Science for the Community Seminars
Science for the Community
Learn about innovative research conducted at UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory from the scientists themselves!
Science for the Community (S4C) seminars invite members of the public to discover how our scientists are developing new approaches to solving the environmental challenges facing Southern Maryland, our nation, and the world. All seminars are free of charge.
Catch up on the series with our YouTube playlist.
Spring 2026 Science for Community Seminars
April 21 – May 5, 2026
| Date | Speaker | Topic | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2026 | Dr. Jan Schipper (CBL) | Using Technology to Save Jaguars | Available after the event |
| April 21, 2026 | Mike O’Brien (CBL) | Cell Phones and Sturgeon | Available after the event |
| April 28, 2026 | Becca Wingate, Caroline Tribble, and Kirsten Silva (CBL) | What does a Whale Say? | Available after the event |
| May 5, 2026 | Dr. Zach Zbinden (AL) | Uncovering Hidden Realms: AI & Wildlife Conservation | Available after the event |
| May 5, 2026 | Dr. Ben Oyler (CBL) | Emerging Contaminant Detectives | Available after the event |
Spring 2025 Science for Community Seminars
April 8 – May 6, 2025
| Date | Speaker | Topic | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 8, 2025 | Dr. Donald Boesch | The 100-year evolution of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science | Watch the video |
| April 15, 2025 | Dr. Ralph Eshelman | Solomons Island: a historical perspective | Watch the video |
| April 22, 2025 | Dr. Jeremy Testa, Dr. Andrew Heyes and Dr. Carys Mitchelmore | CBL‘s 100 year legacy of water quality monitoring | Watch the video |
| April 29, 2025 | Dr. Tom Miller | If we lay a strong enough foundation… CBL under R.V. Truitt | Watch the video |
| May 6, 2025 | Dr. Dave Secor | CBL after WW II: Mansueti’s legacy | Watch the video |
Fall 2024 Science for Community Seminar Series
October 8-29, 2024
| Date | Speaker | Topic | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 8, 2024 | Dr. Lora Harris | Cove Point Marsh: Over ten years of monitoring natural and nature-based feature in Calvert County | Watch the video |
| October 15, 2024 | Anna Hildebrand & Co-authors | Controls on Oxygen Variability and depletion in the Patuxent River estuary | Watch the video |
| October 22, 2024 | Dr. Ryan Woodland | Seines, sleds and data, oh my! How biological surveys at CBL are helping us understand the Chesapeake Bay | Watch the video |
| October 29, 2024 | Jessica McGlinsey | Diamondback Terrapins in a Changing Climate | Watch the video |
Spring 2024 Science for Community Seminar Series
| Date | Speaker | Topic/Title | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2024 | Mike Wilberg | Striped Bass: The most important fish in the Chesapeake | Watch the video |
| April 9, 2024 | Genny Nesslage | Finding forage in winter: Atlantic menhaden in the Mid-Atlantic | Watch the video |
| April 16, 2024 | Michael Gonsior and Andrew Heyes | Anthropogenic changes in estuarine systems | Watch the video |
| April 23, 2024 | Chris Rowe | Biodiversity in the human era | Watch the video |
S4C Video Archive
Couldn’t make it to a seminar you were interested in? Want to revisit a seminar you attended to learn more? We’ve got you covered! You can watch live-quality videos of most of our past seminars on the Science for the Community video archive webpage.
Crabs in Crisis Again? Current and Future Challenges in Managing Blue Crab
The 2022 surveys for blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay continue to give cause for concern. In this lecture we will explore what we know about blue crab in the Chesapeake, what might be causing the patterns we observe and what we can do in response
Hanging On by a Scute: Maryland’s Sturgeon up a Creek
Sturgeons coexisted with dinosaurs, and survived asteroid blasts and glacial eras. The conundrum of sturgeon is that despite their evolutionary resilience, they are particularly sensitive to human impacts. In this seminar, Dr. Dave Secor will introduce how Atlantic sturgeon, once thought to be extinct in Maryland, were re-discovered as a small relict population in Marshyhope Creek. He will also discuss the threats, such as a large salmon factory, that jeopardize the recovery of this endangered species.
Fear for the Turtle? Climate Change and Maryland’s Diamondback Terrapins
Learn about Maryland’s state reptile and the challenges it faces as the climate continues to warm. Based on recent and ongoing studies, Dr. Chris Rowe will discuss how nest temperatures affect terrapins during development and how sea level rise is threatening the critical habitats that terrapins depend on throughout their lives.
Long Time, No Sea: Bottlenose Dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake DolphinWatch was launched in 2017 to engage Bay residents in studying when dolphins visit Chesapeake Bay and where they go. Since then, incredible information on dolphin presence, distribution, and behavior in our estuary has been gathered. In this seminar, Project Coordinator Jamie Testa will discuss the research findings from the first 5 years, how graduate students at UMCES CBL are advancing dolphin research in Chesapeake Bay, and future plans for the research.
Chesapeake Reflections: What We’ve Learned During the Past 50 Years and Where We Need to Go in the Future
Dr. Walter Boynton is an internationally recognized expert in estuarine science and restoration. Throughout his career, he’s experienced the pleasures and challenges of trying to better understand how these wonderful estuaries work, what causes serious degradation to water quality and habitats and what we might expect from past and continuing restoration efforts. In this seminar, Dr. Boynton will use examples from the past 50 years of his career to bring these important issues to life.
Science for Communities Seminars are graciously sponsored by:
