BGSU celebrates the life of Dr. Cindy Stong ’05

 ‘Visionary creator’ behind BGSU Marine Lab dedicated her life to marine science education

Dr. Cindy Collin Stong ’05, whose entrepreneurial spirit and innovative work as an educator helped make Bowling Green State University a national leader in marine biology education, passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at age 86.

Stong was an accomplished scientist and mentor who was critical in the development of marine biology courses at BGSU, for which she received a Distinguished Educator award and a 1990 Master Teacher award in recognition of her exemplary efforts guiding students.

But it was her vision to create a marine laboratory at BGSU that continues to be a major difference-maker for current students.

At first, Stong began the lab with just a few saltwater tanks. Bit by bit, she would take undergraduate students to the Gulf Coast, where they would safely collect marine life and shuttle specimens back to Ohio, providing what became a robust scientific space for students to learn how to care for marine life.

The specialization in marine and aquatic biology is now one of the most popular scientific paths for BGSU students, whose access to marine life on campus is unrivaled for any inland school in the United States.

Biological Sciences teaching professor Dr. Matthew Partin ’95, ’98, ’08, a former student of Stong, remembered her as a “visionary creator” whose innovation lives on through the lab that continues to teach and inspire new generations of BGSU students.

“Cindy’s unwavering passion for marine biology and her dedication to education were the foundation of the lab we cherish today,” Partin said. “Her contributions have shaped countless students, researchers and colleagues, leaving an enduring legacy that will forever inspire us.”

Like many of the students she eventually came to inspire as a BGSU professor, Stong found a passion for marine life as a young adult, completing study experiences in Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod.

After earning a master's degree in biological sciences from Brown University, Stong spent more than three decades in Bowling Green, becoming a foundational force for marine biology at BGSU until her retirement in 1993.

In the years that followed, enrollment in the marine biology specialization at BGSU increased by a factor of 10, with the lab drawing thousands of visitors from across the U.S. each year.

Today, students from all across the U.S. visit and often choose BGSU specifically because of the advantages offered by the Marine Lab, which contains over 3,000 gallons of seawater and 66 genera of marine animals.

During her time at BGSU, the National Science Foundation awarded Stong a grant to develop a marine life-focused curriculum for K-12 students, and the University recognized her significant contributions to the BGSU learning community with an honorary doctorate in marine science education in 2005.  

“Cindy will be profoundly missed,” Partin said, “but her legacy lives on through the work we continue in her memory.”

She asked that her memorial, to be held in her hometown of Elmira, N.Y., be saved for nice weather so BGSU marine biology alumni can tour the Finger Lakes. Alumni who wish to attend can email her son, Andrew Groat, at andrew_groat@hotmail.com.

Others who wish to honor her memory may consider making a donation to the Cynthia Collin Stong Marine Biology Scholarship or the Cynthia Stong Marine Lab Operation, found under “designation” on the BGSU gift page.