On the Waterfront: Marine Sciences at MSU

Morgan's Estuarine Research Center (ERC), located in St. Leonard, Maryland, on the Patuxent River, is part of Morgan’s School of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.

Specialized research facilities enable scientists at the Center to study such fields as biogeochemistry and plankton biology, and to examine the many ways in which humans affect coastal and marine ecosystems. A long-term study of commercial shellfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay is just one of several ongoing projects at ERC, all of which are designed to ensure that invaluable resources are properly managed and protected.

People interested in marine biology will tell you that the Earth’s vast and largely unexplored undersea world is the real “final frontier.”  Despite recent scientific advancements, there are still countless secrets to be explained and myriad “mystery” organisms to be discovered. Human survival may well depend on how well— and how quickly— we can understand and protect these complex and fragile aquatic ecosystems.

There are far too few minorities working in the field of marine science, either as senior researchers or university students. In fact, minorities are underrepresented in all areas of the natural sciences.

The ERC’s director, Dr. Kelton Clark, a professor in Morgan’s Department of Biology, contends that minority students are not often exposed to marine biology and other specialized disciplines. As a consequence, these students choose careers in more well-known and traditional scientific fields, especially in healthcare fields such as medicine and dentistry. Clark notes, for example, that a minority child fascinated with insects is unlikely to learn about what an entomologist does— and so never considers entomology as a career possibility.

Dr. T. Joan Robinson, Provost for Morgan State, hopes that the ERC will be a major step toward rectifying this problem. She thinks ERC can provide more minority students with opportunities to explore careers in such fields as marine ecosystems and environmental science.

ERC researchers are looking at the long-term effect of over-fishing and disease on blue crab and oyster populations. Estuarine Research Center staff scientists are also measuring water quality to assess the effect of nutrients on the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and are examining the development of harmful algal blooms.

Founded in 1967, the Estuarine Research Center was originally a field laboratory for the Philadelphia-based Academy of Natural Sciences. First located in the small historic town of Benedict, it was moved further down the Patuxent River to the Jefferson Patterson Park in 1994. Upon its relocation, the Center unveiled a 22,000 square-foot facility with state-of-the-art equipment for aquatic toxicology, chemistry and trace element geochemistry, microbiology, physiology and biochemistry, invertebrate biology, whole organism biology, and marine ecology. The ERC maintains a dock and several research vessels, as well as a dive locker and scuba equipment. It also maintains a fleet of vehicles.

Inspiring Morgan students to pursue scientific careers is not the ERC’s only role. Another purpose is to serve as a resource for the entire community. “Within the first month of operation, we have begun developing new programs in conjunction with Morgan’s schools of Education, Engineering, and Business,” Dr. Clark observes. “These programs are more than opportunities for students and researchers. They are indicators that we are on the cusp of very exciting times at Morgan.”

The ERC waterfront research facility adds a new dimension— and several new fields of study— to Morgan's science programs. It also provides generations of Morgan students with a unique opportunity— the ability to explore the “final frontier” and make scientific breakthroughs of their own.