 2016.

Shimmield, a globally recognized leader in oceanography, was instrumental in the transformation of Bigelow Laboratory, helping to develop the $32 million marine research and education campus that opened in 2012.

Speakers, who shared stories about Schmmield's professional and personal life, included Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Louise Bowditch; previous Chair of the Board of Trustees David Coit; Head of School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh Sandy Tudhope; President Emeritus of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Bob Gagosian; Staff Assistant for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins Chuck Mahaleris; Senior Research Scientist and Interim Executive Director Benjamin Twining; Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation Gregory Powell; Trustee and Chair of Building Committee Steve Malcom; Chair of the Board of Trustees Herbert Paris; and Shimmield's brother, Mark Shimmield.

An article written by Steven Profaizer and published in the Boothbay Register quotes Twining as saying, “Graham was an accomplished scientist, a visionary leader, and a kind and compassionate human being who changed our organization and our lives. We were very lucky to have him at the helm for the last nine years.”

Under Shimmield's leadership, the lab's headquarters were moved from an antiquated facility at McKown Point in West Boothbay to their present location in East Boothbay.

Since coming to Maine in 2008, Shimmield has served on numerous advisory boards, and was named one of the top 50 “Bold Visionaries Defining Our State” by Maine Magazine in July 2015.

Guests were invited to tour the new facility after the ceremony.

Read more about Shimmield and his contributions to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and the state of Maine at: https://www.bigelow.org/news/articles/2016-12-27.html.