ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 1, 2015)—The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s second annual Commencement ceremony was held on Friday, May 1, at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis and featured Dr. Holly A. Bamford ’02, Acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as keynote speaker.
This year, 19 students received joint degrees from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the University of Maryland College Park (UMD). In 2013, the Maryland General Assembly granted UMCES the authority to award M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in marine and environmental sciences jointly with UMD. Every year, nearly 100 graduate students study and work alongside UMCES scientists and faculty members through the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) Program, a nationally eminent interdisciplinary graduate program.
“From UMCES’ earliest days conducting research on the Chesapeake Bay’s oysters and crabs 90 years ago, we have been preparing the next generation of environmental experts,” said UMCES President Don Boesch. “We train graduate students shoulder-to-shoulder with their faculty mentor—in our laboratories and out in the field—from day one of their studies. We are extremely proud to see them take the next step to make an impact on our world.”
The commencement ceremony featured alumna Dr. Holly A. Bamford delivering the keynote address. Bamford is the Acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She earned both her M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2002) in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences program while a student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Other speakers include: President Donald Boesch, Director of the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences program Kennedy Paynter, Vice President for Education Edward Houde, University System of Maryland Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joann Boughman, and Professor and Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Director Thomas Miller.
For a list of 2014-2015 graduates, click here.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science unleashes the power of science to transform the way society understands and manages the environment. By conducting cutting-edge research into today's most pressing environmental problems and training the next generation of environmental scientists, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more sustainable future. From the mountains to the sea, our five research centers include the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park. www.umces.edu
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