Marine_Science_Center
modal image
Aerial view of the Marine Science Center. Photo by Benjamin Bertsch/Northeastern University
Students in Northeastern's Three Seas program go for a dive at the Marine Science Center. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University
Laura Goetz S'18 Works works in professor William Detrich's lab at the Marine Science Center. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Marine Science Center

The Marine Science Center is part of the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences. Often simply referred to as the MSC, the center is the marine research and educational facility of Northeastern University. Located on the peninsula at historic East Point in Nahant, Massachusetts, the MSC juts into the ocean just five miles north-northeast of the entrance to Boston Harbor.

Learn More Below

Principles of Community

A statement from the Northeastern MES and MSC community.

Read the Statement

Research

Offering a pristine New England rocky shore habitat in close proximity to Boston, the MSC is a globally recognized center of marine science research and education.

Learn More About Research

Outreach

We welcome visitors from around the world for our special events and programs. Visitors range from toddlers who are learning about the ocean to university-level researchers who are working on a field study.

Learn More about Outreach

More About MSC Research

arctic post - environmental science and policy degree
Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology
We use a combination of field and laboratory techniques to better understand the novel adaptations of living organisms and the evolutionary pressures that have lead to the vast diversity of life on earth.
Learn More
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
We employ state-of-the-art technology and diverse scientific perspectives to document how the oceans, as well as the organisms that inhabit them, have changed (and continue to change) through time.
Learn More Here
Fisheries and Ecosystem Service Valuation
We employ observational and experimental methods in the field and lab to evaluate the productivity of fisheries and ecosystem services and develop best practices to support our continued use of natural resources.
Learn More Here
Coastal Marine Ecology
We employ classic field ecology methods in conjunction with innovative laboratory manipulations and genetic tools to document species interactions, productivity, energy flow and biodiversity in coastal marine ecosystems.
Learn More Here
Coral Reef Ecology
We use field and laboratory techniques that employ cutting-edge technology to better understand the complex relationships between corals and the diverse communities that they support.
Learn More Here

MES and MSC News

stock photo of cephalopod

These co-ops are taking part in creating the next model organism, one cephalopod at a time.

Read More
Photo of Sophia Samaha on co-op at The Food Project
Co-op
October 12, 2021

On co-op at The Food Project, she hopes to make a difference in the environmental justice field.

Faculty Spotlight
September 20, 2021

Is wildfire soot leaving a mark on the world's oceans?

Marine and Environmental Sciences
September 14, 2021

To safeguard key coastal ecosystems, this scientist starts by talking to the local anglers

Photo of Hurricane Ida aftermath.
September 7, 2021

How data from hurricane Ida can help bolster levees, power infrastructure.

More News