It has been incredibly positive year at the Horn Point Lab!
THANK YOU
for your interest in our work!
Here are highlights from a long list of accomplishments.
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New Leadership and Reflections |
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OCEANOGRAPHER MIKE SIERACKI JOINS UMCES AS
HORN POINT LABORATORY DIRECTOR
Leading oceanographer, Professor Michael (Mike) Sieracki has been selected as the new director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland.
“I am impressed by his technical expertise, mentoring experience, and deep commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion when he served in his leadership role at the National Science Foundation,” said UMCES President Peter Goodwin. “He will be a wonderful director that will truly advance both Horn Point Laboratory and UMCES.”
“I am really excited to get started as director at UMCES’ Horn Point Laboratory, which has excellent scientists and staff and a great reputation,” said newly appointed Horn Point Laboratory Director Mike Sieracki. “Their strong tradition of doing excellent education and research that informs policy and practice is needed now more than ever to tackle the great challenges now facing us from our local communities to global societies.”
Photo courtesy of Joao Coimbra
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MIKE ROMAN REFLECTS ON 20 YEARS DIRECTING HORN POINT LABORATORY
In late August, the Spy sat down with Professor Mike Roman to talk about his 20 years as Director at the Horn Point Laboratory as part of their continuing series on Eastern Shore leaders. In their chat, Mike notes some of the notable highlights of this tenure and looks ahead to how the Horn Point Lab will continue to serve the Chesapeake and global coastal communities through their scientific research and education.
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Research Highlights: Resilience, Innovation and Predictions
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MARINE SNOW RESEARCH UNLOCKS MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP OCEAN CARBON CYCLE
Clara Fuchsman and Jacob Cram, assistant professors at HPL, have discovered that parts of the ocean with no oxygen are more efficient at absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a key part of the Earth’s carbon cycle. Sinking particles called marine snow help remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
Jacob Cram gathering water column samples in the open ocean to study dead zones role in storing carbon dioxide. Photo by Clara Fuchsman
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VOYAGE TO GREENLAND TO STUDY EXTREMES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Nicole Trenholm, HPL PhD student, sailed to Greenland’s coast aboard R/V Marie Tharp over the summer. As the lead scientist for the Ocean Research Project (ORP) a nonprofit she co-founded, Nicole is applyed her scientific knowledge collecting data to map the subsurface of Greenland’s fjords and coastal regions. This information will aide a better understanding of the complex combination of forces contributing to the rapidly melting Greenland ice sheet. ORP’s data has assisted NASA’s Ocean-Ice Mission in Greenland. Follow Nicole's journey to Greenland and watch the video of ORP's exploration of Greenland’s coast to appreciate the challenges of gathering scientific data and the mystery of these remote and rapidly melting waters.
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GOVERNOR HOGAN, HORN POINT LAB AND PARTNERS PLANT THE 10 BILLIONTH OYSTER IN CHESAPEAKE BAY
Saturday, August 20, 2022 was a great day for Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. Mike Roman, then director of UMCES Horn Point Laboratory, and Stephanie Alexander, HPL Oyster Hatchery manager, attended an event hosted by the Oyster Recovery Partnership to celebrate 10 billion oysters (yes, with a B!) planted in the Chesapeake Bay. All part of the effort to restore the health of Chesapeake Bay. Governor Larry Hogan led the ceremonial planting to mark the significant 10 billion milestone. Special guests from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters, and the public/private oyster industries were also part of this "shell-a-bration."
photo courtesy of Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP)
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LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR PLASTIC RESEARCH IN THE CHESAPEAKE
Thanks to a $30,000 matching grant from the Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) and a group of generous donors who met the match, a short-wave infrared (SWIR) microscope will be purchased and be a game-changer for the MIcroplastics Marine Debris Project. Scientists William Nardin and Jamie Pierson of the Horn Point Laboratory have embarked on a research project that will lay the foundation for plastic research in the Chesapeake Bay.
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ELECTRICAL BACTERIA MAY HELP SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
“Chesapeake Bay mud may be stinky”, says Sairah Malkin, HPL Assistant Professor and biogeochemist. She notes the smell comes from a toxic sulfide in the mud. In this mud, are squiggling mud dwellers called cable bacteria. Cable bacteria are thinner than a human hair and have the ability to channel electricity. Cable bacteria use that power to rewire their surroundings. Malkin and colleagues are working to understand how these mighty mud dwellers can help clean up coastal ecosystems.
Cable bacteria — the long, thin filaments in this dark-field microscope image — conduct electricity. Scientists hope to harness the bacteria’s behavior in ways that could help the environment.
Photo courtesy Steffen Larsen, Lars Riis Damgaard
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Connecting You To The Horn Point Community |
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Horn Point Welcomed Four New Students for Fall 2022
(Left to right)
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MEET 2 HORN POINT STUDENTS: THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS
Marshall Grossman (left) is a native of North Carolina's barrier islands. He applies modeling to study environmental feedbacks of climate change and the human response to those feedbacks within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Alan Williams (right) is applying his Mechanical Engineering degree from U.of Arizona to improve quality, efficiency, and sustainability of oyster aquaculture in the Chesapeake Bay using modeling and robotics.
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Going Virtual: Growing Engagement and Education
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Explore our library of virtual seminar recordings. Experts from around the globe and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's four labs dive into current environmental issues and the scientific research addressing them.
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The Horn Point Laboratory is grateful for your appreciation of science and shared passion for the environment.
We wish you and your family the very best for a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!
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“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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Located in Cambridge, MD, Horn Point Laboratory is part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science --
a fully-accredited graduate school and research facility conducting environmental research on a variety of ecosystems. From dealing with the effects of climate change to oyster restoration and other
science-based efforts that lead to a healthier Chesapeake Bay,
Horn Point Laboratory IS environmental science.
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With ongoing research programs spanning from the estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the open waters of the world's oceans, Horn Point Laboratory is a national leader in applying environmental research and discovery to solve society’s most pressing environmental problems.
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