A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends
Masonry “fish magnets” provide habitat knowledge
Four days prior to Christmas, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore put down a deposit on a small plot of real estate along the state’s Atlantic coast. The location is 10 miles east of Ocean City some 50-to-60 feet underwater. Resting on the ocean floor are 330 concrete blocks configured in 30 structures of varying sizes – each resembling a pyramid – and not to be confused with the terrestrial structure by the same name in the 9500 block of Coastal Highway. Funded by a $216,000 grant, UMES marine scientists built an artificial reef to test whether a strategically designed, man-made environment might attract black sea bass and tautog, two species popular with fishermen.
February 10, 2017
Neither species is considered endangered, but neither do marine scientists know much about their habits – and habitats. Should UMES’ reef design prove successful, Dr. Bradley Stevens said it could eventually help improve recreational fishing opportunities for the benefit of tourism and the economy. Stevens and Cara Schweitzer, a doctoral candidate from Missouri in UMES’ Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science program, drew inspiration for their pyramid-block design from pre-fabricated structures known as Oyster Castles used to revive the mollusk population. Schweitzer bound the blocks together using industrial-strength plastic zip ties. They, in turn, were stacked atop wooden pallets and carefully lowered to the ocean floor. Schweitzer identified an unobstructed spot for a reef easily accessible that could be studied at regular intervals; it also happens to lie between two existing reefs. As soon as the ocean warms up this May, she will don scuba gear to begin a series of up-close observations over the next two years. The “research reef,” as Stevens calls it, provides a rare opportunity to measure “how it is used by sea bass in that particular area, if at all.” “Artificial reefs,” said Stevens, the project’s principal investigator, “are a big deal because they help expand limited habitat.” PYRAMIDS / continued on page 6
When Stephanie Kiah attended church as a child, her educator-mother always brought pencils and paper to keep her occupied during sermons. “It got to the point where people sitting around us got in the habit of looking over to see what she was drawing,” Sandy Kiah said. “I knew then,” Mrs. Kiah said, “that she had a special gift.” Stephanie’s gift is on display at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Mosely Gallery as one of six featured artists in an exhibit called “Women of Color Working With Color.” The show runs through March 16. Stephanie, who lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., and Diantha Mitchell of Hebron, Md. attended a Feb. 2 opening reception where they chatted up a steady stream of visitors and well-wishers. “I feel the warmth and love,” she said later. “It’s a great feeling.” The 29-year-old also found herself sharing her ancestral UMES connection; Dr. Thomas H. Kiah, the institution’s fifth and longest-serving leader, was her great-
Proud to be Kiah
INSIDE
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Art Shell Honored at Super Bowl Mosely Black History Month Exhibit
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Study Abroad
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Homecoming Line-up Claim Your Seat to Takeoff!
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Athletics: Hawks Update
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Chesapeake Housing Dayton Dance Performance Black History Month Display
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Calendar of Events
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The Key / February 10, 2017
Circling the Oval
Black History Month exhibit opens at Mosely Gallery “Women of Color Working in Color,” the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Black History Month Exhibit, will be on display through March 16 in the Mosely Gallery. “As the most immediate of the art elements, color powerfully impacts the viewer’s emotions,” said Susan Holt, Mosely Gallery Director. “The
“Bridge” by Ada Pinkston
exhibition explores ways that women of color use this commanding art element to convey meaning that is relevant to contemporary sensibilities of race, gender and subjectivity.” The show features abstract paintings with collage by Diantha Mitchell of Hebron along with artwork by the D.C area’s Stephanie Kiah, greatgranddaughter of the late Thomas Kiah, the university’s 5th and longestserving leader. Both attended the gallery opening. Kiah’s contemporary portraits of women of color, “Resting Angel” (right), “Lemonade Girl” and “American Nightmare”(left), can be seen along with pieces by four other African-American artists. New York artists Olaitan Callender-Scott and Theresa Chromati join the show with quilts and abstract figurative paintings, respectively. Washington, D.C.-based Ada Pinkston “does unique performance art documented with photographs and video,” Holt said. Events at the Mosely Gallery, located in the Thomas/Briggs Arts and Technology Center at UMES, are free. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 410-651-7770 for groups or visit www.moselygallery.com for more information.
