For 90 years, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has led the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories spanning from the Allegheny Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, our scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.
WATCH OUR 90TH VIDEO 90TH PHOTO GALLERY HISTORIC TIMELINE
“While celebrating the past, we are really focusing on the future. We have to help finish the job of restoring the Chesapeake Bay, use our expertise to help the rest of the world address similar problems, and deal directly with the global environmental challenges of the 21st century.”
--Dr. Donald Boesch, UMCES President
Leadership in the Chesapeake Bay
Our renowned scientists have been at the core of understanding changes in the Chesapeake Bay--from the disappearance of seagrasses and declines in blue crabs to oyster restoration efforts and the rockfish comeback. We continue to advise our leaders on how to achieve effective environmental policy and natural resource management.
Graduate Education
We train the next generation of scientists—graduate students who work shoulder-to-shoulder with their faculty mentors to be next scientifically trained environmental stewards.
Pioneering a Scientific Legacy
Since its inception 90 years ago, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has been on the forefront of Chesapeake Bay restoration. From the earliest documentation in the 1920s of the declining oyster fishery to more recent studies on harmful algal blooms and dead zones, UMCES has led the way in collaborative research in the Chesapeake and set the standard in environmental science of the Bay.
