University of Maryland Chesapeake Bay Experts

AGRICULTURE

• Roselina Angel - Assistant professor, Animal Sciences Center, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Poultry industry; nutritional strategies to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen excretion by farm animals especially poultry; state of the science on best overall strategies to reduce the impact of animal agriculture on the environment
  Research: My work focuses on developing new strategies and modifying and improving current strategies that impact the amount of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, microminerals) excreted by poultry. The focus is to ultimately provide economically viable strategies that allow for continual production of agriculturally important animals while greatly decreasing the amount of nutrients that would be new to the Chesapeake Bay environment.
  Other Credentials: Former nutrition research manager, Purina Mills
  Contact: (301) 405-8494; ra95@umail.umd.edu
  Web site: http://ansc.umd.edu/faculty/ramain.htm; http://www.agnr.umd.edu/AGNRDirectory/Bio.cfm?ID=104839940

• Frank Coale - Professor, soil fertility and management, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Agricultural nutrient management; nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization of cropland; efficient use of agricultural nutrient sources including fertilizers, manures, biosolids, composts and other residual products; minimizing nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural lands to water resource
  Research: Management and fate of nitrogen and phosphorus in agro-ecosystems; current projects -- investigating the development of a phosphorus site index for determining the relative risk for phosphorus loss from agricultural lands; agronomically and environmentally efficient utilization of animal manures in corn and soybean production systems; evaluation of the effectiveness and management of winter cover crops; and evaluation of phosphorus losses from manure and biosolids amended soils
  Contact: (301) 405-1351; cell (301) 509-4816; home office: (301) 854-9197; fjcoale@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.nrsl.umd.edu/faculty/NRSLFacultyInfo.cfm?ID=15
  Media is invited to accompany Coale on farm research and extension education visits.

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ECONOMICS

• Doug Parker - Associate professor, agricultural and resource economics, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Water quality and land use of agriculture in Chesapeake Bay watershed regulation and policy as they affect agriculture and the environment; nutrient management, manure marketing and nutrient trading
  Research: Implementation of nutrient management plans; alternative uses for poultry litter and availability of cropland to use poultry litter as a fertilizer source; regional nutrient balances to assess the potential for manure marketing and movement
  Contact: (301) 405-8042; DPARKER@AREC.UMD.EDU
  Web site: http://www.arec.umd.edu/dparker/

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OYSTERS

• Kennedy Paynter - Director, Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Sciences graduate program, University System of Maryland; associate professor, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD
  Can Talk About: Molluscan biochemistry and physiology, oyster biology, oyster restoration
  Research: Currently studying restoration efforts in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay, disease management efforts in harvest-reserve practices, Asian Suminoe oysters in the Maryland portion of the Bay
  Contact: (301) 405-6893; paynter@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.life.umd.edu/biology/paynterlab/

• Matthew Hare - Assistant professor, biology, University of Maryland
Can Talk About: Oyster restoration, including proposal to introduce Asiatic oyster species, genetics; Oyster populations -- using genetics to study oyster population processes - "I use genetic markers to study population processes such as reproduction and dispersal in marine organisms. These population processes are fundamental to fisheries management, restoration and evolutionary dynamics. The inheritance of genetic variants produces tracers that allow us to follow the movements of individuals between populations that are otherwise very difficult to study. For example, we cannot radio-collar an oyster larva to determine whether it is retained near a sanctuary reef, but each individual is tagged with a genetic signature that can indicate its origin."
Research: Using genetics to test hypotheses about demographic connectedness of oyster populations around the Bay, and to estimate dispersal and recruitment from sanctuary reefs established with artificially selected disease-tolerant native oyster strains for restoration. Additional research is focused on one of the native oyster's parasites, Perkinsus marinus, using patterns of population genetic variation to test for population structure and geographic range expansion
Contact: (301) 405-7264; matt.hare@umail.umd.edu
Web site: http://www.life.umd.edu/biology/faculty/hare/index.html

