Location: Duxbury, Mass.

397 Washington St.
Duxbury, MA 02332-0601

Phone: 781-934-0571
Fax: 781-934-2124

Established: 1965

Staff: 85 located in Duxbury, Mass.; Stony Brook, N.Y.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Brunswick, Maine and Carlsbad, Calif.

Capabilities: Assessment, monitoring and management of complex environmental problems in coastal and marine environments. Services include integrated impact assessment, water quality monitoring, sediment management, ecological risk assessment, NEPA compliance, environmental data management and analytical chemistry services.

Points of Pride: Marine research began at the Duxbury site in 1924 when the floating laboratory of Harvard researcher William F. Clapp washed ashore in a storm. Damaged by the storm, Dr. Clapp’s laboratory was transferred from his schooner to the outbuildings of what was to become Battelle Duxbury. He researched the effects of marine borers on various woods exposed to water—and became a leading authority on the subject. “The lab,” as it was known in town, was incorporated by Battelle in 1965. Marine borer research continued at Duxbury until 2005, when Battelle’s last expert on the subject retired.

Good Deeds: Activities include judging the Duxbury Middle School Science Fair, organizing the annual Beach Clean-Up and collecting toys for Toys for Tots. Staff also support the Duxbury High School Scholarship Fund, Duxbury Beach Preservation, the Duxbury Maritime School and the Jones River Watershed Association. Staff are also involved with the Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society and the Cystic Fibrosis and Multiple Sclerosis foundations.

Words of Wisdom: “Proper stewardship of the ocean is critical to the long-term vitality of the United States. The ocean is an element of national security, and is a major influence on the global climate system.”

—The National Science and Technology Council Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, January 2007