Channel 13 News Now: William & Mary students and faculty celebrate innovative new marine sciences facility

Author: Marta Berglund

Published: 6:11 PM EDT April 25, 2025

Link to watch episode: https://www.13newsnow.com/article/tech/science/environment/william-mary-students-and-faculty-celebrate-innovative-new-marine-sciences-facility/291-57d141b6-ff84-4bb7-b5af-2ff2cdbc321e Chesapeake Bay Hall is nine years in the making. Updated technology and lab space promise to enhance marine science education.

GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. — Students and faculty at William & Mary and the Batten School and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, or VIMS, are celebrating the opening of Chesapeake Bay Hall, a brand new facility poised to enhance marine and coastal science education and research.

The three-story, 68,240-square-foot building on William & Mary’s Gloucester Point campus is now a central hub for much of the lab-based research driving the university’s environmental work. Its exterior — stamped on one side with a large map of the Chesapeake Bay — hints at the research and work happening within.

Funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia with a $76 million investment, Chesapeake Bay Hall has been in the works for roughly nine years, since 2016. The facility replaces infrastructure and consolidates research labs into a modern, collaborative environment.

Ph.D. candidate Savannah Mapes, who is in her sixth and final year at VIMS, described Chesapeake Bay Hall as “an incredible upgrade.” She added the space "provides a workspace that facilitates more efficient research for us students." Mapes also praised Chesapeake Bay Hall's design, which she says allows for interdisciplinary work and collaboration. 

"I love being in the lab, I love communicating my research, and I’ve had so many opportunities here," Mapes told 13News Now.

Originally from Texas, Mapes says her time at VIMS has been life-changing. "I always dreamed of the ocean, and I loved the mystery and importance of it. I’ve had opportunities beyond my dreams here at VIMS."

The new space is already having an impact on ongoing research. Twenty-five-year VIMS marine science professor Debbie Steinberg said Chesapeake Bay Hall's design is very intentional, based on students' and faculty's experience in the previous space.

"There were always things we knew would just make it a lot easier to work," she said. 

Both Mapes and Steinberg said the future of Chesapeake Bay Hall is bright. Advanced technology, like a FlowCam, which quickly identifies the possibly-harmful phytoplankton present in one milliliter of water, will allow them to better serve local fishermen, the community and beyond. 

In Steinberg's words, "We’re working all over the world, in the Chesapeake Bay, in the Antarctic, in the North Pacific, North Atlantic." Mapes added, “In one drop of water, we may see 100 animals and 1,000 plants,” she explained. “With equipment here at VIMS, we’re able to get images of all these plants and animals in a single drop of water.”

Previously reserved for graduate students, the Gloucester Point campus will soon welcome undergraduates as part of a newly launched degree program in coastal and marine sciences.