NSF CAREER GRANT AWARD - DR. MERCEDES BURNS
Dr. Mercedes Burns Photo Courtesy: UMBC
February 7, 2023 - Congratulations to our very own Dr. Mercedes Burns who has been formally awarded an NSF CAREER grant. Dr. Mercedes Burns is Assistant Professor in the College of Natural & Mathematical Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Burns was also recently appointed as a MEES faculty member, and is advising several MEES graduate students who are part of UMBC’s ICARE program. As reported in this announcement, fellow UMBC MEES faculty member Dr. Tamra Mendelson notes that this five year grant “is NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty” and integrates research and education. We at the MEES Graduate Program are so very proud of Dr. Burns whose passion for education, research, discovery and hard work are being rewarded!
Dr. Burns’ interests are focused on evolutionary ecology of reproductive traits and behaviors, sexual conflict, reproductive polymorphism, and arthropod biologies. For more information on The Burns Lab, please click here. Check out the abstract for the NSF grant entitled: “The role of local adaptation to reproductive conflict in the distribution of facultatively parthenogenetic reproduction”.
FEBRUARY 2023 - national black HISTORY MONTH
Monthly Spotlight: National Black History Month (February 2023) - Who is Ernest Everett Just? Ernest Everett Just, (1883 - 1941), was an African-American biologist and arguably one of the most brilliant scientist of his generation. Born in 1883 in Charleston, S.C., Ernest graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1907 as an esteemed Rufus Choate scholar. His scientific prominence was attained as a marine researcher, credited for many groundbreaking discoveries and theories in cellular physiology & experimental embryology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Faculty Focus: Dr. Maurice Crawford (retired) served as Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Science, was a long time MEES faculty member and served as the MEES Graduate Program Campus Director at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a member on the Environmental Molecular Science & Technology (EMST) Admissions Committee, as well as the UMES representative on the MEES Program Committee. Dr. Crawford holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and received his Master’s degree in Ecology from Rutgers University where he studied the population genetics of weakfish. Dr. Crawford received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University where he examined the effects of seagrass spatial heterogeneity on fishes. He was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). As an AAAS Science and Diplomacy Fellow he worked with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) providing technical assistance on USAID’s Climate Change Initiative. Dr. Crawford also joined the DREAMS program, a partnership program between Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science whose mission is to increase the participation of underrepresented minority students in environmental and marine sciences. Dr. Crawford mentored many MEES graduate students throughout the years, who have gone on to experience success and awards for their research. For more information on Dr. Crawford’s research, please click here.
MEES Research Corner: Darryl Acker-Carter (ECOL SYS, ‘21) is an M.S. MEES student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Darryl, advised by Dr. Mercedes Burns & Dr. Tamra Mendelson, is also part of the ICARE program, a Global Sustainability Scholar, and a member of the MEES-GSO. The ICARE program, which only accepts up to ten students per year, is a cross-sector network of environmental scientists and engineers who are committed to increasing the diversity of the environmental workforce and engaging the community in local environmental research in and around Baltimore Harbor. The Global Sustainability Scholar is a three-year REU NSF funded program that is exceptionally competitive, and Daryl was in the top 5% of the national applicant pool of over 200. Prior to joining the MEES program, Darryl graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor’s in Environmental and Sustainability Studies; being on the Dean’s List for nearly every semester (cumulative 3.63 GPA). Darryl brings a wealth of research experience including internships at: NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Fisheries Region Office, the GIS lab at the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute, and the University of Washington’s Living Systems Lab as a summer research assistant (2020). Darryl also serves as President of the local Alpha Kappa Chi chapter, and is a member for the Wildlife Society. Darryl has also served as the Logistics Committee Head for the Virginia Environmental Justice Planning Committee. Darryl’s current research is focused on investigating the effectiveness of a new type of automated oyster aquaculture gear. Together with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Martine Applied Physics Corporation, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, and EcoLogix, Darryl is exploring new ways to grow oysters for commercial and restoration goals in Baltimore. Update (7/9/24): Darryl graduated with his Master’s in MEES in Spring 23 from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and now works as a Research Associate in the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academies of Science passionate about facilitating collaboration and community-engaged research. For more info on Darryl, please click here.