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RESTORATION

• Thomas W. Simpson - Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Programs, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Much of his work involves integrating science into water quality policy and identifying new practices and policies important to reducing nutrient and sediment inputs to the Chesapeake Bay.
  Other Credentials: Chairs the Chesapeake Bay Program's nutrient subcommittee, which oversees nutrient and sediment reduction efforts from all sources throughout the watershed; member of the Governor's (Maryland) Bay Workgroup; co-chairs the Tributary Strategy Development Team; Mid-Atlantic Extension Water Quality Coordinator; member, Committee on Shared Leadership for Water Quality, a joint effort between USDA-CSREES and land grant universities
  Contact: (301) 405-5696; tsimpson@umd.edu
• Margaret A. Palmer - Professor, entomology, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: How land use influences water quality and biodiversity in watersheds that feed the Bay; how to restore watersheds (particularly streams)
  Research: Stream community and ecosystems ecology, restoration ecology; works closely with Montgomery County, MD Department of Environment Protection to evaluate the effect of land use change on stream ecosystems in four urbanizing watersheds in Maryland; global water issues; environmental futures
  Other Credentials: National lead PI, National River Restoration Science Synthesis; includes the Chesapeake Bay as one of nine focal areas for creating the first ever fully comprehensive, national database on stream and river restoration in the U.S.; leading a team of scientists investigating interactive effects of land use and climate change on Piedmont streams within the Chesapeake Bay drainage area; lead author of Ecology for a Crowded Planet, which advocates shifting from a focus on undisturbed ecosystems to one that acknowledges humans as components of ecosystems
  Contact: (301) 405-6948; mp3@umail.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.palmerlab.umd.edu/;
  National River Restoration Science Synthesis - http://www.eopb.org/watershed_info/restoration_story.php; http://watersheds.umd.edu/

• William Lamp - Associate professor, entomology, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Macroinvertebrates and headwater streams
  Research: My students and I conduct research involving aquatic macroinvertebrates, including topics such as bioassessment, conservation and environmental impacts. My long-term goal is to apply this knowledge to the development of biomonitoring systems that provide better quantitative assessment of conditions in streams exposed to gradients of human influence. In particular, my own research focuses on headwater streams because of their ubiquity (66 percent of Maryland streams), their richness in insect species, their heterogeneity in space and time, and their susceptibility to environmental impacts.
  Contact: (301) 405-3959; lamp@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.entm.umd.edu/Research/estuarine.html

REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY

• Stephen D. Prince - Professor geography, University of Maryland; director, University of Maryland-led Mid-Atlantic Regional Earth Science Application Centers (RESAC) and Laboratory for Global Remote Sensing Studies
  Can Talk About : Use of remote sensing to study global, continental and local environmental conditions, including nutrient runoff to the Chesapeake Bay and effects of urban and residential sprawl; development and dissemination of information to improve land management
  Other Credentials: Heads or is a member of studies on Deforestation and Degradation in Southern and Central African Savannas; Generation of a Consistent Terrestrial Net Primary Production Data Set; Global Vegetation Dynamics; Inter-annual Land Surface Variation and Remote Sensing for Resource Management: The Mid-Atlantic RESAC Consortium
  Contact: (301) 405-4062; sprince@umd.edu; sprince@geog.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.geog.umd.edu/people/Prince.html
  RESAC - http://www.geog.umd.edu/resac/index.html

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SEAFOOD, AQUACULTURE

• Andrew Kane - Director, University of Maryland Aquatic Pathobiology Center
  Can Talk About: General fish health/infectious disease issues; Mycobacteriosis in striped bass; Pfiesteria/harmful algal blooms; toxic contaminants and fish behavior; cancer in fish; Can fish hear?; fish as models for human medicine
  Research: Fish health in the Pocomoke River, revisited; striped bass stock health assessment; Mycobacteriosis prevalence and distribution. The overall project objectives will be to: determine the distribution and prevalence of mycobacterial infection in different age classes of Chesapeake Bay and mid-Atlantic striped bass stock; behavioral toxicology of harmful algal bloom agents and other stressors Morphometry of hepatic neoplasms and altered foci in Chesapeake Bay mummichog
  Contact: akane@umaryland.edu
  Web site: http://aquaticpath.umd.edu
  Media lab visit can be arranged.

