Dear colleagues,

As winter weather quickly turns to summer (what ever happened to spring?), many of us are celebrating longer daylight hours, the beginning of crab season, the end of classes, the graduation of students, the relaunching of boats, and the application of the Phase 6 Chesapeake Bay Modeling System. Well, some of those things are more celebratory for some of us than others … but you all know what I mean.

And speaking of our upcoming summer — June 12, 13, and 14 (a week before the summer solstice) are special days to put in your calendars.  This is when many of the prominent researchers, managers, educators, students, and other scientists interested in better understanding the Chesapeake Bay, its fisheries, and its immense 64,000 square-mile (166 billion square-meter!) watershed will be gathering in Annapolis for the Chesapeake Research and Modeling Symposium.  Please note the very deliberate addition of the word “Research” to the symposium’s name, which emphasizes the participation and reflects the inextricable relationships among fundamental research, controlled experimentation, field-scale observations, and various forms of human conceptual, mathematical, and computational constructs (models) that are used to codify hypotheses, interpret findings, make predictions, and inform decision making.  In fact, as this conference continues to evolve in the years and decades ahead, the organizing committee (a Steering Committee of the Chesapeake Community Modeling Program) foresees an increasingly large and inclusive biannual gathering focused on the science of Bay protection, restoration, and management. (Stay tuned to future newsletters and announcements for more on this topic!)

Meanwhile, we hope you will explore the conference web page to find more information about plenary talks, special panel discussions on major topics, and information about the many special sessions. You can also register here. Reduced rate “block” rooms are still available and registrations are still being accepted, with 50% rate for students and additional support available for those giving platform presentations (abstract submission closed) or submitting posters (abstracts still being accepted). For more logistical info on the conference, check out this longer post on all things ChesRMS18.

 So, I hope to see you in June in Annapolis!

 But if you cannot make the meeting, then I’ll take a moment now to wish you all a happy and productive summer and thank you all for your hard work toward helping us to better understand, protect, and manage this incredibly complex coupled natural-human ecosystem that is the Chesapeake.  (By the next Quarterly, we will be in dog days of August and some will be ready for cooler days of fall.  Others of us will be lamenting the declining hours of daylight and already beginning to dread the September equinox.  In case you cannot tell – I really enjoy the long summer days in our “land of pleasant living.”)

Cheers and warm regards to all our subscribers!

Bill

May 3, 2018

P.S.:  I always will feel remiss if I do not remind readers to please register for our expertise database (if you have not done so already) and please encourage your colleagues to do the same.  Among other things, it helps the CRC and CBP to share with you the news we think you may need.

And of course, I also encourage you to:

  • Read through this newsletter for news from many of our member institutions and partners, including the latest exciting news about improving Bay conditions (see article on a CBP-sponsored “synthesis project” on SAV recovery in the CRaB section);
  • Explore the CRC website and especially the new resources available under the “Expertise and Publications”
  • Pay special attention to the article describing a new CRC called the Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring Program (C StREAM Program, for short). I hope that many of you will be contacting me with ideas to grow and expand this program, and with ideas about how you and your own institutions can participate!