A dataset unveiled today more than doubles the documented stream miles in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, elevating the total from approximately 150,000 to nearly 350,000 miles. The novel, AI-supported mapping method dramatically reduces costs, time, and labor required for stream mapping, making it easy to update as additional data become available or apply in other watersheds to amplify its impact. The project is a collaboration between University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program and the nonprofit Chesapeake Conservancy. 

Mamyshev oscillators (MOs) can emit high energy pulses using a laser generation technique known as harmonic mode-locking (HML). While MO employing HML has several advanced applications in varied fields, the physics behind their operation is not well-understood. In a recent breakthrough, researchers have examined the light buildup dynamics inside a MO. They found that this process is distinct from conventional pulse splitting effect, widely thought to underlie laser emission in MOs.

The grant will launch a community-led queen conch aquaculture facility in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, in partnership with The Island School’s Cape Eleuthera Institute. Focused on restoring declining queen conch populations—vital to Caribbean ecosystems and coastal food economies—the project is part of a larger mission to transform food systems and strengthen coastal resilience through sustainable aquaculture. It builds on the Queen Conch Lab’s growing network of 10 community-based farms across the Caribbean, underscoring the species’ importance to ocean health, food security, and cultural identity.