NEW ROBERT E MENZER DIRECTOR OF MEES - dr. jim CARTON (UMCP)
Dr. James Carton Photo Courtesy: UMCP/CMNS
July 2, 2026 - The MEES Graduate Program is pleased to announce that Dr. James Carton has been appointed the Robert E. Menzer Director of the University System of Maryland’s (USM) interdisciplinary Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) Graduate Program, effective July 1, 2026. Carton is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (AOSC) who holds a joint appointment in the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and is a faculty member in the Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation graduate program at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Carton joined UMCP in 1985 as an assistant professor and served as AOSC associate chair from 2001 to 2007 and as chair from 2007 to 2018. Since 1990, he has been an adjunct professor at Horn Point Laboratory.
Carton succeeds Timothy Canty, who served as MEES director since 2019. As director, Canty improved administrative processes, filled vacant staff positions and increased the involvement of faculty members from all of the USM institutions. He led efforts to streamline the admissions process, recruit outstanding students, and develop new policies and guidelines that address confusion and resolve issues for students and faculty members related to MEES being a multi-institutional program. He also supported the creation of a MEES Graduate Student Organization, which aims to build a stronger community amongst the students and enhance communication between students and the MEES leadership team. During Canty’s tenure, Sara Lee Menzer (B.S. ’60, M.Ed. ’66, elementary education) established the Robert E. Menzer Endowed Operating Fund in MEES in memory of her late husband Robert (M.S. ’62, entomology), who was the founder and inaugural director of MEES, to support the program in perpetuity. For more information, please read the official announcement from the College of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) which houses the MEES program here.
ALUMNI CORNER
MEES RESEARCH CENTER
Jun Suk Byun Photo Courtesy: UMCES/AL
Jun Suk Byun is a second-year doctoral student in the Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) program at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), based at the Appalachian Laboratory. He is advised by Dr. Xin Zhang, and his doctoral research focuses on the connections between agricultural systems, nutrient pollution, and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Hillary Lane Glandon Photo Courtesy: Prairie Research Institute
Hillary Lane Glandon (Ph.D. ’17) is an aquatic ecologist and Associate Research Scientist in Coastal Resilience with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on understanding how coastal ecosystems respond to environmental change and translating scientific findings into information that supports natural resource managers and coastal communities, helping improve resilience in the face of an ever-changing coastal landscape.
Advised by Dr. Thomas (Tom) Miller (UMCES), Hillary earned her Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences (MEES) in 2017 at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Her dissertation examined how climate change—particularly ocean warming and acidification—affects the physiology, growth, metabolism, shell structure, and population dynamics of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the Chesapeake Bay.
PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY & COASTAL CLIMATE DYNAMICS
dr. MING LI (UMCES)
Dr. Ming Li Photo Courtesy: UMCES/HPL
Ming Li is a Professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory and a core faculty member in the Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences (MEES) graduate program. An internationally recognized physical oceanographer, Dr. Li studies the circulation and dynamics of estuaries and coastal oceans, with a particular emphasis on how climate change influences coastal environments. His research integrates field observations, numerical modeling, and theoretical analyses to better understand the physical processes that govern water movement, mixing, sea level variability, and ecosystem responses in estuarine and coastal systems.
Dr. Li earned his undergraduate degree in China before completing graduate studies in physical oceanography in the United States. Since joining UMCES, he has established an internationally recognized research program focused on estuarine and coastal dynamics. His work has advanced understanding of circulation in the Chesapeake Bay, storm surge and coastal flooding, sea level rise, turbulence and mixing, and the influence of changing climate on coastal ecosystems.
A hallmark of Dr. Li's research is its interdisciplinary nature. By coupling physical oceanographic models with biological and chemical processes, he has helped explain how circulation patterns influence hypoxia, nutrient transport, harmful algal blooms, larval transport, and ocean acidification. His research provides important scientific guidance for managing estuarine resources and improving the resilience of coastal communities facing climate-driven environmental change.
Throughout his career, Dr. Li has secured competitive funding from federal agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), and NASA. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to careers in academia, government, and environmental science.
As a faculty member in the MEES Earth & Ocean Sciences program, Dr. Li has trained graduate students in physical oceanography, coastal circulation, numerical modeling, and interdisciplinary environmental science. His research continues to improve understanding of the complex interactions among ocean physics, climate variability, and ecosystem processes, helping scientists and resource managers better anticipate and adapt to the impacts of sea level rise, coastal flooding, and changing ocean conditions.
impacts of climate change on the chesapeake bay blue crabs
hillary lane glandon (Ph.D., ‘17)
Hillary Glandon Photo Courtesy: Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Hillary Lane Glandon (Ph.D. ’17) is an aquatic ecologist and Associate Research Scientist in Coastal Resilience with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on understanding how coastal ecosystems respond to environmental change and translating scientific findings into information that supports natural resource managers and coastal communities, helping improve resilience in the face of an ever-changing coastal landscape.
Advised by Dr. Thomas (Tom) Miller (UMCES), Hillary earned her Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences (MEES) in 2017 at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Her dissertation examined how climate change—particularly ocean warming and acidification—affects the physiology, growth, metabolism, shell structure, and population dynamics of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the Chesapeake Bay. Her research addressed the impacts of climate change on this ecologically and economically important estuarine species and the fisheries and soft-shell crab industries that depend upon it. A central contribution of her work was demonstrating that blue crabs, which naturally experience large daily fluctuations in estuarine pH, respond differently to ocean acidification than marine species living in the relatively stable open ocean. By integrating laboratory experiments with ecological and population-level analyses, her research advanced scientific understanding of climate change impacts on estuarine ecosystems and provided valuable information for fisheries management.