• Thomas Rippen - Seafood technology specialist, Sea Grant Extension Program, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Seafood processing industry, e.g. crabs, fish, oysters, clams, scallops; listeria, histamines; how do our products compare to imports
  Research: Listeria and histamine (scombrotoxin) control
  Other Credentials: Assists seafood processors with pathogen-control procedures, especially pasteurization and other moderate thermal processing methods, and plant sanitation programs (good manufacturing practices, cleaning, sanitation and chemical application systems)
  Contact: (410) 651-6636; terippen@mail.umes.edu
  Web site: http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Extension/sfprocessing.html

• Don Webster - Marine Science Agent, Maryland Cooperative Extension, Wye Research and Education Center, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Aquaculture (finfish and shellfish including production systems); soft crab production including recirculating shedding systems; pond management and aquatic weed control; oyster restoration; watermen
  Research: Extension programs and demonstration projects for development of commercial and restoration aquaculture in the Chesapeake and coastal bays; special work in developing a commercial hard clam aquaculture industry in the coastal bays; developing outreach program aimed at community associations to teach proper management of storm water retention ponds and prevention of aquatic weed problems
  Other credentials: Member of Legislative Task Force on Seafood and Aquaculture studying and recommending changes for the increased production of fish and shellfish in Maryland
  Contact: (410) 827-5377, x127; dwebster@umd.edu

• Frederick W. Wheaton - Professor and department chair, biological resources engineering; Maryland Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Aquacultural engineering
  Research: Recirculating aquatic production systems, off-bottom shellfish culture, processing of aquatic products, and the environmental requirements of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants
  Contact: fw4@umail.umd.edu

• Mike Kearney - Professor, geography, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Sea level rise and its impact; coastal marshes in the Chesapeake Bay and marsh loss; shore erosion problems in the Bay; disappearing islands and land loss; sedimentation in the Bay; ECOHAB phenomena and their mapping with satellite data; application of remote sensing to assessments of the Bay's "health;" impacts of storms (hurricanes) on storm surge processes and flooding
  Research: Using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery to assess marsh health in the Bay; developing an early warning system for ECOHAB events using remote sensing; developing adaptive strategies for coping with sea level rise and its impacts for the Bay
  region; looking at the sedimentation dynamics of coastal lagoons and bays behind regional barrier islands
  Other Credentials: Kearney is author or co-author of numerous papers, chapters and books on coastal ecology and sea-level rise, including: Large scale decline of coastal marshes in Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, USA, determined from Landsat imagery; Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union; "Ecology of the North American Coast" in Encyclopedia of Coastal Science, 2002; Sea Level Rise: History and Consequences.
  Contact: (301) 405-4057; mk11@umail.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.geog.umd.edu/people/Kearney.html

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WATER QUALITY

• Allen P. Davis - Director, Maryland Water Resources Research Center; professor, civil and environmental engineering, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Urban storm water quality and concept of Low Impact Development; bioretention as urban storm water best management practices
  Other Credentials: 1993 recipient of NSF Young Investigator Award; teaches courses in environmental process dynamics, unit operations, drinking water and industrial wastewater treatment
  Contact: (301) 405-1958; apdavis@eng.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.cee.umd.edu/annualreport/1997/davis.html

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CULTURE OF THE BAY, WATERMEN

