Appalachian Lab Monthly Newsletter
In November we announced that Miriam Johnston and Matt Fitzpatrick were awarded funding from The Appalachian Laboratory Investors Network (TALIN) for 2026. This program was developed to provide private funding for early-stage research on environmental issues of importance to the Appalachian region that has potential to be transformative. This month, we’re sharing more details about Miriam’s project.
The project, titled “Calibration and application of an individual tree-level, process-based forest simulation model for the central Appalachian region,” aims to develop a simulation modeling tool to support forest management and conservation in central Appalachia.
Why is a forest simulation model helpful? Trees are large and long-lived, and forests are subject
to diverse and interacting threats, including climatic stress, such as flood, drought, and
heatwaves, and disturbance, such as logging, mining, wildfire, and insect and pathogen assault.
In Maryland, current political interest in developing woody biomass energy resources to meet
greenhouse gas targets portends additional near-term harvesting pressure. Effectively conserving
and managing forests in this complicated context benefits from the ability to do speedy, low
stakes tests of candidate management activities given various climate and disturbance scenarios.
We are using forest inventory and remote sensing data to calibrate iLand, the individual-based
forest landscape and disturbance model. iLand is particularly well-suited for simulating forest
responses to management and disturbance because many disturbances and interventions are
inherently spatial or selective, and iLand simulates each tree in a spatially-explicit location.
Dr. Shijie Shu recently arrived at the Appalachian Lab to begin work on this project. Shijie is
joining us from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, in Berkeley, CA, where he developed and
applied a vegetation demographic model to assess the carbon implications of improved forest
management. If you see Shijie in the halls, please introduce yourself!
New Faces
Aaron Martin, Facilities Coordinator
Aaron is our new Facilities Coordinator. Before joining UMCES, he worked for 25 years in maintenance as an Instrument Technician at the Verso Paper Mill in Westernport and then as an Electrical/Mechanical/HVAC Technician at the Allegany County Board of Education. Aaron enjoys many outdoor activities, especially riding motorcycles.
Shijie Shu, Assistant Research Scientist
Shijie Shu is a climate and ecosystem researcher who joined AL this month. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and before coming to Frostburg he was a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. At AL, he will be working as an ecosystem researcher focusing on forest community dynamics and disturbance modeling in collaboration with Miriam. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking and reading. He is looking forward to exploring the nearby trails in his free time. Recently, he has been reading “Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense” by Saul Perlmutter.
Recent Achievements/Activities/Successes
Lunar New Year
In February, we celebrated Lunar New Year as a lab community with a potluck lunch, including authentic dumplings. Here are some photos from the event:
Tidewater Chapter AFS Meeting
Zach Zbinden and Kyle Rufo recently attended the meeting of the Tidewater Chapter of the American Fisheries Society that was held at Chesapeake Biological Lab. Kyle presented some of his dissertation work and received a second place award for Best Poster Presentation. We’ll be hanging the poster in the third floor hallway soon, but if you’d like to take a look at his poster now here is a digital version. Congratulations, Kyle!
New Postdoctoral Appointment
Yanyu Wang recently received a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgetown University. Members of the AL community recently celebrated with her at El Maya. Congratulations and best wishes, Yanyu!
C&O Canal Clean-Up
As many of you will recall, last spring about 25 of us from the Lab participated in a trash cleanup event along the C&O Canal National Historical Park in which we removed >100 pounds of trash from several locations along the canal towpath. Everyone who participated (attached are some photos) had fun and said that they would like to do it again! Well, that time has arrived! The Park has asked us to again work at sites near Cumberland on their upcoming Park-wide clean up day: Saturday, April 11. If you’d like to participate, please sign up here. Family members and friends are welcome.
Please let Rhonda or Dave know if you have any questions. Here’s a photo from last year’s event:
STEM Like a Girl
Earlier this month, Rhonda Schwinabart, Sarah Endyke, and Sarah Bomar participated in the STEM Like a Girl event held at Allegany High School. Their activities were very popular with the participants. The mission of STEM Like a Girl is to excite and empower girls with knowledge and confidence in STEM fields to become future problem solvers and leaders. Our local event is organized and hosted by Rocky Gap State Park and Allegany County Public Schools. Many thanks to Rhonda, Sarah, and Sarah for taking time out of their Saturday to conduct such important community outreach. Here are some photos from the day:
Provost and VPRED visit to AL
DEI Update
What is DEI?
The AL DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) group wants to raise awareness of what DEI is and why it’s relevant to you. Last semester, we explored core reasons why DEI matters in science:
We have institutional responsibilities, it improves our science, and it fosters a better community.
Throughout this semester, we will demonstrate what DEI looks like at the Appalachian Lab in practice by highlighting two core themes:
Activities focused on outreach and education within and beyond the AL community.
Efforts to support a diverse community in academia.
Questions, comments, concerns? Fill out our anonymous feedback form!
Spotlight on Safety - Emergency Preparedness & Response
This month, we’d like to tell you about the updated Emergency Response Flip cards. We recently updated them and posted the new versions in labs and in common areas. We have changed the color scheme to orange to make them easily recognizable.
