GLOUCESTER — Chesapeake Bay Hall, the newest building addition to the William & Mary Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences & Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), was officially opened with a dedication ceremony on April 10.
The building will serve as a hub for much of the lab-based science occurring at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS, including shellfish health, fisheries genetics, aquatic diseases, harmful algal blooms, marine contaminants, microplastic pollution, microbiology and plankton ecology.
The three-story, 68,240 square-foot building — adorned with a large map of the Chesapeake Bay on its northern end—features advanced equipment and a modular design allowing for flexibility in future research. In line with W&M’s focus on environmental sustainability, the facility was built to LEED green-building standards.
During the dedication ceremony, welcoming remarks were made by Derek Aday, the Dean of William & Mary Batten School and Director of VIMS. Following his remarks, the William & Mary provost spoke, along with the Rector of the William & Mary Board of Visitors, Sen. Ryan McDougle, and Del. Chad Green.
“We are the commonwealth partner for all issues related to coastal and marine systems. It’s the science that we do that provides solutions for policymakers and coastal citizens. It’s the education we provide for the next generation of leaders, it’s the advisory services that help industry and private organizations function. Pieces of all of that will happen in this building. It’s really emblematic of that partnership and it gives us the infrastructure that we need to stay right at the cutting edge to make sure that the commonwealth is the leader in all of these solutions,” Aday said.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, attendees were invited to tour the building and get a look inside some of the labs. Professors and students at the school were also on hand to discuss some of their research with the public.
Future planned renovations to the Gloucester Point campus will focus on education and public outreach, including a new visitor center, river walk and campus signage, funded by last year’s gift from philanthropist Jane Batten.
More information can be found on the official website.