Shaw Institute

10/23/2026

Art meets ocean advocacy! 🎨🌊🔬

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, for Unlikely Universes: From Waste to Wonder by artist Ann Tracy, featuring a special presentation by Shaw Institute Executive Director Dr. Charles Rolsky!

When: Tomorrow, October 24 at 4:00 PM
Where: Oak St Lofts Gallery, 72 Oak St, Portland, Maine

Dr. Rolsky will separate fact from fiction regarding microplastic pollution and health, followed by a low-tech art demo and poetry reading. Come explore how art and science inspire a more sustainable future! 💙🌍

Visit the link below for details:
shawinstitute.org/event/unlikely-universes-presents-plastics-vs-people-in-portland-me

10/22/2026

Our 2026 summer intern, Sophia, featured her time at Shaw Institute in a recent blog post for Bowdoin College! 🌊🔬

During her summer internship at the institute, Sophia bridged environmental health and human well-being by monitoring water quality, helping prevent harmful algal blooms, studying microplastics in human tissue samples, and researching policies to protect coastal communities.

Building the next generation of researchers is an integral part of Shaw's mission. Offering undergraduate research opportunities that help students gain hands-on, real-world experience before graduate school helps our interns find confidence in their place in STEM early in their academic career.

Read all about her hands-on undergraduate research experience here: https://www.bowdoin.edu/cxd/student-stories/2026/2026-shaw-institute.html

Want to help future students gain life-changing, hands-on research opportunities? Please consider making a donation to support the Shaw Institute today: https://shawinstitute.org/donate/

10/21/2026

New research by Shaw Institute is live! 🔬

Our latest paper, published in Next Research and led by our Executive Director Dr. Charles Rolsky with Shaw researcher Emon Das, along with Dr. James Brown and Cassidy Fredette Roman of Arizona State University, takes a critical look at how we measure microplastics in human tissue.

While highly attuned industry instruments are powerful tools used to conduct research on the presence of microplastics in samples, our team found that natural fats already present in our organs (like our brain, which is about 60% fat), can break down and mimic plastic "fingerprints," potentially inflating sample counts. This review isn't saying plastics aren't in human tissue; rather, it provides a crucial roadmap for the scientific community to improve calibration, cross-verify with independent methods, and share open data.

These insights are already shaping our ongoing research as we tackle the connection between plastic pollution and neurological health.

🔗 Read the full story and dive into the details at the link below:
https://shawinstitute.org/2026/10/19/shaw-institute-is-raising-the-bar-on-microplastics-research

10/19/2026

A huge thank you to Jess with Happiness Is, an independent creative studio specializing in handmade jewelry, cross stitch, graphic design & more, and Saplings Toy and Gift for donating some wonderful handmade marine critters to the Shaw Institute over the weekend! ✨🎨

Our resident critters and team are so grateful for their kindness and creativity in supporting our mission! 💙🌊

Stop by our Environmental Education Center this week to see these wonderful new additions and check out everything happening at the institute!

Address: 55 Main St, Blue Hill, ME
Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM
Admission: FREE (donations greatly appreciated!)

10/17/2026

HAPPENING TODAY! Build. Create. Innovate! 🚀✨

If you're looking for fun and educational activities for the whole family, come join the Shaw Institute today for free, hands-on STEM demonstrations, interactive activities, and plenty of fun at the Girl Scouts of Maine event!

📍 Cole Land Transportation Museum
📅 Today, Saturday, October 17 | 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
👥 All ages are welcome!

Come on by, say hello, and explore the wonders of STEM with us!
For more details, check out the event page: https://www.girlscoutsofmaine.org/en/discover/activities/build-create-innovate-stem-event.html

At this family-friendly event, explore technology and engineering through hands-on activities, including car design, aviation, space exploration, and more to discover how the past inspires the future.

10/16/2026

Maine’s Marine Guardian: Spotlight on Common Eelgrass 🌿🌊

Check out our latest Flora Feature on a plant that can actually bloom underwater! Dive in to discover how common eelgrass creates vital underwater meadows, why they are disappearing, and how we are working to protect them:
🔗 shawinstitute.org/2026/08/24/flora-feature-common-eelgrass-the-underwater-plant-protecting-maines-coastlines/

Come see why a thriving coastal ecosystem matters so much! Stop by our Environmental Education Center to learn more about common eelgrass and see our live seahorses in their new aquarium:

📍 Visit Us: 55 Main St, Blue Hill, ME
🗓️ Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM
🎟️ Admission: FREE (donations greatly appreciated!)

Discover the amazing lined seahorse at the Shaw Institute's Environmental Education Center and learn why this remarkable Gulf of Maine fish is unlike any other.

10/15/2026

Art meets science and ocean advocacy! 🎨🌊🔬

We are thrilled to highlight an upcoming event where art, environmental awareness, and science intersect! "Unlikely Universes: From Waste to Wonder" by artist Ann Tracy is an art exhibition happening in Portland, Maine, featuring a special presentation by the Shaw Institute’s very own Executive Director, Dr. Charles Rolsky!

Dr. Rolsky will cut through the confusion to separate facts from fiction regarding widespread plastic use. He will address critical issues like microplastic pollution threats to human and environmental health, as well as greenwashing practices.

