Appalachian Lab
Monthly Newsletter

Last October, the Appalachian Lab Investors Network (TALIN) generously provided funding to support several research projects at AL. One of the projects selected for funding was pitched by Matt Fitzpatrick’s Global Change & Biodiversity Lab. The project, titled “A near real-time biodiversity mapping, monitoring, and threat assessment system for the Central Appalachians”, aims to address the urgent need for effective biodiversity monitoring in the face of the increasing threats of climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species in the Central Appalachians, one of the most biodiverse temperate regions in the world and a critical climate refuge and migration corridor.

It is well known that biodiversity is declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, but conserving what remains requires information on how biodiversity is distributed, how it is threatened, and how it is changing. To date this need for information on biodiversity change largely had been filled using traditional, ground-based surveys that are expensive and limited in scope and frequency. However, advances in cloud computing, data collection technologies, and statistical algorithms – along with free access to remote sensing datasets – are for the first time making the promise of low-cost, near-real time monitoring of biodiversity across large regions feasible.

This new project will leverage advances in data science, cloud computing, and machine learning to periodically ingest and integrate millions of biodiversity observations from citizen science platforms like iNaturalist (check out AL’s iNaturalist project as part of UMCES’ 100th year celebration and join to participate!) with biophysical observations collected from multiple remote sensing platforms to identify sensitive areas where biodiversity change is ongoing or expected across the Central Appalachians. Machine learning algorithms will process these inputs to produce high-resolution biodiversity maps, assess changes over time, and identify emerging threats such as invasive species. The goal is to develop a functioning prototype capable of mapping and monitoring biodiversity change and anticipating potential future states, that, with additional funding and development, eventually could become embedded in regional conservation planning. The research team includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Xin Chen, and Burch Fisher.

April 2025

Recent Achievements/Activities/Successes

Fellowship Awarded

Yanyu Wang was recently awarded the 2025-26 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship. This fellowship provides full-time support to University of Maryland doctoral candidates who are in the latter stages of writing their dissertations. 

Yanyu’s dissertation focuses on advancing nitrogen management in agriculture and related systems by analyzing national nitrogen budgets, trade impacts, and nutrient recycling strategies in the U.S. and China. Her research aims to develop data-driven, policy-relevant, and internationally collaborative solutions that support sustainable nitrogen use.

Congratulations, Yanyu!

Pi Day

We recently held our Pi Day celebration.  Gage and Joely were the winners for their tasty pies.

 

STEM Like a Girl Event

Members of the AL community recently participated in the third annual Allegany County STEM Like a Girl event presented by Allegany County Schools, Rocky Gap State Park, and community partners.

 

#100forUMCES

We have some great plans in the works to help celebrate the UMCES Centennial by completing 100 things for UMCES.  Be on the lookout for more an email from AL’s Animal Migration Group about participating in World Migratory Bird Day on May 10, 2025:
 
 

 

 

We want to contribute 100 volunteer hours to help with trash cleanup along the C&O canal and still need volunteers.  The event has been scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 31st.  Scan the QR code at right to learn more.
 

 

 


We’re also trying to document 100 different species on our AL campus through iNaturalist.  Claire recently sent out an email about the project.  Here’s the information in case you missed the email:

Continuing with the many great #100forUMCES initiatives, we thought it would be fun to try to document at least 100 species of any taxonomic group on the Appalachian Lab “campus” using iNaturalist.org! (Shout out to Brian for the great idea.)
 
If you’ve never used iNat before, it’s an app and website for recording biodiversity data through photographs. It’s free, easy to sign up, and fun! The image recognition algorithms are pretty incredible and provide suggested IDs; records are reviewed and species IDs validated by other iNat users before observations are considered “research grade.” The main page provides an overview of how to get started; more details on the Getting Started iNat Help page.
 
