The Marine Lab campus includes historic classrooms ideally suited for the study of marine organisms and a new state-of-the-art teaching facility: the Marguerite Kent Repass Ocean Conservation Center. The Repass Center is Duke’s ‘greenest’ building, with geothermal wells for heating and cooling, solar panels for hot water, and photovoltaic rooftop panels to convert sunlight into electricity. The center of campus activity at noon is the Dining Hall, where faculty and students meet and mix during the lunch hour. Outdoor and indoor commons areas, with stunning views of the picturesque waterfront of Beaufort and the Rachel Carson Reserve, are favorite locales for coffee and doughnuts, receptions, and other formal and informal activities. A Student Center offers exercise equipment, billiards, and cable television. There are library and computer facilities within a one-minute stroll of any location on the Island; wireless computing is possible nearly everywhere. Street basketball, beach volleyball, croquet, canoeing, sunbathing and swimming are favorite diversions.

The Marine Lab welcomes visiting classes year-round and offers dormitory accommodations and dining, as well as classroom spaces and basic laboratory equipment (microscopes, seawater tables, etc). While the Marine Lab does not provide programs, many groups use our research vessel R/V Susan Hudson to go out with up to 25 persons and do a dredge and trawl; for transport of up to 40 passengers to nearby islands (Carrot Island, Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout) or as a teaching laboratory for oceanography, marine ecology, marine biology, invertebrate biology, and marine mammal biology. Groups also use our smaller boats for transport to the Rachel Carson Reserve located on Carrot Island.  Some of our grad students are willing to act as field guides.

It may be possible to arrange for special classroom needs (e.g., molecular tools, other specialized instruments) with advance notice. Wet lab space is available for classes and groups can prearrange to be covered on our specimen collection permits to collect invertebrates for study.  All animal research should be cleared through our Animal Care and Use Committee, Ed Ladenberger at jedward@duke.edu or by phone at 252.504.7594. The Marine Lab can also accommodate receptions and symposia (up to 100 people) related to marine science and marine conservation.

(See boat rental and rates for more information)

The Duke Center for Marine Conservation (CMC)
The Duke Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) is an interdisciplinary consortium within the Nicholas School of the Environment that focuses on research, education, and outreach in marine conservation. Dr. Larry Crowder is the Director and can be contacted at lcrowder@duke.edu or 252-504-7637.

Marine Conservation Molecular Facility (MCMF)
A new shared-use molecular facility, housed on the second floor of the Bookhout Research Laboratory, provides students, faculty, and visiting scientists access to molecular tools for marine science and conservation. Please contact the MCMF Director, Dr. Tom Schultz at 252-504-7641 or tom.schultz@duke.edu, for information on equipment, availability of bench space, and fees.

Natural History Resource Center (NHRC)
The Natural History Resource Center (NHRC) preserves and disseminates knowledge concerning ecological systems and the distribution and abundance of marine plants and animals. The Center consists of an extensive reference collection of marine organisms (the museum), and a library of taxonomic references and ecological publications. Dr. William Kirby-Smith is the Director and can be contacted at wwks@duke.edu or 252-504-7577.