At the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, our celebrated faculty join aspiring graduate students to engage in cutting-edge research focused on our most valuable assets-–the environment and its natural resources. We hope to address the great environmental challenges of the 21st century by producing highly capable scientists who will serve as tomorrow’s scientific leaders.
Every year more than 100 graduate students come to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to work side-by-side with some of the best environmental scientists in the world. Studying everything from the effects of development of stream ecosystems to new ways to feed fish in aquaculture, these men and women are training to solve environmental problems today so we have a better world tomorrow.
Our 2011 annual report focuses on the research being done by tomorrow’s scientific leaders and showcases a year of scientific discovery that has made an impact both locally and worldwide. By conducting research into today's most pressing environmental problems, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more environmentally sustainable future.
We are Maryland’s premier research institution aimed at advancing scientific knowledge of the environment. Comprised of the Appalachian Laboratory in the mountains of Western Maryland, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the mouth of the Patuxent River, the Horn Point Laboratory on the Eastern Shore, the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and Maryland Sea Grant in College Park, we excel in bringing together interdisciplinary scientific studies in pursuit of a greater understanding about ecosystems and their natural processes.
In 2011, we launched a new vessel to test emerging ballast water treatment technologies in the maritime shipping industry with the goal of reducing the introduction invasive species into local waterways. Our scientists were lauded for the expertise and impact around the world, including a prestigious Regents Award from the University of Maryland.
Our scientists published more than 150 scholarly journal articles, and their impact was especially felt in Maryland where studies led to a recommended moratorium on harvesting oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and new research that shows for the first time that decades of efforts to improve the Bay are starting to make a difference in water quality.
We hope to continue to address the great environmental challenges of the 21st century by producing highly capable scientists who will serve as tomorrow’s scientific leaders. Our success over more the 40 years is frequently cited as a tangible example of the advantages of the strong system of higher education that Maryland is fortunate to have.