MD State alum honored at Super Bowl LI
A pre-game tribute at Super Bowl LI payed homage to UMES alumnus Art Shell (Class of 1968) and 27 other football players who played for HBCUs and are Pro Football Hall of Famers. Shell, who played four seasons with the Hawks from 1964-67 when UMES was known as Maryland State College, was enshrined in the Pro Football HOF in 1989 and in the College Football HOF in 2013. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl member and three-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders, the franchise where he was head coach, becoming the second African-American in history and first in modern day to do so.
Fox Sports Image
UMES People
UMES student studies in China
The Key / February 10, 2017
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Ben Webster spent three weeks of his winter break from UMES in China as a participant in a business and culture program sponsored by the Council on International Education Exchange. Webster took a three-credit undergraduate course, “Marketing Management and Methods in East Asia and Emerging Markets,” at East China Normal University in Shanghai. He and his classmates analyzed multinational companies serving markets in east Asia and evaluated current macroeconomic trends impacting those nations. The Beltsville, Md. junior, a dean’s list student, said he earned an “A” in the course, which also included assignments to develop a presentation on Johnson & Johnson and Unilever’s marketing strategies in Shanghai and another on a fictitious health and wellness company to satisfy specific Chinese consumer needs. “I gained an appreciation for east Asia and the vast opportunities that are available to individuals like myself as a result of rapid globalization and development,” said Webster, who is a member of the Richard A. Henson Honors Program. In addition to visiting cultural sites and learning to speak Chinese, Webster’s trip also allowed him to network with Chinese professionals and visit a start-up business called Gululu. Gululu was founded in the U.S., Webster said, and has an office in Shanghai. The company sells “smart” water bottles that aim to increase the amount of water children drink through interactive screens. On the cultural side, Webster said he discovered General Tso’s chicken and fortune cookies are not considered indigenous Chinese food. Webster’s research into short-term study abroad programs led him to the Council on International Education Exchange, which offered a partial scholarship he combined with personal funds to pay for the winter-break experience. “It was an incredible experience,” Webster said, “And I am motivated to share (it) to inspire other minority students to travel (internationally) as well.”
KIA / continued from cover
grandfather. “I’ve been very much looking forward to this opportunity,” she said. “It’s a great day for me.” Stephanie last visited UMES when she was four or five years old. It was a family reunion and apparently a photo was snapped of her and her mother sitting under an oak tree. As she honed her skills as an artist, Kiah eventually drew inspiration from that fond moment to create one of her mother’s favorite paintings. As Stephanie’s bio notes, “some of her more notable collectors are actress Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures, Empire) and Charles Allen (son of Eugene Allen, the man whose life inspired the movie “The Butler.”) She earned a fine arts degree in 2009 from Norfolk State University, where some of her “contemporary conceptual” work is simultaneously on exhibit at the James Wise Gallery. As an undergraduate, she did an internship at Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art and studied at the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, as well as at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “I told her that God did not give you this talent for nothing,” Sandy Kiah
said. “Use it the best way you can to make a difference.” Stephanie’s works have been part of exhibits in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, California, Georgia and New York, where her first solo gallery show, “On Earth & Above,” was featured for three months in 2015 at ARTs East New York Gallery in Brooklyn. An hour before the opening reception at Mosely, Stephanie and Sandy Kiah took an abbreviated tour of the campus, where they spotted the old oak on the Academic Oval and reflected on the family’s legacy. They posed for a keepsake photo in front of Kiah Hall, the former Somerset Junior and Senior High School renamed in honor of Thomas Kiah after a gymnasium named from him adjacent to the administration building had to be demolished. Mother and daughter stepped inside the John T. Williams hall to take in and study a formal portrait of Dr. Kiah commissioned in 2006, then visited the campus cemetery to pay respects to his final resting place alongside Stephanie’s great-grandmother, Mary. “I love history, and learning about the history of my family,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder to have the Kiah name.”
