August 2021 Director's Corner Beyond Pipelines What do diversity in the workforce, the infrastructure bill, and natural gas have in common? All have been described as complex interplays of pipelines, leaks, and capacity. In all instances, there is something of value being carried from one point to the next, whether talent, [...]
Reflections on the Bay Reflections on Chesapeake Bay Restoration from the first Earth Day (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program) 51 years after the first Earth Day, Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) asked our community and member institutions to reflect on decades of Chesapeake Bay preservation and restoration efforts to [...]
May 2021 Director's Corner Inflection Points I have been thinking a lot about inflection points lately - changes in direction, changes in slope. ScienceDirect provides a useful definition as, “Inflection points are spots where the growth of the curve begins to slow (going from concave up to concave down), or increase [...]
Think Globally, Act Locally The phrase is a familiar call to action, used in a variety of contexts from mathematics to corporate social responsibility to a wide range of environmental issues. At first glance it seems entirely pragmatic and appropriate to all of the instances in which it is utilized, reminding us to see the [...]
Fighting Climate Change Starts Locally From sea level rise to extreme weather events, the impacts of climate change are felt by all across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Powerful storms and increased precipitation lead to nutrient pollution from runoff and stream erosion, higher temperatures can cause species to shift their habitat range and have human health [...]
Straight roads do not make skillful drivers… Paulo Coelho I am always struck by our ability as scientists and practitioners to embrace and experience a curved and complex path, and to have boundless curiosity for the nooks and crannies of understanding. The stories of [...]
‘Tis a season of lists: Zoom calls, errands, year-end reports, gifts. In the spirit of trying to let as few spinning plates drop as possible, I requested, and received, my father’s Christmas list. He’s a well-read, independent, widowed, and talkative 87-year old native New Yorker, and so the list is always thoughtful and intentional, a [...]
Democratizing Science in the Chesapeake Bay Citizen science creates a participatory pathway for the public to engage in the scientific process and data collection. Through our conversations with the community, we’ve learned that the term “citizen science” can be exclusive and wanted to clarify the use of the term in this article. Citizenship, or the [...]
Taking Action for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice 2020 has brought unprecedented change to our world, including the global COVID-19 pandemic, protests against systemic racism, and welcomed discussions about ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) goals are actualized and institutionalized. One of the many benefits of the Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) umbrella of [...]
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” Mary Oliver, American poet Paying attention. What an almost overwhelming thought at this point in 2020. And yet, we are generally in this line of work because we do pay attention to things that are unseen for many: movement of organisms and constituents; presence or [...]
