Photo Caption:
UMBC faculty members Andy Miller (left) and Claire Welty (far right) join USGS’s Jim Gerhart (second from left) and Dan Soeder outside the new building.
Years of partnership between environmental and water scientists at UMBC and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are now etched in bricks and mortar. The USGS Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Water Science Center has moved over 60 hydrologists, engineers and biologists to a 23,500-square-foot facility in bwtech@UMBC, and the building is abuzz with activity.
Scientists at the USGS Center are dedicated to long-term monitoring of the region’s streams, rivers and aquifers to better understand the balance between nature and humans across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They use a network of about 150 high- and low-tech gages across the region to monitor a vast array of water data. In addition to helping keep the Bay healthy, USGS research helps partners like the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency predict flash-floods and monitor flood prone areas.
From the dry streambed pondstone landscaping outside to the natural patterns on walls and floors, the USGS building’s form and function show hydrologists’ input. The rear loading dock area is custom-made for the dirty business of water science fieldwork, with parking for specialized trucks and a mud room for cleaning gear. A small locker room helps scientists who have been working in often polluted or sewage-contaminated waterways hit the showers on the way to analysis labs.
Even more important than the custom design of the building is the physical connection to UMBC that enhances opportunities for faculty research collaboration, student internships, conferences, lectures and symposia.
“It’s so wonderful to have USGS right across the street,” said Claire Welty, director of the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMBC. “It will help us recruit faculty and students, and also raises the national visibility of UMBC’s strengths in environmental research.”
Welty, a groundwater hydrologist, and Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems/flood expert Andy Miller were the two key faculty drivers in encouraging the USGS center to relocate to campus from the White Marsh area.
“We are so happy USGS is here,” said Miller. “It’s a big milestone after many years of research teamwork between UMBC, USGS, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal, state and local agencies on environmental issues that impact the entire region. Most students and faculty at UMBC don't yet know just how much is going on here right now, and how rapidly our research, education and internship activities are growing in areas related to water. The USGS move is going to enhance our collaboration in so many ways, and will provide great opportunities for our students as well,” he said.
According to Jim Gerhart, director of the USGS Center, the new home is a great fit. "We're really excited about it," he said. "We hope to improve the level of the science we do by being that close and interacting with the faculty. And we hope it's reciprocal."
The USGS Center will host an open house on Oct. 24 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. The entire UMBC campus community is welcome to come tour the building and learn more about USGS research and fieldwork.
