About the College | Otis H. Smith Laboratory
Smith Laboratory building is located on the campus in Lewes.
Who is Otis H. Smith?
Located on the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes, the building is named in honor of Otis H. Smith, a distinguished businessman, mayor of Lewes for 18 years, and University of Delaware trustee. Mr. Smith was a staunch supporter of the fishing industry and of the college's research and education efforts.
The Facility
In this building, faculty, students and others undertake research about issues such as fisheries decline, wetlands restoration and much, much more. Here, marine scientists are learning more about organisms ranging from bacteria to oysters, from flounder to salt-tolerant plants called halophytes.
Smith Lab is equipped with a recirculating seawater system, finfish tanks, algal culture facilities, a shellfish hatchery, a water tunnel for the study of wave effects on clams and other benthic organisms, and 10,000 square feet of greenhouse space. The greenhouse is used by the Halophyte Biotechnology Center in genetic research aimed at improving varieties of salt-marsh plants for wetlands restoration and for development into food and forage crops. Together, Smith and Cannon labs house the majority of the college's faculty and students in the Oceanography and Marine Biosciences programs.
