"The New England Aquarium Corporation is a private, nonprofit institutiondedicated to presenting, promoting, and protecting the world of water. Themission of the New England Aquarium is to increase understanding of aquaticlife and environments, to enable people to act to conserve the world ofwater, and to provide leadership for the preservation and sustainable useof aquatic resources.The mission is fulfilled through exhibits, and through education,conservation, and research programs. Exhibits showcase the diversity,importance, and beauty of aquatic life and habitats, and highlight aquaticconservation issues of importance. Programs emphasize species, habitats,ecosystems, and issues critical to New England.
The New England Aquarium serves as a responsive community resource thatattracts and involves the broadest possible audience; seeks a culturallydiverse staff and governing board that reflect our community; adheres tothe highest standards of animal stewardship; and is committed to deliveringthe highest quality visitor experience in a welcoming and enjoyable mannerthat evokes wonder, curiosity, understanding, caring, and action. "The Aquarium broke ground September, 1996 for its West Wing expansiontoward the city that will serve as a new ""front door"" for the Aquarium andwill house an expanded changing exhibit space, a restaurant, a larger giftshop, and other visitor amenities. The East Wing of the new New EnglandAquarium, reaching out to Boston Harbor, will complete the expansion of themain building to set the standard for aquariums in the twenty-firstcentury. The East Wing will complement living exhibits with technologicalinnovations such as High Definition television, virtual reality, andcomputer interactions to allow visitors to explore the entire world ofwater and experience the full range of aquatic life. A separateauditorium/large format theater will be built landward of the Discoverybarge between the Education Center and the main building. The EducationCenter will include a changing exhibit gallery and a facility for ourAquatic Forum series. "Research, Conservation, and Animal Care
The Edgerton Lab Research Department
Researchers at the New England Aquarium conduct research on aquatic andmarine animals, habitats, and issues in the fields of conservation biology,comparative biology, and animal stewardship. In addition to transmittinginformation collected by Aquarium researchers to the scientific community,government agencies, wildlife managers, and the general public throughpeer-reviewed publications and public venues, the research mission includesa goal of integrating research findings into the exhibits, conservationpolicies, and educational efforts of the Aquarium.The Aquarium is well suited to aquatic and marine research, with curatorialexpertise in husbandry, an oceanside location, and a large number of local,national, and overseas collaborators. Landmark studies on right whales,African lake cichlids, fisheries bycatch issues, bluefin tuna, and seaturtles, have established the Aquarium as an internationally recognizedmarine and aquatic conservation research center.Research at the Aquarium is supported by federal agencies such as theNational Marine Fisheries Service, the National Institute of Health, theEnvironmental Protection Agency, the Institute for Museum Services, theNational Science Foundation, and several foundations and individuals.
Conservation
The New England Aquarium's conservation initiatives involve scientists,policy makers, and the public in discussing aquatic conservation, and whereappropriate, in resolving controversial problems. Through gatheringinformation, organizing meetings, writing white papers, conductingresearch, and collaborating with colleagues within and outside theAquarium, conservation staff apply the Aquarium's resources and expertiseto conservation issues throughout New England and beyond. These functionsequip the Aquarium to fulfill a unique role among aquariums andenvironmental institutions: convener of forums that bring together all keyinterest groups for important and timely discussions.
Animal Care Lab / Veterinary Services
In 1993 New England Aquarium, in its commitment to high animal carestandards, hired an inhouse veterinarian who was joined in 1996 by aCollection Animal Veterinarian and an Exotic Animal ConsultantVeterinarian. The vet staff now includes two senior biologists, a waterquality technician, two animal care technicians, a Supervisor For MarineAnimal Rescue and Rehabilitation and a lab office supervisor.
In addition to our current Animal Care Center facility, which allows forthe medical care of stranded marine animals, the Veterinary ServicesDepartment will be opening a new facility called the ""Aquarium MedicalCenter (AMC), which will provide additional dedicated hospital space forall of our patients. The AMC will allow our visitors to view ourbehind-the-scenes medical care facilities and procedures.
From sea stars to sea lions, the veterinary team, along with husbandrystaff, identify sick individuals, and then the veterinary team diagnosesthe causes of disease and implements plans for the treatment of theproblems.
"Education
For more than 25 years, education has been the cornerstone of the NewEngland Aquarium's mission to unlock the treasures of the world of water.While the Aquarium's exhibits entertain and educate more than one millionvisitors each year, a variety of outreach programs take the Aquarium'smessage ""on the road"" to classrooms, hospitals, and special events.
We are dedicated to informal science education through hands-on activities,exhibits, programs, curricula, teacher resources, outreach, and much, muchmore. It is our goal to give people tangible, memorable experiences thatwill open young minds and senses to the richness of the aquatic world theywill inherit and inhabit for a lifetime. Our Education Center, locatedacross the plaza from the New England Aquarium, allows us to offer more andricher programs to teachers and students, and to have a dedicated space atthe Aquarium for these programs "Research, Conservation, Education, and Animal Care Staff
Harold E. Edgerton Research Laboratory Staff
Scott Kraus, Associate Director, Principal Scientist
Marianne Farrington, Ph.D., Lab Manager/Associate Scientist
Mark Chandler, Ph.D., Associate Scientist/Principal Investigator
Molly Lutcavage, Ph.D., Associate Scientist/Principal Investigator
Conservation Department
Gregory Stone, Associate Director
ACL/Veterinary Services Department
Howard Krum, VMD, Veterinarian
Beth Chittick, VMD, Collection Animal Veterinarian
Rosemarie Borkowski, VMD, Exotic Animal Consultant Veterinarian
Education Department
William Spitzer, Ph.D., Associate Director
Animal Husbandry
John Dayton, Associate Director
Fishes
Steven Bailey, Curator
Marine Mammals
Kathy Streeter, Curator"
