Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute

Popular touch tank activity with students

Contact:
Auke Bay Laboratories
Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt. Lena Loop Road
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 789-6000
Driving instructions

Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute (TSMRI) is Alaska’s largest fisheries research facility, providing fisheries researchers 66,000 square feet of space in the main building. Adjacent to TSMRI is a heated warehouse and free-standing wet lab building. On the NOAA campus is the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UAF) building which enables close professional collaborations and sharing of capabilities. TSMRI provides filtered seawater to UAF and receives used seawater from UAF for sterilization and discharge. TSMRI has 33,000 square feet of laboratories capable of supporting lipid and hydrocarbon analysis, DNA extraction, ultra-cold storage, robotic genotyping, analysis of lipids, age and growth determinations, zooplankton processing and bioenergetics.

TSMRI facilities support Juneau public schools with hands-on learning experiences for more than one thousand students a year, and by hosting science fair projects mentored and judged by NMFS scientists. The lobby of TSMRI is open to the public daily for viewing of marine life in aquariums, for enjoying the stunning views of the surrounding sea and mountains from the observation deck, for taking guided tours of the facilities, and for attending lectures that use the Science on a Sphere visualizations provided by Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Marine Fisheries Service. TSMRI has two conference rooms that are made available to state, federal and local government organizations including Juneau Public Schools, USCG, State Departments of Transportation, Labor, and Fish and Game. In addition TSMRI also hosts public outreach events such as open houses in observance of World Ocean Day and Ted Stevens Day.

A unique characteristic of TSMRI is the facility has "gone green" by using 100% green energy to heat the building. The facility now puts zero carbon into the environment. This was accomplished by reducing laboratory air flows through re-commissioning, recovering heat from fume and canopy hood exhausts, and installing a heat pump to extract heat from the existing seawater system. TSMRI is now heating the entire research facility using the new heat pump. This heat pump, coupled with the hydroelecticity supplied by Alaska Electric Light and Power Company, means the facility is heated by 100% renewable green energy. The heat pump alone replaces 60,000 gallons of fuel annually, saving an estimated $130,000 of taxpayer dollars per year. Total cost savings for the entire green energy approach is estimated at $360,000 per year

News and Research Highlights

Get to know NOAA: Summertime Tours at TSMRI NOAA is offering free tours of TSMRI each weekday at 1 p.m., June through September, except for holidays. Each tour is limited to 12 people ages 16 and older. Participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Cameras are welcome. Tours will begin and end in the downstairs aquarium area and will last about 55 minutes. Please contact Ralph Steeves at 907-789-6050, Ralph.Steeves@noaa.gov, for for more information.