Scientists Serving Communities
On January 8 and 9, Annie Carew and Lili Badri attended the second annual Scientists Serving Communities workshop in College Park. The workshop aimed to bring together UMD researchers with expertise in climate adaptation and resilience and connect them with regional stakeholders and community members who will use the information to strengthen their communities. The workshop’s partners included UMCES Integration and Application Network, Charles County Resilience Authority, and Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development. The structure of this workshop was entirely panel-based discussion, with active participation by all attendees. The conversations were stimulating and interesting, and apply to IAN's work to engage with communities to identify environmental priorities and solutions.
SECOORA Workshop
On January 30th and 31st, members of the IAN team traveled to Wilmington, NC to help facilitate the first SECOORA Workshop, bringing together shellfish and beach condition monitoring experts and scientists developing water quality reporting tools. The workshop presented the current capabilities of beach condition and water quality reporting models and applications and solicited feedback from those making the decisions to close water access due to poor water quality. The group outlined future goals for the tools and identified priorities for future work.
Check out the project page here.
UMCES Centennial Celebration
UMCES held several celebration events in January and February at the Chesapeake Biological Lab (CBL), Appalachian Lab (AL), Horn Point Lab (HPL), and Institute for Marine and Estuarine Technology (IMET). Rosh Nair, Alex Fries, and Heath Kelsey from IAN attended the celebration at IMET on February 6. Speakers included IMET Executive Director Dr. Russell Hill, USM Chancellor Dr. Jay Perman, DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz, Deputy Secretary for MDE Suzanne Dorsey, and, of course, UMCES President Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm. It was inspiring to hear what people had to say about the impact that UMCES has had on Maryland’s environment, and it was wonderful to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great institution together. Of specific relevance to IAN, Secretary Kurtz noted the importance of interdisciplinary applied science and the example that the Chesapeake Report Card provides, Deputy Secretary Dorsey talked about the need for engaged scholarship, and President Miralles-Wilhelm noted how the Chesapeake Bay Report Card serves as a model for other groups in the US and worldwide.
Find more information on the UMCES Centennial here.
Nature Everywhere Week
Nature Everywhere Week in Baltimore, scheduled for April 27 to May 3, 2025, will commence at Druid Hill Park, featuring four days of stewardship and three days of community celebrations. This initiative, spearheaded by InDiGO and the Baltimore Forest School, aims to unite Baltimoreans in enhancing children and communities' access to nature, addressing health, safety, and environmental well-being across the city's 14 districts. The week's activities include planting 200 native trees, removing invasive species, and creating nature play spaces, alongside nature and wellness workshops. The Baltimore Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBOR) is central to this effort, advocating for every child's right to clean air, safe water, and access to enriching outdoor spaces, with support from city and state leaders. The Baltimore Forest School has also developed a framework focused on children to support COBOR, integrating education, economy, environment, and health through public-private partnerships. Learn how to get involved here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MW9ZBGRk4jeqUkLkjfN2yKtZEBay46IF8ZeMllxKfNQ/edit?tab=t.0
Meet the Scientist Series: Heath Kelsey
Each journey to UMCES is unique. It's time to meet the people of IAN and hear their stories. We'll feature a different member of the team each month to get to know what makes them tick!
Hi everyone, my name is Heath Kelsey, and I’m the Director at the UMCES Integration and Application Network. My journey to a research university like UMCES isn’t a traditional one: I’ve worked on landfills with an environmental engineering firm, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, and as a statistical ecosystem modeler for NOAA. Each of these positions convinced me that science can help create a better future. After all those other jobs, I started at UMCES in 2009, initially managing the Chesapeake Bay Report Card partnership with NOAA in Oxford, MD, called “EcoCheck.” I got a crash course in science communication and report cards from IAN alumnus Caroline Wicks, and from there it has been a fantastic ride to the best job in the world. I get to work with amazing colleagues here at IAN, UMCES, and with our partners, helping communities all over the world use science to design a vision for a healthy future, figure out how to get there, and track progress. It’s an amazing thing to see community members from very different backgrounds come together for a better future. I can’t believe I get to do this stuff! Outside of work, I like hiking, biking, boating, and traveling!
If you value research like Heath’s, consider donating to IAN here.