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Message CHESAPEAKE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY I SOLOMONS, MDISSUE 104Lab LinesApril 20251Directors ViewAs we celebrate spring fully underway we have many news items also worthcelebrating. We are thrilled to announce that our new Chesapeake AnalyticalCollaboratory Building has officially achieved LEED Gold certification fromthe U.S. Green Building Council. This is not only a state-of-the-art meetingfacility that will bring all stakeholders together to provide solutions to ournumerous socio-environmental problems, it also speaks to our UMCEScommitment to building a better future—one that values energy efficiencyand responsible resource use. Our facilities team continue to make thecampus look amazing and continue to address issues when they arise, weseemingly are always on a Friday afternoon!We also celebrate our scientists, Matt Stefanak received the Clint WatersAward for his dissertation research and Jackie Grebmeier received her 2025Excellence in Scholarship/ Research award at the USM Board of Regentsmeeting in Towson University on April 11th.Our Science for Community Seminar series was a huge hit this year, two ofthe five seminars we needed to bring extra chairs in for! These series are agreat outreach opportunity to showcase our research to the public, and forthis Spring series, highlighting the legacy of our 100 years and continuebuilding on the work from true visionary’s including our founder Dr. R.V. Truittand Dr. Mansueti. It is through events like these—and through our outreachefforts, such as the Earth Day celebration at Green Holly Elementary whichJamie Testa attended—that we strengthen our connection to thecommunities we serve and affirm our role as a trusted voice in environmentalscience. We have many other outreach events planned for May and June,Sotterly festival, College of Southern Maryland NatureFest, Juneteenth andthe Bernie Fowler Patuxent River wade-in events, both at the JeffersonPatterson Park. We welcome volunteers, so if you have a spare couple ofhours please sign up to join us at these events.As the semester winds down, and the summer field season kicks in, I wish allour students the best for finishing up their classes.

Photo Credit : Kaitlynn WadeIn Case You Missed It2It's Official! The final US Green Building Council LEED Gold design reviewwas returned with all points awarded for the new Chesapeake AnalyticalCollaboratory Building on the CBL campus. It takes a team of creativeindividuals across the design fields to achieve this certification. Weshould all celebrate the dedication to innovation, sustainability, energyefficiency and environmental stewardship this certificationacknowledges. And, what a great example this building will be to inspireothers to build responsibly. 2025 March Madness crowned the champion. Congratulations to our bracket winners Madison Sholes(1st place), Steffie Landeweer (2nd place), Lael Collins (2nd place), Nina Santos(2nd place), and Amir Azarnivand (3rd place)! For more information about MarchMammal Madness check out:https://libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalMadness/Results.Several students and FRAsalso participated in an 8week trivia competition at St.Inie's coffee shop! Theirteam the "Copepals" endedup in second place overall!The results are in for the 2025March Mammal Madnesscompetition. We had 24participants that competed in thebracket challenge hosted byArizona State University every year.Out of all the animals "battling"one another, the polar bear wasPhoto Credit : Kaitlynn WadeMatt Stefanak received the ClintWaters Award from MEES thismonth, a scholarship thatprovides $2000 that’ll go towardhis dissertation research onjuvenile fish trophic ecology inthe Chesapeake Bay offshoreestuary.Photo Credit : Kaitlynn WadeCheck out the upcoming volunteer opportunities(click on the pic)

In Case You Missed It3CLICK HEREHave any noteworthy news to share with the public?Don’t forget to share it with the UMCEScommunication team!Many thanks to JeanetteDuran undertaking heryearly "treasure hunt" forall things with a CBLinventory number. Herewith Caroline Tribble, sheendures fouling gifts ofthe Atlantic uncovering aCBL number hidden underlayers of seaweed, andbarnacles. On Friday April 25 Jamie Testa attended anEarth Day celebration at Green HollyElementary School to talk with students andtheir families about dolphins in ChesapeakeBay. It was a fun, community event where thestudents got to learn about dolphins, bees,bats, and make slime. The St. Mary's Co HealthDepartment and a free library were also inattendance. Jamie was invited by a recentparticipant of the Leadership SouthernMaryland (LSM), Mariana Rutherford, whovisited CBL in 2024.Photo Credit: Dave SecorScience for Community Seminar SeriesPjhoto Credit: Louise MitchelmorePictured left, Tom Miller’s seminar focused on the remarkablevision of CBLs founder, Reginald V. Truitt, laid the foundation for theinstitution today. This talk will explore Truitts vision and its earlylegacy that is visible still on our campus.The spring 2025 Series highlights our history and 100 year legacyin groundbreaking environmental research, education and publicservice.When: Tuesdays from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. April 8 - May 6, 2025Where: CBL’s Bernie Fowler Lab

