Arctic researchers Jacqueline Grebmeier and Lee Cooper have been visiting the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska for nearly 30 years, collecting information about the biological diversity of the watery world under the sea ice to understand how marine ecosystems are responding to environmental changes.

Coral reefs in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans received a “fair” score in the first-ever condition status report for U.S. coral reefs released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) today. 4

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Professor Emeritus Michael Kemp, a pioneering ecosystems ecologist and world leader in conducting research on the ecology of estuaries, has passed away after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.

UMCES researcher Matt Gray and a group of researchers and institutions throughout the U.S. received a $10M grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bring advanced technology to the domestic shellfish aquaculture industry.

UMCES researchers were selected to receive $3M award from U.S. Department of Energy to develop a scalable carbon-negative bioreactor system to capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, from power plant flue gases.

Each year, two awards are presented to graduate students following the completion of the Ratcliffe Environmental Entrepreneurs Fellowship. This year, Lauren Jonas won for “Best Product” for Probeeotic, a dry probiotic spray to help the immune systems of bees. Morgan Ross won “Best Presentation” for her work to develop a wearable toxin sensor for Brevetoxin aerosols.

Scientists have discovered that the recent comeback of underwaters grasses in Chesapeake Bay not only removes nutrient pollution and provides habitat for baby crabs and rockfish, but may also offset the growing problem of acidification as climate change impacts the nation’s largest estuary.

These disturbing times challenge us to reflect on our values to ensure that there is no place for any form of racism or discrimination in our institution and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring diversity of all kinds within all facets of our enterprise. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)’s seventh annual Commencement ceremony was held virtually for the first time this year, and featured Lisa Palmer, award-winning environmental and science journalist and author of the book “Hot, Hungry Planet,” as keynote speaker.