NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
SEPTEMBER 2018 
I nteractive oyster model helps plan for Bay health goals

Researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have developed a web-based, interactive computer model that allows stakeholders to better plan and implement their restoration efforts. The model is available online for any to use--restoration practitioners, planners, educators, scientists, or members of the public--with the goal to put this type of decision-support tool directly into the hands of resource managers.

"It's a simple way to estimate the nitrogen-removing value of oyster restoration. The key part of this is making it interactive," said Jeff Cornwell. 
Open House: Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Saturday, September 8, 1-5 p.m.

Discover the world of science on Solomons Island at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's third annual Open House. This free, public event provides a "behind-the-scenes" view of exciting research and features demonstrations and exhibits for all ages, including an aquatic animal touch tank, liquid nitrogen chemistry demonstrations, dockside tours of the research vessel Rachel Carson, piloting an underwater robot, and a scientist selfie station. 

UMCES science-industry partnerships awarded to support new technology product development 
 
Several UMCES researchers have received grants from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program to support new technology product development projects in Maryland, from creating more sustainable and higher protein aquaculture feeds to growing and converting algae into a cost-competitive replacement for crude oil to increasing the effectiveness of techniques for rehabilitating oyster habitat bottoms in Maryland waterways.

A closer look at life growing in Baltimore's Inner Harbor could answer questions about biodiversity and Bay health
 
Tsvetan Bachvaroff and  Eric Schott at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology have been running studies to learn about life concealed by the murky waters of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. What they find will create a baseline of the variety of life there, offering a year-to-year outlook of the biodiversity.  They've been developing a more accurate way to catalogue the creatures they find by using DNA instead of sight identification. A better understanding of life in the ecosystem could help bring the Baltimore closer to its goal of making the harbor swimmable and fishable by 2020. 


"The widespread fires this year have magnified concerns that we are locked in a worldwide pattern of conflagration that is both persistent and catastrophic," writes Mark Cochrane in "The Earth Ablaze," a recent piece for The New York Times. Communities throughout the world face an increased threat from wildfires due to a combination of factors attributed to environmental change and human behavior. Cochrane and his co-authors explore why these fires have become more intense and widespread in recent years and why the trend will likely worsen if action is not taken. 



"If we know more about how it's moving we might be able to predict it a little farther in advance,"  she said.  

SPEAKER SERIES: Science of Citizens
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Tuesdays, 7-8 p.m.

Learn about innovative research being pioneered by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers at this free, public lecture series:

Chesapeake Bay at the Forefront of Addressing Climate Change
September 25, 7 p.m.
Donald Boesch will discuss the need improve our ability to communicate the scale and urgency of the changes that Maryland and its citizens will face and how science-informed policies are giving the Chesapeake Bay a head start.

Can Seaweed Clean Up The Mess Left By Your Cell Phone?
October 2, 7 p.m.
Johan Schijf explains what happens when we throw away high-tech devices and release elements that were once extremely rare into the environment, the challenges of complete end-of-life recycling, and how plants might be used for metal contaminant monitoring and possibly remediation.




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Appalachian Laboratory - Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Horn Point Laboratory - 
Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology
Integration and Application Network - Maryland Sea Grant

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