Stony Brook University upgrades Old Field marine sciences laboratory, names it for R. Lawrence Swanson

Robert Lawrence Swanson was more than a world-class oceanographer and noted expert on Long Island garbage, said Kaitlin Giglio, one of Swanson's former Stony Brook University graduate students.

The late marine sciences professor was an inspirational instructor who saw "the poetry in the tides, the data in the waves," she told about 100 people gathered Monday in the Village of Old Field as the university rededicated its Flax Pond laboratory following a $9 million renovation.

The nearly 60-year-old facility was renamed the R. Lawrence Swanson Marine Laboratory at Flax Pond — a fitting tribute to Swanson's dedication to environmental conservation, Giglio said.

"He wanted you to care about oceans and he wanted you to care about waste management," said Giglio, interim director of Stony Brook's Marine Conservation and Policy master's program. "He is still the mentor that I talk about all the time."

Swanson, who was known as Larry, was working on plans to upgrade the laboratory when he died from a heart attack in October 2020. He was 82.

The former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist had spent his career studying threats to Long Island's fragile ecology, such as climate change and garbage, colleagues said. Stony Brook hired him in 1987 to lead its Waste Reduction and Management Institute, a division of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, where Swanson was associate dean.

Lab on a pond

The laboratory, jointly owned and operated by the university and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, contains an array of tanks, pumps and pipes to draw in salt water for advanced study of issues such as sea level rise, seaweed growth and the impact of pollutants on species diversity.

The lab's position along Flax Pond, a natural salt marsh fed by water from Long Island Sound, offers researchers a snapshot of how problems such as untreated sewage affect Long Island's bays and rivers.

Previously, the lab was adequate for basic research, but staff were unable to do things such as alter water temperature that are key to advanced scientific study, said Paul Shepson, who worked with Swanson and leads the marine sciences school. The renovation was funded by the state's SUNY Construction Fund, he added.

Stony Brook scientists on Monday said they were excited about the improvements, noting long pipes extending into the pond to extract water samples, and an upgraded pump room where they can study how organisms in the pond respond to warming waters.

Such information is important in understanding phenomena such as algae blooms and their role in decimating Long Island's shellfish industry.

Shellfish play a key role

The Flax Pond facility features an array of shellfish hatcheries, where young clams and oysters are nurtured before being moved to bays on the North and South Shores. 

Restoring oysters and clams is key to improving water quality, Shepson said. Mollusks are natural water filters that remove impurities while feeding on bay bottoms, experts say.

"If you have enough clams deployed in the bays in the right way ... you can clean up that bay," Shepson said in an interview.

During the rededication ceremony, Swanson's friends and former colleagues remembered him as a humble but passionate advocate for conservation.

Suffolk County Legis. Steve Englebright (D-East Setauket), a geologist, called Swanson "one of the giants of science," adding, "It was a privilege to know him, an honor to work with him, and I miss him dearly."

Giglio called Swanson "a pillar of the marine sciences community" who blended a rigorous understanding of nature with a zeal to protect the environment.

"He was eager to bridge that gap between science and public policy," she told the gathering, before reading a poem Swanson had written. "It was about making science accessible."