The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation has awarded a $1 million matching gift to endow the vice president for research and education position at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay. The new fund will be named The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Chair for Research and Education, and the Foundation challenged Bigelow Laboratory to raise $1 million in matching gifts by June 30, 2020.

“This gift will provide vital support to the strategy and guidance of our research and education programs,” said Ben Twining, who currently holds the newly endowed position and is serving as interim executive director of the Laboratory. “The Foundation’s generous gift comes at a pivotal moment of growth for Bigelow Laboratory. We are steadily increasing the number of students we mentor, and we just built a residence hall that will open to students and visiting researchers this summer.”

The scientists at Bigelow Laboratory engage in oceanographic research around the world – from the biology and ecology of marine microorganisms to large-scale ocean processes that affect the global environment. They also conduct numerous hands-on education programs throughout the year that get students of all ages – from Maine high school students to international ocean scientists – hands on with cutting-edge science at the Laboratory’s campus on the Damariscotta River in East Boothbay, Maine.

The Doherty Chair secures the critical senior leadership position that provides day-to-day guidance to both these efforts while contributing to the organization’s long-term strategies to maximize its impact.

“The Doherty Foundation is delighted that it is able to assist Bigelow Laboratory in the very important work they do in ocean research and in providing students of all ages with hands-on science education,” said Walter R. Brown, president of the Charitable Foundation.

The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation is a New York-based private foundation that awards charitable grants primarily to promote the marine sciences and education, and to assist institutions engaged in oceanographic activities. Its seven-member board of trustees is led by Walter R. Brown who serves as the Foundation’s president.

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