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New Biodegradable Plastic Discovery
Researchers at Penn State University have created an inexpensive, eco-friendly alternative to plastic coatings. Jeffrey Catchmark, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering in Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has found a way to combine cellulose from trees and chitosan derived from the exoskeletons of crustaceans to make a plastic-like coating. The...
Read MoreNutrients in Shaver’s Creek
A Masters student in hydrogeology at Pennsylvania State University is studying how nutrients like nitrates move from agricultural lands into local watersheds. Callum Wayman wanted to add an agricultural site to a group of constantly monitored sites run by the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory. He started field work in fall of 2016 by deploying sensors at a farm in Shaver’s...
Read MoreImproving Vibrio Predictions
A team at Johns Hopkins University led by Principle Investigator Frank Curriero investigates a bacteria that could be affecting seafood in the Chesapeake Bay. The project, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, wants to understand the underlying cause of seafood-associated illnesses leading to an estimated 80,000 illnesses in the US every year. The team wants to...
Read MoreNCBO Update on Oysters
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) has released its annual update on research under way as part of its Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services (ORES) project. ORES includes NCBO field work on fish utilization of restored reefs, NCBO-funded research by partner institutions on Bay species’ use of restored reef areas as well as denitrification carried out by reefs and their associated communities, and...
Read MoreVIMS Underwater Grass Navy
The Severn River Association has started a volunteer group called the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Navy to help assist an aerial monitoring program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. So far, 25 volunteers have signed up to hunt down underwater grass and mark its location using GPS through August. The Severn River Association received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Program to survey...
Read MoreVIMS: Developing Coastal Resiliency
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coastal Management recently awarded a nearly $835,000 Coastal Resilience Grant to the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The award is matched by existing funds from partners at VIMS, the College of William & Mary Coastal Policy Center, and Wetlands Watch to...
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