The mission of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is to encourage responsible and creative decisions in society by providing an objective source of marine and environmental science and fostering an understanding of the natural world among people of all ages

The Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center is the centerpiece of the Wrigley Institute. It is a unique facility for marine, terrestrial and environmental science and education. The Center consists of a 30,000 square-foot laboratory building, a dormitory housing and cafeteria complex, a hyperbaric chamber, an administration building, and a large waterfront staging area complete with dock, pier, helipad, and diving lockers.

These facilities are available to visiting scientists and educational groups for periods of one day to many months. We can even accommodate multi-annual research programs where appropriate. The facilities are also used by USC students and scientists and for full-semester course programs in the Biology Department and Environmental Studies Program of the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Housing and Dining Facilities

Dormitory housing and cafeteria facilities are located near the main laboratory building. The dormitory has 18 double-occupancy rooms divided into 9 suites; each two-room suite is joined by a bathroom. The spacious rooms have twin beds, desks, bookshelves, dressers, and large closets. Nine furnished one-bedroom apartments and two furnished two-bedroom apartments with kitchen facilities are available for a longer-term occupancy. In 2002 we added four new housing units which add another 28 beds in a mix of dorms and cottages. All housing is subject to availability.

Adjoining the dormitory-apartment complex is the cafeteria, which provides food service for up to 150 people. There are also outdoor barbecue and picnic facilities. A lounge area with couches/chairs, color television/VCR, and piano is nearby. Pool and ping-pong tables are also available. The lounge can also be used as a small conference area.

Laboratory Facilities

The Center's 30,000 square-foot laboratory building was renovated in the summer of 1996. It now includes:

* an 85-seat lecture hall with modern telecommunications capabilities, projection monitors, and traditional audiovisual equipment (carousel slide projectors and high intensity overhead projectors)

* T1 Internet capability through a fibre-optic link to USC. Two computer labs are also available for teaching and research.

* two teaching laboratories accommodating up to 36 students; each lab has freshwater sinks and seawater aquaria

* six research laboratories accommodating up to 24 researchers; each lab has freshwater sinks and seawater aquaria

* a library containing more than 700 books, 100 bound periodical volumes, 30 journals and other periodical subscriptions

* stockroom equipped with basic glassware, chemicals, small lab equipment, and freezer storage space

* an autoclave, dishwasher and polished water system for delivery of 18megaohm milli-Q water. * machine shop stocked with tools and large equipment for repair or fabrication

Seawater System

A major advantage of conducting research at the WMSC is the availability of unlimited quantities of clean, high quality seawater that flows into aquaria after being pumped from a sub-marine intake into a 15,000-gallon storage tank. The water is untreated except for a macro-screen located on the intake pipes, and water entering the aquaria seldom rises more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient ocean temperatures. The water is available to the laboratory at 95 gallons per minute, and water that is not used is diverted to several 500-gallon tanks at the waterfront. Any sediment picked up at the intakes settles out in the storage tank, and no ionic or chemical contamination is possible, assuring scientists of excellent quality water. In certain instances, plumbing can be modified to meet specific research needs.

Waterfront Facilities

The waterfront facilities consist of a dock and pier, helipad, dive locker and diver staging area, and the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.

* Water depth beneath the 60-by-20-foot floating dock is 24 feet at MLLW. The dock is attached to a 70- by 20-foot standing pier supplied with 110V electrical outlets, a freshwater spigot, and a 5-ton capacity jib crane.

* Built to FAA specifications, the helipad is licensed by the State of California for day or night helicopter landings. It serves the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and is also used during evacuation for other medical emergencies. It can be used for routine transportation to the mainland by special arrangement with independent helicopter services.

* Medical and work trailers supporting the lab, chamber, and habitat programs surround the hangar. Two dive lockers provide locked storage for gear, showers and dressing rooms for up to 80 divers, and an air compressor fills standard steel tanks to 2300 psi. A diver staging area is located outside the diving lockers, and includes freshwater tubs for rinsing gear and equipment.

* The Center's fleet of small boats is available to students and researchers, providing easy access to study sites within the Isthmus Cove area. Using financial support from the Friends of the Wrigley Institute, the Center maintains 15 private moorings for boats up to 70 feet in length.

Conference Facilities

The USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is an ideal location for conferences and workshops. Its auditorium seats 85 people. The two conference rooms can hold 15-20 people, and a lounge area that accommodates 30 people can be furnished with audio-visual equipment to suit individual group requirements. The Institute's staff is experienced at arranging transportation, lodging, and conference support, and can organize field trips to both marine and terrestrial sites.

Overnight accommodations are available for approximately 80 people and some additional accommodation is available in nearby Two Harbors. The Institute's setting promotes close interaction and high productivity in a relaxed and retreat-like atmosphere.

The Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies operates the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Santa Catalina Island and supports research throughout the year. The marine lab is an ideal location for marine research, providing convenient access to a variety of near-shore and open water environments. Three decades of ecological and oceanographic research in this area provide a rich context for new studies. The WMSC marine life refuge, established in 1988, comprises relatively pristine bedrock and boulder intertidal habitats, soft sediment and kelp forest subtidal habitats, and a broad diversity of algae, invertebrates, fish and plankton. Deep oceanic water for blue-water research is a short distance offshore.

The faculty of the Wrigley Institute conduct research on a variety of marine science topics, including open-ocean biogeochemistry, global climate, microbial ecology of viruses, bacteria, archea and protists, harmful algal blooms, geobiology, population genetics of marine organisms, marine animal physiology, ecology, evolution and many more.

The visiting scientists to the lab conduct research on an even more diverse set of topics ranging from basic biology of marine animals, the dynamics of marine reserves, ocean biogeochemistry and geology.

The Wrigley Institute operates a K-gray education program both on the island and throughout greater Los Angeles. The undergraduate programs include semester-long intensive education programs in population dynamics (Spring) and Marine Microbial Ecology (Fall). We host an intensive graduate program in geobiology in the summer. Throughout the year school groups from around the world visit the lab for short educational experiences.

please see the Wrigley Institute web pages for the list of staff and faculty.

The Wrigley Marine Science Center is located on Catalina Island, 20 miles off of the coast of California, approximately due south of Los Angeles Harbor. Please contact the WMSC staff for details of transportation options.

For more information about our laboratory and waterfront facilities, please contact Dr. Kathy Ann Miller (kam@usc.edu, 310-510-4012)

For more information about accommodations, please contact Maureen Oudin (maureen@usc.edu, 310-510-0811)

or write to us at:

Wrigley Marine Science Center
P.O. Box 5069
Avalon, CA 90704