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H O M E C
The Key / February 10, 2017
Dizzying line-up of events marks Hawk Homecoming
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore presents “School Daze” February 12-19—a plenitude of homecoming events for students, alumni and the community. A mini-concert and rally, “School is in Session,” serves as the official kick-off event for students (only) Saturday, Feb. 11, from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Ella Fitzgerald Center. The action continues with a pep rally Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Student Services Center Theatre, and a bonfire on Wednesday (15th) at 7 p.m. in the Athletic Pavilion parking lot followed by a skate party at 9 p.m. at Crown Sports Center in Fruitland. Free and open to all, the Homecoming worship brunch gets the week started for campus and community Sunday, Feb. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Services Center ballroom. A homecoming tradition, the Bazaar Models Entertainment fashion show, takes place Friday (17th) at 8 p.m. in the Ella Fitzgerald Center. UMES student tickets are $10; $15 for the public and at the door. Headlining recording artist, Migos, along with opener, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, arrive Thursday, Feb. 16 for the Homecoming Concert. Doors open at 8 p.m. in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center with the performance starting at 9 p.m. Doors close at 11 p.m. The cost is $40 for UMES students with ID in advance, $50 for the general public and at the door. Hawk alumni swoop in for the weekend events. Visit Alumni Central Friday, Feb. 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Students Services Center (Allen J. Singleton multi-purpose room), where you can find out about that evening’s National Alumni Association’s “Hall of Excellence” dinner at 6 p.m. and, new this year, a Homecoming concert at 8 p.m. featuring Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes. Tickets for the concert are $35 with an advance ticket purchase to the “Hall of Excellence;” $40 general admission and $50 table seating with a complimentary beverage. Join Dr. Juliette B. Bell Saturday (Feb. 18th) for the President’s Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m. in the new Engineering and Aviation Science Complex. Alumni, parents, friends and community partners are cordially invited to the free event. Donations to UMES’ 2017 Takeoff fundraising
Migos
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes
campaign will be graciously accepted. Later that day, the home teams take on North Carolina Central University in Homecoming basketball action. The women’s game begins at 2 p.m. followed by the men’s game at 4 p.m. Tickets are $25, which includes both games, and free for UMES students with ID. A pep rally at noon in the Tawes Gymnasium and tailgate beginning at 11 a.m. gets everyone fired-up for the tip-off. Always a favorite, the National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show, entertains Saturday in the Ella Fitzgerald Center with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the action starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12; $10 for UMES students with ID. Visit umes.edu/alumni for a complete listing of Homecoming events. Visit UMEStickets.com for all ticketed events on campus. UMES students can get tickets online by visiting Auxiliary Services’ Hawk Campus Center.
O M I N G
The Key / February 10, 2017
IT’S TIME TO CLAIM YOUR SEAT! Get onboard UMES’ 2017 Takeoff campaign. We’re challenging ourselves to have the highest number of alumni in the University System of Maryland giving to their alma mater. We can do it with your help: Between February 1 and June 30 we’re setting our sights on 2,017 alumni, staff, faculty, friends and students participating. No amount is too small! You can make an online contribution by visiting iaumes.givecorps.com and clicking on 2017 Takeoff! or by sending a check payable and addressed to the UMES Foundation, J.T. Williams Hall, Suite 2104, Princess Anne, Md., 21853. Let’s show the system that we can be THE BEST at garnering Alumni support—our students deserve it! Call Jimmy Lunnermon at 410-651-7606 or Dr. Veronique Diriker at 410-651-8142 for more information.
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The Key / February 10, 2017
Athletics
Hawk Athletics update
time of 4:05.08 eclipsed the previous record of 4:05.13, which propelled him to victory at the ‘Nova meet. Junior Tanise Edwards secured a first-place finish in After a rugged first half of the season, the UMES men’s basketball team the long jump when she produced a distance of 5.60 is lurking in sixth place in the 13-team MEAC standings, poised to meters. finish conference play this month with a strong performance. Junior Oussama Chouati will join Kinini at The men (5-4 MEAC) split games the previous week, defeating the IC4A Championships in the mile after posting Coppin State in a home tilt on Saturday, erasing the sour taste of a time of 4:14.06, also a personal best. Junior one-point loss to Hampton (6-3 MEAC) on the road Donovan Mundy qualified for the MEAC earlier in the week. Senior Bakari Copeland Championships with his time of 1:54.71 in the finished with a team-high 17 points and five 800 meter run. rebounds against Hampton, while Ryan Andino