To submit to the Appalachian Lab 100 for UMCES Project:
 
1. Sign up for an iNat account and download the app to your phone
2. From the website, join the Appalachian Lab 100 for UMCES Project Page
3. Go outside and find an interesting organism to observe through the app!
4. If the organism is captive/cultivated, make sure you click “yes” (more details at the end of this email)
5. Click “Projects” and toggle the AL project page to “on” (see screenshot below)
6. Celebrate your contribution to 100 for UMCES!
There are two other ways to add observations to the AL project page:
 
1) To add an existing observation from your iNaturalist homepage: Click the observations tab, select an observation you made on the AL campus, scroll down to “Projects”, and click in the search bar – the project name should pop up automatically if you’ve joined.
 
 
2) To add a new observation through the iNat website instead of the app, click the giant red “Add Observations” button on the project page and follow instructions there.
 
1) Captive / cultivated status: Because the AL has lots of plantings, it’s very important to specify when a species is “captive / cultivated.” The iNat website has more information about this category and specific examples: “What does captive or cultivated mean?” For plants, this includes things that are intentionally planted in a garden bed, experimental plot, pollinator garden, greenhouse, Mark Castro’s pumpkin patch, etc. For animals, that might include something like snakes in a zoo or a pet Emu in the LaVale Dollar General parking lot.
You can still use iNaturalist to identify and log these species if you want, just indicate the status when submitting. This helps ensure the quality of iNaturalist data, which researchers use for a variety of interesting questions (examples of publications using iNat records here.) I think we should challenge ourselves to find 100 wild / non-cultivated species, but knock yourselves out!
 
2) Phenology: Consider adding a phenology annotation to your observation to provide additional data for research and general knowledge! Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s possible to do this through the app, but you can add it from your homepage on the iNat website afterwards. Like before, go to your observations page, select the observation, and scroll down to “Annotations” to provide information on things like leaf status, flower presence, etc.
 
Let Claire know if you have questions, concerns, trouble accessing the project page, etc! Happy to add any/all folks as curators or managers for the project, too. I’m a relatively casual user trying to get more into iNat, so feel free to chime in if I’ve made any mistakes or left anything out!
 

Outreach Updates

On Wednesday, April 23, AL will host a ribbon cutting for the solar project in celebration of Earth Week. Join us at 2pm in the lobby for a short ceremony followed by a dessert reception. 

The Richard Johnson Environmental Education Award ceremony and reception will be held on Thursday, August 28, at 7pm at a location to be determined. Please plan to attend. The selection committee will meet in mid-April to select the 2025 winner.

Please remember to rsvp to attend the Appalachian Laboratory Inspiration Award ceremony and reception honoring Michael “Mick” Burkett at 6:30pm, on Thursday, May 15, at AL. 

The UMCES Centennial team recently emailed an invitation for the upcoming premiere of the MPT/UMCES film Restoring Poplar Island. UMCES will hold a screening event on Wednesday, April 16 at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. You can RSVP here to attend the Annapolis screening or watch the premier on MPT on April 20. 

Finally, if you missed buying a copy of Predictive Ecology: The History of UMCES by Dr. Don Boesch at last week’s seminar, you can still purchase copies through the Sea Grant bookstore. Enter “UMCES100” in the coupon code field when checking out to receive 30% off the book price.

DEI Updates

The DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Group has been continuing our work on several specific initiatives at the lab and beyond. Along those lines, we will likely be starting up a couple new working groups in the coming weeks, so feel free to reach out if you have any ideas for something that members of our group should prioritize! Our next meeting will be on Thursday, April 24th, from 2-3pm in the Blue Room – as always, all are welcome!

New Publications

Bobowski, T.J., Bossu, C., Rueda-Hernández, R., Schweizer, T., Tello-Lopez, I., Smith, T.B., Feldman, R., Cohen, E.B. and Ruegg, K. 2025. Factors underlying migratory timing of a seasonally migrating bird. Scientific Reports.

Duo Jia , Cangjiao Wang , Christopher R. Hakkenberg  , Izaya Numata , Andrew J. Elmore and Mark A. Cochrane. 2024. Accuracy evaluation and effect factor analysis of GEDI aboveground biomass product for temperate forests in the conterminous United States. GISCIENCE & REMOTE SENSING.

Iman Salehi Hikouei , Keith N. Eshleman , Bambang Hero Saharjo , Laura L.B. Graham ,Grahame Applegate , Mark A. Cochrane. 2025. Machine-learning based spatiotemporal performance analysis of degraded tropical peatland groundwater level numerical model. Groundwater for Sustainable Development.

