Solomons, Md. (October 26, 2006) – The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) welcomes Drs. Johan Schijf and Michael J. Wilberg to its Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

Dr. Michael Wilberg joins the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory’s fisheries group as an assistant professor, where his research will focus on understanding the dynamics of exploited fish populations and using this information to support sustainable fisheries management. 

Currently, Dr. Wilberg is researching factors influencing growth of young-of-year Atlantic menhaden in Chesapeake Bay and assessing the status of American eels in Chesapeake Bay. His research involves using computer modeling and state-of-the-art statistical methods to estimate abundance and understand fish population dynamics. He comes to UMCES from the Quantitative Fisheries Center at Michigan State University. 

Dr. Johan Schijf joins the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory as an assistant professor of aquatic environmental geochemistry. His research will involve trace metal cycling in the marine environment, particularly in Chesapeake Bay, with special emphasis on the chemical mechanisms underlying trace metal uptake by seaweed, or green macroalgae.

Dr. Schijf received his Ph.D. in marine geochemistry from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.  He has conducted research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Harvard University, Florida State University and the University of South Florida.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is the principal research institution for advanced environmental research and graduate studies within the University System of Maryland. UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world through its three laboratories, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, and Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, as well as the Maryland Sea Grant College.

CONTACT:
Chris Conner
443-496-0095