Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is hosting a special series of Café Scientifique conversations to mark 40 years of discovery at the laboratory. The first of the weekly Tuesday evening programs is set for Tuesday, June 24 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Ocean Science and Education Campus, 60 Bigelow Drive in East Boothbay. Clarice Yentsch, co-founder of Bigelow Laboratory, Spencer Apollonio, former head of the Department of Marine Resources, and Edward Gilfillan, a retired Bigelow Laboratory scientist will recount stories of the early years of Bigelow Laboratory.

Part of the international Café Scientifique movement, Bigelow Laboratory's Café Scientifique program is an ongoing series of public gatherings where all are invited to join in conversations about ocean science and technology with Bigelow scientists and special guests. The sessions are free and open to the public. This year’s summer cafés will take place in the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, on Tuesdays, from 6 to 7 p.m, with the exception of the June 24 and July 8 programs, which will occur at the laboratory's Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay.

Summer schedule

June 24: Celebrating the birth of Bigelow Laboratory: Early stories. Dr. Clarice Yentsch, co-founder of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; Dr. Spencer Apollonio, author; Dr. Edward Gilfillan, retired scientist.

July 1: “What I did on my summer vacation.” A 14-year-old’s perspective of global ocean research at Bigelow Laboratory, 40 years later. Presented by Dr. William Balch, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

July 8: 40 years of energy innovation: Over Yonder Cay, an example of the new energy frontier. Presented by Ed Bosarge, Capital Technologies.

July 15: 40 years of oil spill research: New ways of looking at old problems. Presented by Dr. Christoph Aeppli, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

July 22: 40 years of change in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Presented by Dr. Nick Record, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

July 29: 40 years of mentoring; 25 years of BLOOM. Presented by Thomas Keller, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, Maine STEM Council.

August 5: 40 years of coral reefs: fragile or resilient ecosystems? Presented by Dr. Nichole Price, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

August 12: 40 years of changing ocean color. Presented by Dr. John Cullen, Dalhousie University.

August 19: One man’s view of two score years of oceanography. Presented by Dr. Richard Spinrad, Oregon State University.

August 26: 40 years of discovery and what lies ahead. Presented by Colin Woodard, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram; Dr. Graham Shimmield, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.