Recent Publications & Awards4PublicationsJacqueline Grebmeier receiving her award from theUSM Board of Regents Chair, Linda Gooden, forexcellence in Arctic sciences research.Photo credit: Thomas Nappi.Photo credit: Thomas Nappi.Professor Jacqueline Grebmeier of the University of Maryland Centerfor Environmental Science (UMCES) has been honored with the 2025Excellence in Scholarship or Research Award by the University Systemof Maryland (USM) Board of Regents. This prestigious awardrecognizes her outstanding contributions to Arctic science over thepast four decades. Based at UMCES’ Chesapeake BiologicalLaboratory, Grebmeier has dedicated her career to studying the impactsof climate change, particularly warming seas and diminishing sea ice,on high-latitude marine ecosystems.One of her most significant accomplishments is the development ofthe Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO), a collaborativeinternational network that monitors environmental change acrossthe Pacific Arctic. Under her leadership, the DBO has grown into acritical tool for tracking long-term ecosystem responses to climateshifts. Grebmeier’s extensive fieldwork and long-term datasets haveproven essential to both scientific research and policy, earning her areputation as a trusted advisor to U.S. government agencies, theExecutive Branch, and international Arctic research bodies.In addition to her scientific leadership, Grebmeier has been widelyrecognized by organizations such as the American Association forthe Advancement of Science and the International Arctic ScienceCommittee. She has led numerous expeditions, including a 2022research cruise to the North Pole aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutterHealy, and holds advanced degrees from institutions including theUniversity of Alaska, Stanford, and the University of Washington. Herachievements place her among the most distinguished faculty inUMCES’s 100-year history, joining a notable group of RegentsFaculty Award recipients for their global research impact.Full article: https://www.umces.edu/news/jacqueline-grebmeier-USM-award-2025From left: Jay A. Perman (USM Chancellor),Jacqueline Grebmeier (UMCES Professor), FernandoMiralles-Wilhelm (UMCES President) and Linda R.Gooden (Board of Regents Chair)Jacqueline Grebmeier recognized by the University System of Maryland Boardof Regents for excellence in research in Arctic sciencesShen, C., Testa, J.M, Song Y. (2025) Potential impacts of invasive mussels on long-term carbonatechemistry changes in Lake Michigan. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology. 10.1007/s00343-025-4321-zAWARDS

In the News5Dr. Beth Polidoro Named Director OfUMCES Chesapeake BiologicalLaboratory (Bay Net/SouthernMaryland News) April 3The University of Maryland Center forEnvironmental Science (UMCES) hasnamed Dr. Beth Polidoro, a renownedexpert in marine science andenvironmental chemistry, the newDirector of its Chesapeake BiologicalLaboratory. Dr. Polidoro will begin herappointment on August 1, 2025.Chesapeake region’s growth woes embodied at Solomons Island BY Jeremy Cox (Bay Journal) April 8[Walter] Boynton, an environmental engineer and professor [emeritus] who retired from the University ofMaryland Center for Environmental Science’s Chesapeake Biological Lab (CBL) in 2017, said theprogram grew from his frustration with the monitoring data that was available — or not available.Speed restrictions imposed for right whales near Ocean City(Coast TV) April 2A voluntary speed restriction zone has been established off the coastof Ocean City after right whales were detected in the area on March30. The Acoustic Slow Zone, designated by the Woods HoleOceanographic Institution and the University of Maryland Center forEnvironmental Science, will remain in effect through April 14. Photo by Dave Harp Photo by Dave Harp Photo by Dave Harp

Upcoming Events6Maryland Public Television’s 21st annualChesapeake Bay Week runs April 20-26 (Globe Newswire) April 8During the week of April 20-26, MPT will offer morethan 18 hours of content focusing on the ChesapeakeBay… Resurrecting Poplar Island – Sunday, April 20 at7:30 p.m. Witness the rebirth of a unique Chesapeakeecosystem in Resurrecting Poplar Island… producedin cooperation with the University of Maryland Centerfor Environmental Science.

Know your chemicals When you start to work in a laboratory (or even at home) you need to make sure you have a goodworking knowledge of the chemical(s) you will be using for your research or work. This information ismade available to you in the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) which are kept in binders in every laboratory. The SDS is helpful to let you know what type of chemical (flammable, toxic, corrosive, etc.) youhave, how to handle it before starting a procedure, storage, disposal and the associated hazards. The SDSwill list the type of protective gear you should wear and it also has the first aid information you will need ifyou should have an accident. You should determine beforehand what would be the worst case accidentscenario for a chemical so you would know what immediate action to take rather than having to deal withfinding the information after an accident has occurred. If you are a supervisor, please be sure to instruct new hires on how to handle the chemicals in your labbefore starting any experiments or procedures. It must not be assumed that they will know what to do interms of safety and handling. Most undergraduate laboratories use a fixed program of experiments year inand year out and the safety training that students received are particular to those procedures and will notalways translate to an academic research laboratory.Safety Data Sheet Section Information1. Identification of substance2. Hazards Identification3. Composition/information on ingredients4. First aid measures5. Firefighting measures6. Accidental measures7. Handling and storage8. Exposure controls/personal protection9. Physical and chemical properties10. Stability and reactivity11. Toxicological information12. Ecological information13. Disposal considerations14. Transport information15. Regulatory information16. Other informationWWW.UMCES.edu/cbl I 410-326-4281P.O. Box 38 I 146 Williams Street I Solomons, MD 20688-00387Safety Corner: Cheryl Clark