Before entering the MEES Ph.D. program in 2012, Hillary had already established herself as an accomplished marine scientist. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Emory University in 2005 and a Master of Science in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) in 2009. She then joined Dr. Kenneth Paynter's laboratory at the University of Maryland as a laboratory manager, overseeing long-term oyster research in the Chesapeake Bay. During this time, she managed extensive field and laboratory research on oyster growth, disease, and restoration while leading the Eastern Oyster Fecundity Project, an independent investigation of reproductive output and egg quality in eastern oysters from the northern Chesapeake Bay. The project examined how oyster age and environmental conditions influence fecundity and reproductive quality, with important applications for hatchery broodstock management and oyster restoration. This work culminated in a peer-reviewed publication in Biological Bulletin and contributed to her growing record of collaborative scientific publications.
While at UNCW, Hillary received several competitive awards recognizing her research accomplishments, including the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans Herring Science Council Grant (2007–2009), the UNCW Marine Biology Department David G. Lindquist Scholarship (2008), and the UNCW Marine Science Summer Research Stipend (2008). She also demonstrated early leadership by serving as President of the UNCW Biology Graduate Student Association, Vice President of the Biology Graduate Student Association, and Vice President of the American Fisheries Society's UNCW Tidewater Chapter.
Throughout her doctoral studies, Hillary demonstrated exceptional scholarly productivity, research leadership, and professional service. She designed and built a sophisticated experimental seawater system to conduct long-term climate change experiments on juvenile blue crabs and successfully completed one of the first comprehensive studies examining the combined effects of ocean warming and acidification on multiple aspects of blue crab physiology. Her work integrated laboratory experimentation, physiology, ecology, and population modeling to address questions of regional and national importance.
By the completion of her doctoral program, Hillary had authored or co-authored seven peer-reviewed scientific publications and had submitted the first manuscript from her dissertation research to the ICES Journal of Marine Science. Following graduation, her dissertation research generated multiple additional publications in leading journals, including ICES Journal of Marine Science, the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, PLOS ONE, and the Journal of Shellfish Research. She also presented her research at numerous regional and national scientific meetings, including conferences of the American Fisheries Society and the National Shellfisheries Association. UMCES featured Hillary’s research in a video filmed and edited by high school students at St. Mary's County Public School System's Forrest Career and Technology Center entitled, “Crabs on Acid” which can be viewed here.
Hillary received numerous competitive fellowships, research grants, and travel awards throughout her time in the MEES program, recognizing both her scientific excellence and professional promise. Among these honors were the Maryland Sea Grant Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Graduate Fellowship (2015–2016), the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Drach Research Fellowship (2014–2015), Best Student Oral Presentation at the MEES Colloquium (2015), the University of Maryland Graduate School Goldhaber Travel Award (2015), and, in recognition of her outstanding dissertation research, the prestigious Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship (2016–2017) and the Robert Evans Menzer Summer Research Award (2017).
Following graduation, Hillary joined the Illinois Natural History Survey in 2021 as a postdoctoral researcher at the Lake Michigan Biological Station. She has since advanced to Associate Research Scientist in Coastal Resilience at the Prairie Research Institute, where her research focuses on understanding how environmental change affects coastal ecosystems and applying multidisciplinary science to fisheries conservation, habitat restoration, and ecosystem resilience. In addition to her work in the Great Lakes, Hillary has conducted research in the Chesapeake Bay and the Bay of Fundy, reflecting a career dedicated to advancing the science and management of aquatic ecosystems through innovative, applied ecological research. For more information on Hillary, please click here.
MEES RESEARCH CENTER
the intersection of agricultural systems, nutrient pollution
& water quality in the chesapeake bay watershed
jun suk byun (‘23, PhD)
Jun Suk Byun Photo Courtesy: UMCES/AL
Jun Suk Byun is a second-year doctoral student in the Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) program at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), based at the Appalachian Laboratory. He is advised by Dr. Xin Zhang, and his doctoral research focuses on the connections between agricultural systems, nutrient pollution, and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Jun’s research examines the broader drivers of nutrient pollution across agricultural landscapes, with particular emphasis on how changes in farming practices and food system structure influence both environmental outcomes and local economic conditions. He is especially interested in evaluating system-level trade-offs associated with transitioning from feed-intensive agricultural production toward more efficient and sustainable models that support nutrient reduction, farm resilience, and improved food security within the region.
Prior to joining the MEES program, Jun earned his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Konkuk University in 2021, where he was consistently recognized on the Dean’s List. His early research experience included work as a research assistant in the Department of Natural Science, contributing to studies in ruminant nutrition and physiology aimed at mitigating heat stress impacts on beef cattle production through dietary interventions. This work provided foundational experience in applied agricultural science and livestock systems under environmental stress conditions.
During his undergraduate years, Jun also gained exposure to the intersection of agriculture, policy, and environmental compliance through public service experience with a local police station in Seoul, where he observed challenges related to the implementation of environmental and agricultural regulations. He subsequently completed mandatory military service in the Republic of Korea Army, serving as a sergeant in an auxiliary guard role supporting diplomatic missions in Seoul.
Overall, Jun’s research seeks to bridge environmental science, agricultural systems, and policy-relevant analysis to better understand how nutrient management strategies at the regional scale can improve Chesapeake Bay water quality while supporting economically viable and sustainable farming communities.