The afternoon will also feature a short demo by Ann Tracy showcasing her low-tech method to avoid dumping microplastics down the drain.

"Plastics vs. People" by Dr. Charles Rolsky, Executive Director of the Shaw Institute
Location: Oak Street Lofts Gallery, 72 Oak St, Portland, Maine
Date & Time: Saturday, October 24 at 4:00 PM
Admission: FREE and open to the public

About the Art Exhibition:
The digital works on canvas, metal, and paper originated from the colorful residue that gathers when Ann cleans her brushes. To keep acrylic paint microplastics out of groundwater, she washes brushes in a metal cup and evaporates the colored liquid in an aluminum pan—creating swirling, Hubble-telescope-like "universes" that she photographed and used for this series.

Come explore how art and science can inspire us to reflect on our ecological footprint and imagine a more sustainable future! 💙🌍

For more details on this event, visit our website linked below:
shawinstitute.org/event/unlikely-universes-presents-plastics-vs-people-in-portland-me/

10/10/2026

Come by Shaw Institute to meet our new lead aquarist, Hana Johnson!

We’re thrilled to welcome Hana to our team! With a degree in Marine Science and hands-on aquaculture experience, she will oversee marine life care and lead our interactive 200-gallon Touch Tank at the Environmental Education Center.

Her favorite animal to highlight? Sea stars! ⭐
"Many people don’t know they are great predators," Hana shares. "They rely on chemoreceptors on their legs that tell them where to get food. So cool!"

When she’s not at the institute, Hana enjoys cross-stitching ocean projects, fostering cats and kittens, and exploring the outdoors with her partner, Sasha.

📍 Come say hi this weekend!
Stop by to meet Hana and our resident critters:
🗓️ Hours: Wed–Sat, 10 AM – 4 PM
📍 Location: 55 Main St, Blue Hill, ME
🎟️ Admission: Free (donations appreciated!)

Every visit supports our marine conservation research and educational programs.

If you can't make it to the institute this weekend, learn more about Hana by checking out her feature at the link below!
shawinstitute.org/2026/09/25/shaws-new-lead-aquarist

10/09/2026

If you didn't catch it in our most recent newsletter, our rare blue lobster naming contest has come to a close and we have an official name for our feisty little marine friend! 🦞✨⁠
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Out of more than 90 community submissions and 45 days of voting, the community has spoken. Submitted by a visiting family as a nod to a famous 9,000-pound blue statue back home, the winning name couldn't be more fitting for our 2-pound, rare 1-in-2-million, blue lobster! Like his namesake, he may be small, but he’s got a big attitude and loves standing tall to show off for visitors!⁠
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Curious to see which name took the top spot? Click the link below to find out now!
shawinstitute.org/2026/09/30/and-the-name-is
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A huge thank you to Atwood Lobster Company for donating this spunky crustacean, and to everyone who participated in the naming competition!⁠
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📍 Come say hi in person this weekend!⁠
Visit our new ambassador and all our other resident critters at the Shaw Institute’s Environmental Education Center:⁠
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM⁠
55 Main St, Blue Hill, ME⁠
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Admission: Free (donations appreciated!)⁠
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Every visit and donation supports our marine conservation research, educational programming, and animal care. Stop by this week or consider donating today to support our Gulf of Maine coastal habitat efforts! 🌊✨⁠
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10/08/2026

Who's that Pokemon!? Oh, wait... we mean... whose fin does that belong to!? 🐬✨

Our local bay had a visitor recently! Shaw Institute's Executive Director Dr. Charlie Rolsky has identified our traveling friend as a short-beaked common dolphin! You can tell the difference between dolphins by looking closely at the shape, and light shading at the base, of their dorsal fin.

Seeing a common dolphin this far inshore is a special treat! They typically stay far offshore, so their presence in our harbor points to warm ocean currents and thick schools of baitfish pushing into local waters.

If you're hoping to catch a glimpse, keep an eye out soon as late summer into early fall marks the end of their peak season in shallow bays like Blue Hill. As autumnal water temperatures drop, these warm-temperate hunters begin moving south or head out into deeper, warmer waters along the continental shelf, following the schools of herring, mackerel, and squid they rely on for food.

Spotted a dolphin in the harbor? Here’s what you should do:

Give them space: Keep a respectful distance of at least 50 yards on the water. 🚤

Watch out: Keep an eye out for potential shallow-water strandings. 👀

Report it: Log your sightings with Allied Whale to help local marine researchers track our changing coastline! 📝

Cool Marine Fact! Bottlenose dolphins practice unihemispheric sleep! They sleep with only half of their brain at a time so they can keep swimming, stay aware of predators, and consciously remember to surface for air—all while keeping one eye open! They also use signature whistles that act just like human names to identify and call for each other throughout their lives! 🧠💤 🌊💙

Want to learn more about Maine's local marine wildlife? Come by the Shaw Institute and check out our Environmental Education Center! You can learn all about the fish in the sea, and meet the marine critters that call our institute's 200-gallon touch-tank home! 🦀🐟✨

🗓️ When: Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
🎟️ Cost: Admission is FREE (donations are always welcome and appreciated!)