Also on the women’s side, sophomore scored a game-high 24 points against Coppin. Lenneisha Gilbert qualified for the MEAC meet in The UMES women’s team (3-6 MEAC) matched the 400 meter dash, with a time of 57.66 seconds. the men, but in the opposite way. Before falling to Coppin at home, Freshman Neus Quinonero secured her place at the the Lady Hawks staged an exciting come-from-behind victory over Championships with a personal record time of 2:19.01 Hampton, previously undefeated in conference play. Four Lady Hawks in the 800 meter run. reached double-figures, led by senior guard Mariah McCoy with a Another impressive achievement at the Villanova game-high 18 points. meet was the 4x400 relay team’s time of 3:20.49. Taj Both teams visit Norfolk State Saturday. Norfolk men and women are Showalter, sophomore Michael Rollins, Mundy both 7-2 (MEAC). and freshman Michael Sutton obliterated the previous UMES’s track & field team competed (Feb. 4) in the Villanova season high time of 3:26.47 that was set at the Towson Tiger Invitational, where nine athletes set new personal records, four qualified for Invitational. postseason and one shaved more time off his school record. Maryland Eastern Shore has one final meet Saturday at the Senior Khalil Rmidi Kinini broke his own record in the mile, David Hemery St. Valentine’s Classic in Boston before the MEAC which he previously reset at the Coach O Invitational in January. His Mariah McCoy (indoor) Championships. PYRAMIDS / continued from cover
Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP), which awarded Stevens the grant “to study black sea bass habitat characteristics, fish abundance and fish diets in the Mid-Atlantic.” Stevens and Schweitzer will be gathering evidence to: • Determine whether black sea bass have a preference for particular habitats and if UMES’ design affects their abundance and feeding ecology. • Gain an understanding of the ocean floor’s biodiversity and how sea life responds to “surface roughness … and other habitat characteristics.” • Determine if linking “isolated habitat patches” can be achieved.
Five tons of porous cinderblocks should attract invertebrates and other sea life more quickly than metal objects like scuttled ships and subway cars. The location UMES selected is under permit held by the non-profit Ocean City Reef Foundation, which agreed to let the university conduct its experiment. Schweitzer found few tautog and black sea bass were evident in an underwater survey she conducted during the summer of 2016 in the area under Foundation control. The reef’s pre-assembled building blocks were deployed by the 103foot marine vessel “Iron Lady,” under the command of Capt. Jeremiah Kogon, who also shuttles scientists out for their diving trips aboard another craft, the “OC Dive Boat.” The project is a collaboration between UMES, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the National Fish Habitat Fund and the Atlantic Coastal
Borrowing a strategy conservationists employ to fill in habitat gaps on land, Schweitzer envisions UMES’ concrete reef potentially evolving into a “corridor bridge” between the nearby older reefs. “We expect coral and sponges will cover the reef blocks and link them together,” Schweitzer said. “It’s a unique opportunity to look at the recruitment of fish and fouling organisms to an artificial reef from scratch.” Kent Smith, ACFHP’s steering committee chairman, said his organization and its “collaborative partners are excited about the unique opportunity to work together over the next few years to collect data that will inform both science and management, and support healthy fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic region.” The Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership is part of a national network that “works to conserve fish habitat nationwide (by) leveraging federal, state, tribal and private funding … to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects.”
School News
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Chesapeake Housing recognizes UMES volunteers UMES was recognized at January’s Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore awards ceremony. Chesapeake Housing Mission named the university the 2016 Volunteer Group of the Year/Alternative Spring Break award. From left, Don Taylor, executive director of Chesapeake Housing Mission, presents an award to UMES representatives—Cliff Harcum and Susan Rainey, both of the Office of University Engagement & Lifelong Learning; Dr. Michael Harpe, vice president of student affairs and Kahleo Smith, a Henson Honors student at UMES and member of the Men Achieving Dreams through Education group. Smith and fellow honors student and MADE member Axel Bayingana (pictured at right) also received individual awards as Volunteers of the Year. The Chesapeake Housing Mission assists low-income families on Delmarva with housing repairs through Christian Mission while providing the opportunity for transformational life experiences to its volunteers.
Black History Month display at the Frederick Douglass Library Visit UMES’ Frederick Douglass Library this month to see a collection of figurines of renowned African-Americans with a description of their lives and accomplishments. The Black History Month display is courtesy of Dr. Clara Small, interim chair of UMES’ social sciences department and local historian.