James Pierson , Genevieve Nesslage, Alexandra Fries, Heath Kelsey, Feng Chen, Cathlyn Davis, and Kenneth Rose. 2024. Recognizing JEDI Efforts in the Hiring, Tenure, and Promotion Process. Oceanography.

Ryan Woodland, Robert Hilderbrand & David Nelson. 2025. Predictable effects of storage time on δ13C and δ15N values of the ethanol-preserved nymphs of Epeorus vitreus (Walker, 1853) and Acentrella turbida (McDunnough, 1924) (Ephemeroptera). Aquatic Insects.

Spotlight on Safety - SDS Review

Safety Data Sheets are like cheat sheets for chemical safety. They tell you what a substance is, why it’s dangerous, and how to protect yourself. If you work with chemicals, the SDS is your go-to guide for staying safe.  Do you remember all 16 parts of a Safety Data Sheet?  Check out the following video for a quick review:

You have multiple options for accessing Safety Data Sheets here at AL:

  1. Hard copies of all SDS are kept in binders in the first floor lobby vestibule.
  2. Hard copies are also kept in binders specific to laboratories.
  3. Electronic copies are available online through our account at https://accelerate.ehs.com.

 

Admin Updates & Reminders

Submitting Leave Requests in Workday

Everyone should now be using Workday, and not Inside AL, to submit leave requests to their supervisor. To do so, first login to your Workday Account. 

There are multiple locations to access absence requests within Workday:

  1. The “Your Top Apps” section in the right sidebar.
  2. The Menu option in the top left corner, by selecting “Absence”.
  3. The search bar by typing “Request Absence”.

 

If using your top apps or the menu bar to make your request, select the “Manage Absence” button to create a new request:

 

If you use the search bar, you will be taken to a smaller version of the calendar.

Select the date(s) for which you’d like to request your absence, select the type of leave you are requesting and complete the additional fields and then submit your request.

After you submit your request, it will be forwarded to your supervisor for approval.  You will receive an email and a Workday notification once a decision has been made about it.

Resource Review - SERMA Ergonomics Analysis Tool

Do repetitive stress injuries at work have you feeling down?  Musculoskeletal injury risks are often hard to see, but they are important to address to protect workers from performing tasks in ways that can cause injuries and reduce productivity over time. 

Our workers compensation insurance company, Chesapeake Employers, has partnered with TuMeke Ergonomics to bring us computer vision ergonomic assessments, customized for the tasks you perform every day. Access to these ergonomic assessments is included at no extra cost. Here’s how it works:

  1. Using your phone camera, record a 30 second video of the task you wish to assess.
  2. Email the video to safetytech@ceiwc.com from your UMCES account. To send large video files, you may want to use a file sharing service such as WeTransfer. Include your agency number and company name in the email.
  3. Chesapeake Employers will upload the video to TuMeke Ergonomics and reply to your email with their ergonomic assessment of your video. The report will highlight risky postures and provide recommendations on how to change the job to reduce risk. 

Mark Your Calendars

  • April 16th – Poplar Island Documentary Prescreening Event
  • April 18th at 9:00 AM – Grace O’Hara M.S. Defense 
  • April 23rd at 2:00 PM – AL Solar Ribbon Cutting 
  • April 25th at 11:00 AM – Visiting Scholar Seminar by Dr. Yujing Gao
  • May 2nd at 11:00 AM – Visiting Scholar Seminar by Dr. Magdalene Ngeve
  • May 2nd at 3:30 PM – TGIF
  • May 9th at 11:00 AM – AL Town Hall
  • May 15th – AL Inspiration Award
  • May 16th at 11:00 AM – Visiting Scholar Seminary by Dr. Anthony Campbell
  • May 29-30 – UMCES Commencement & Faculty Convocation
  • May 31st from 9:00 am to noon – Trash Pick Up Event on C&O Canal for the 100 for UMCES Centennial Celebration
  • August 28th – Richard Johnson Environmental Education Award Ceremony
  • October 24-25th – MEES Colloquium

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.

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