• Michael Paolisso - Associate professor, anthropology, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Watermen; management of blue crab fishery; introduction of non-native oyster Crassostrea ariakensis; understanding cultural issues and discourse related to the Bay; community change; cultural perceptions of environment and pollution; farmers environmental views; environmentalists environmental views; pfiesteria
  Research: Environmental anthropology, cognitive anthropology
  Other Credentials: Field work in numerous countries in Latin America, Kenya, and Nepal; co-director of the Resource Management and Cultural Processes track within the department of anthropology
  Contact: (301) 405-1433; mpaolisso@anth.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/anth/chesapeake/home.htm

• Erve Chambers - Professor, anthropology, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Chesapeake Bay heritage; heritage planning and policy; tourism development
  Research: Historical development of tourism on Maryland's Eastern Shore; sense of place on the Delmarva Peninsula
  Other Credentials: Author, Heritage Matters: Culture, History and Chesapeake Bay Musings; founding editor of Practicing Anthropology; president, Society for Applied Anthropology (1987- 1989); visiting professor to Program in Atlantic Culture and History, Johns Hopkins University (1987-1988); Special Fulbright Scholar in Appropriate Tourism Development at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (1991)
  Contact: (301) 405-1439; echamber@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/anth/chesapeake/home.htm

• Bonnie Braun - Assistant professor, family studies; state family life specialist, Maryland Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Eastern Shore welfare families; food insecurity in Eastern Shore low-income families; health issues of Eastern Shore poor
  Other Credentials: Principal investigator in Maryland segment of USDA/Maryland Department of Human Resources study "Rural Families Speak: Tracking the Well-Being of Rural Low-Income Families in the Context of Welfare Reform," including three-year study of Dorchester County
  Contact: (w) (301) 405-3581; (cell) (301) 335-4335; bb157@umail.umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/Faculty/BBraun.htm

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WETLANDS

• Andrew Baldwin - Associate professor, biological resources engineering, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Wetlands nitrogen levels; wetland ecology; water quality methods; ecological risk and impact assessment.
  Research: Conducts research relevant to constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and plant community dynamics of coastal marshes, mangrove forests and restored wetlands; Currently developing and improving remote sensing abilities for detecting nitrogen levels in tidal freshwater marshes located in the Bay. Wetlands and marsh areas around Maryland's Chesapeake Bay are more than home to a rich variety of wild life. They may be the predictors or large-scale pollution and even global climate change. Baldwin and UM asst. professor Dave Tilley are using a radiometer to measure the vegetation for nitrogen, a product of nutrient pollution from agriculture and other sources, in Chesapeake Bay wetlands. Their research takes place at ground level, as they place their instrument in the marsh area, but they hope to scale up to put their instruments into an aircraft, and eventually a satellite. They hope their findings will result in a model that will allow for prediction of nutrient pollution on a large scale. They also are working on measuring salinity in marsh areas, to monitor and predict global climate change.
  Contact: (301) 405-7855; baldwin@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/bioreng/baldwin.htm
  Media may accompany on wetlands research - with appointment.

• David Tilley - Assistant professor, biological resources engineering, University of Maryland
  Can Talk About: Remote sensing, wetlands nitrogen levels
  Research: Developing and improving remote sensing abilities for detecting nitrogen levels in tidal freshwater marshes located in the Bay. Wetlands and marsh areas around Maryland's Chesapeake Bay are more than home to a rich variety of wild life. They may be the predictors or large scale pollution and even global climate change. Dave Tilley and UM assoc. professor Andy Baldwin are using a radiometer to measure the vegetation for nitrogen, a product of nutrient pollution from agriculture and other sources, in Chesapeake Bay wetlands. Their research takes place at ground level, as they place their instrument in the marsh area, but they hope to scale up to put their instruments into an aircraft, and eventually a satellite. They hope their findings will result in a model that will allow for prediction of nutrient pollution on a large scale. They also are working on measuring salinity in marsh areas to monitor and predict global climate change.
  Contact: (301) 405-8027; dtilley@umd.edu
  Web site: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/bioreng/tilley.htm
  Media may accompany on wetlands research -- with appointment.

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