These are quick references just in case you forget what to do for the most likely potential emergencies we could encounter here at AL. If you’d like a copy for your office, desk, or work area, we have placed a box of copies by the mailboxes on the second floor for anyone to grab. If could place your older, blue copy in that same box so that we can re-use the binding and hanging hardware, it would be appreciated.
Please disregard any of the older versions of this reference guide.
Here’s a quick summary of the changes:
New Contact Information
We have replaced John’s contact information with Aaron’s in case you need to reach him for a facilities-related emergency.
New Rally Point
Following recommendations from the Safe Campuses visit last fall, we have changed our rally point for emergency evacuations, like fires. The previous location (flagpole) was a little too close to the building. During any evacuation emergency, everyone should now proceed to the middle parking lot at the front of the building out by where the trailers are currently parked. We will be installing a sign to mark this location (photo at right). This will be safer for everyone because it’s further away from the building and gets us away from egress to the building by emergency responders.
Please note that all of our emergency egress maps incorrectly reference the old flagpole. We will be updating those soon.
Weather Emergency Shelter Locations
From now on, if we experience a tornado warning and need to seek shelter, proceed to the first floor rest rooms. Those are the safest locations. If those fill up, the back of the classroom (112) is a secondary location. Signs have been posted on the doors of the first floor restrooms designating them as severe weather shelter locations.
Digital Accessibility
New digital accessibility regulations taking effect at the end of April will affect how we create and share digital content across UMCES – both internally and externally. In an institution centered on research and education, accessibility is essential to ensuring that our materials, including documents, websites, presentations, online resources, and even emails, can be used by all members of our community and to external audiences. In January, we covered how you can use built-in heading styles to make your content more accessible to screen readers. Another key element of digital accessibility is the effective use of contrast and color. By improving contrast and color, we can make our content more usable for all individuals. Here are some practical tips on enhancing contrast and color in your digital work, along with recommended tools to help you assess and implement these changes:
Contrast Tips
Contrast is vital for readability and comprehension. A strong contrast between text and background colors makes it easier for users to read and engage with content. Your goal should be a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text and 3:1 for large text. Tools such as the WebAIM Contrast Checker and Contrast Ratio are excellent resources for measuring contrast ratios. You can enter in your background and foreground colors, and the tools will calculate your contrast ratio in the context of web accessibility guidelines. To simplify, try to use dark text on a light background or vice versa, as this combination tends to be more readable. Here are some examples of good and bad contrast:
Color Tips
Color plays a significant role in conveying information, but it shouldn’t be the only means of doing so. When using color to highlight key information or to differentiate between elements, ensure that all users can access the information regardless of their color perception. Avoid using color combinations that are problematic for colorblind users, such as red and green. Instead, employ patterns, textures, or labels alongside colors to enhance understanding. Tools like the Color Oracle Color Blindness Simulator can help simulate how your content appears to those with different types of color blindness, allowing you to make necessary adjustments.
When it comes to making graphs more accessible to colorblind users, consider these practical tips:
- Use Colorblind-Friendly Palettes: Opt for colors that are easily distinguishable for colorblind individuals, such as blue, orange, and yellow. Resources like the Color Universal Design (CUD) palette provide excellent options.
- Incorporate Patterns and Textures: Use different patterns, shapes, or textures for different data points in your graphs. This helps convey information even if colors are indistinguishable to some users.
- Label Clearly: Ensure that all lines, bars, and sections are clearly labeled with text or numbers. This allows users to understand the data without relying solely on color.
- Test and Adapt: Use tools like Coblis (Color Blindness Simulator) to test your graphs’ accessibility. This will help you see how color choices affect readability for various types of color vision deficiencies.
To help illustrate this concept further, examine the four scatter plots below. Figures (a) and (c) have been created in red and green and figures (b) and (d) show how those figures would look to someone with red-green confusion. Figure (a) employs red circles to display Sample A and green circles to display Sample B, while Figure (c) uses closed, red circles to display Sample A and open, green squares to display Sample B. Employing both open/closed symbols and different shapes allows all users to be able to distinguish between Samples A and B, making your figure more accessible to everyone:
These new digital accessibility regulations take effect at the end of April. If you’d like to explore digital accessibility in advance of these, please visit the UMCES Accessibility Intranet page. Remember that digital accessibility is not just a requirement; it’s a commitment to inclusivity that benefits everyone. Let’s work together to make our digital world a more accessible place!
Resource Review - CrashPlan
Ensure that all of your files are regularly and seamlessly backed up with CrashPlan. Costs are covered by the lab for all faculty and staff. Licenses are available for GRAs, post-docs and FRAs at a cost of $60/year. PIs should submit a request through ALPS for the license with a note indicating on which machine the license should be installed.
Mark Your Calendars
- TGIF, April 3rd at 3:30 PM
- Visiting Scholar Seminar Series: Dr. Jenn Burns – April 10th at 11 AM
- C&O Canal Clean Up, April 11th
- April Town Hall, Friday April 24th at 11 AM
- AL DEI Meeting, Monday, April 27th at 2 PM
- TGIF, May 1st at 3:30 PM
- UMCES Faculty Convocation – May 11-12 at CBL
- UMCES Graduation – May 29th at IMET
Quick Links
Do you have something you’d like to share with the AL community? Please submit any announcements and updates to Katie Kline or Heather Johnson.
