Return to flip book view

June 2021

Page 1

CHESAPEAKE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | SOLOMONS, MDJUNE 2021ISSUE 58Lab LinesDIRECTOR’S VIEW1IN THIS ISSUE:DIRECTOR’S VIEW23On Sunday June 14th several from the CBL community waded into the Patuxent River with Senator Bernie Fowler. This was the 34th time that the spry 95-yr old former state senator had waded to measure the health of his beloved Patuxent River. His idea is simple, “when I was a boy I could wade in up to my neck and still see my white tennis shoes through the water. If the river is restored, I will be able to see them again.” So each year, supported by many notable Marylanders, Bernie wades in and we measure the depth at which his shoes disappear from view. This year it was 34” – down from previous years, but then it had just rained. In my remarks, I noted I had read two things recently that had had a deep impact on me. The rst is a book by a 95-yr old who has been in the public eye for most of his life and who has been on a crusade to educate people about the natural world. Before you think Bernie has written a book, this was Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on our Planet. This book is a witness statement for how things in the natural world have changed over his life. Statements such as his and indeed Bernie’s are important to remind us that how things are is not how things have to be. Both men have issued powerful calls for saving our planet. Which brings me to the second thing I have read - an article by Tim Wheeler in the Bay Journal about the Bay Program’s admission that we will likely miss the majority of the Bay’s restoration goals. Tim’s article makes for depressing reading. This leads me to ask two questions.If not now, when? This is the time, as we face existential threats of climate change, rising sea levels, increasing rarity of freshwater, to implement a blue new deal to sustain and restore the planet’s oceans, estuaries, rivers and lakes. We need to restore the river to sustain the communities that live along it and rely on its waters. It will come increasingly hard to achieve this goal if we do not commit ourselves now.If not us, who? This cannot be a problem we bequeath to the next generation. It is ours to solve. I believe passionately that we can and must rise to this challenge. It will take changes from all of us. Commitments by all of us and courage by all. But if the pandemic has taught us anything , it is that when men and women of good will come together and work with and listen to the science there is nothing we can’t achieve.I salute Bernie for his courage, his uncompromising spirit and his commitment for change.OUTREACH/SAFETY CORNERPUBLICATIONS

Page 2

1. Make sure the fume hood is working.2. Keep the sash down except when working in the fume hood.3. Raise the sash only the minimum needed to perform the work.4. Work six to eight inches inside the plane of the sash.5. Keep the hood area clear and rear vent unobstructed.6. Raise equipment o the hooded deck. Use PVC pipe donuts (not wood).7. Remove ammables and unnecessary stu.8. Understand the limitations.9. Check/inspect operation at least annually; sash cables every 2-3 years.10. Wear Protective Protection Equipment (PPE).11. Run cords, cables, and tubing under the air foil.12. Move arms slowly in and out of the hood.I would also like to add – please do not stick your head, neck, and shoulders into the hood. The sash is very heavy and supported on cables that can break. If they do break, the sash will come down hard and is capable of breaking bones and dislocating shoulders.Safety Corner: Cheryl ClarkTHE LABORATORY SAFETY INSTITUTE’S WWW.LABSAFETY.ORGGOLDEN RULES OF CHEMICAL FUME HOOD USEOutreach PlanningOver the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered CBL’s outreach eorts. These changes aord us a chance to assess and reexamine past outreach eorts, as well as an opportunity to focus future eorts more strategically. CBL administration and the Outreach Coordinator, Sarah Brzezinski, are meeting weekly to discuss priorities for CBL outreach as guidance related to the pandemic continues to change. Reports on the successes and challenges of past programs are being assembled. Additionally, a survey to solicit faculty input on outreach priorities is in development.Science for CommunitiesThe Chesapeake Biological Laboratory plans to rebrand our popular Science for Citizens Seminar Series as Science for Communities for our Fall 2021 series. In changing the title of the series, we hope to better represent UMCES’ commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity by emphasizing that all individuals are welcome to learn about our innovative research through this public program.In Fall 2021, CBL also hopes to host a hybrid seminar series with options for both limited in-person attendance and webinar participation. Planning for the Fall 2021 Science for Communities Seminar Series is beginning. Outreach

Page 3

www.umces.edu/cbl | 410-326-4281P.O. Box 38 | 146 Williams Street | Solomons, MD 20688-0038PublicationsMartens, J., Romankevich, E., Semiletov, I., Wild, B., van Dongen, B., Vonk, J., Tesi, T., Shakhova, N., Dudarev, O.V., Kosmach, D., Vetrov, A., Lobkovsky, L., Belyaev, N., Macdonald, R.W., Pieńkowski, A.J., Eglinton, T.I., Haghipour, N., Dahle, S., Carroll, M.L., Åström, E.K.L., Grebmeier, J.M., Cooper, L.W., Possnert, G., Gustafsson, Ö., 2021. CASCADE – The Circum-Arctic Sediment CArbon DatabasE. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 13, 2561-2572.Nesslage G, Lyubchich V, Nitschke P, Williams E, Grimes C, Wiedenmann J (2021) Environmental drivers of golden tilesh (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) commercial landings and catch-per-unit-eort. Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12540Secor, D.H., M.H.P. O’Brien, N. Coleman, A. Horne, I. Park, D. Kazyak, D. Bruce, and C. Stence. 2021. Atlantic sturgeon population status in an extremely small spawning habitat: the Nanticoke-Marshyhope Creek Estuary, Chesapeake Bay. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture DOI: 10.1080/23308249.2021.1924617 Yuvaraj M, Dey A K, Lyubchich V, Gel YR, Poor HV (2021) Topological clustering of multilayer networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(21) e2019994118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2019994118The rst Chesapeake DolphinWatch paper has been published! This work was led by Lauren Rodriguez, a past REU student and current MEES M.S. student in Helen Bailey’s group along with co-authors from our DolphinWatch team. Rodriguez, L. K., A. D. Fandel, B. R. Colbert, J. C. Testa, and H. Bailey. 2021. Spatial and temporal variation in the occurrence of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay, USA, using citizen science sighting data. PLOS ONE 16: e0251637.Social MediaDid you know that UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is active on social media?Help us grow our audiences by following us and sharing our posts!https://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakeBioLabhttps://twitter.com/CBLOutreachVisitor CenterOut of an abundance of concern related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Visitor Center will remain closed through at least September 1, 2021.