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The Key / February 10, 2017
Calendar
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Homecoming Worship Brunch
11 a.m.-2 p.m., SSC Ballroom Brunch and performances by university and community gospel artists and choirs. 410-651-6434 or UMEStickets.com
SGA-Sponsored Homecoming Concert*
9-midnight/Doors open at 7:30 p.m. William P. Hytche Athletic Center Migos and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie perform. 410-651-6434 or UMEStickets.com
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Athletics-Sponsored Homecoming Concert*
8-11 p.m./Doors open at 7 p.m. William P. Hytche Athletic Center Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes perform. 410-651-8471 or UMEStickets.com
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Homecoming Basketball Game*
11 a.m.-3 p.m., Tailgate, Tawes Parking Lot Noon-2 p.m., Pep Rally, Tawes Gym 2 p.m. Women’s/ 4 p.m. Men’s games Doors open at noon William P. Hytche Athletic Center Homecoming basketball games vs North Carolina Central. $25 includes both games/free for full-time UMES students with ID. 410-621-3311 or UMEStickets.com
Homecoming Step & Stroll Competition* 8-11 p.m.
Doors open at 7 p.m. / Ella Fitzgerald Center Greek-lettered organizations display their skills in the art of strolling. 410-651-6434 or UMEStickets.com *Unless noted, all events listed are free.
T H E U MES MISSION The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the state’s historically black, 1890 land-grant institution, has its purpose and uniqueness grounded in distinctive learning, discovery and engagement opportunities in the arts and science, education, technology, engineering, agriculture, business and health professions. UMES is a student-centered, doctoral research degree-granting university known for its nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate programs, applied research and highly valued graduates. UMES provides individuals, including first-generation college students, access to a holistic learning environment that fosters multicultural diversity, academic success, and intellectual and social growth. UMES prepares graduates to address challenges in a global, knowledgebased economy while maintaining its commitment to meeting the workforce and economic development needs of the Eastern Shore, the state, the nation and the world.
arts & entertainment calendar Tickets on sale Mon., Feb. 20
HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
2017 SPRING LUNCHEON SERIES
Visit the Richard A. Henson Center, Room 1118, from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Feb. 20 for first day ticket sales. After that, tickets will be available for purchase in Henson, Room 2100 daily from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. until they are sold out. Advanced tickets are required and available in person only; no mail or phone orders. Tickets are $12 per person, per meal. In order to accommodate a variety of community patrons, tickets are limited to one transaction per person for a maximum of 10 tickets. Please make payment with check or money order. We are unable to accept cash or make refunds once tickets are purchased. Lunches take place at noon in the Henson Center’s Bailey Thomas Room on the following dates: Mon. Salmon & Scallops with Maple/Mustard Glaze 2/27 – Salted Cod Soup 3/1 Wed. Parmesan/Gruyere Crusted Filet Mignon- Country Ham, Green Tomato, Shrimp Soup Mon Jerk Cornish Hen & Oyster Etouffee with 3/6 Pineapple Bourbon Chicken Wings 3/8 Wed. Crab, Ham & Cheese, Chicken Kiev with Barbequed Bacon Wraped Pork 3/13 Mon. Roasted New York Strip Steak – Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup 3/15 Wed. Classical Seafood: Crab lump, Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops & Snapper – Seafood Bisque 4/17 Mon. Rosemary, Cumin-Braised Mediterranean Lamb with Phyllo Cup Crab Dip 4/19 Wed. Cabernet Sauvignon Braised Boneless Short Ribs – Brunswick Stew 4/24 Mon. Maple,Orange-Glazed Island-Spiced Pork Chop – Cream of Broccoli Soup 4/26 Wed. Cajun Shrimp-Bacon Sausage & Creamy Grits – HTM Beef Stew 5/1 Mon. Rib-eye Steak with Mushroom & Stilton—Coconut Butterfly Shrimp 5/3 Wed. Coconut Mango Curry Lobster and Shrimp – Creamy Crab Soup
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Inquiries regarding the application of Federal laws and nondiscrimination policies to University programs and activities may be referred to the Office of Equity & Compliance/Title IX Coordinator by telephone (410) 651-7848 or e-mail (titleix@umes.edu).
The KEY is published by the Office of Public Relations in the Office of the President 410-651-7580 www.umes.edu
Editors Gail Stephens, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Publications Manager Bill Robinson, Director of Public Relations Design by Debi Rus, Rus Design Inc. Printed by The Hawk Copy Center Submissions to The KEY are preferred via email. All copy is subject to editing.The Key is written according to the Associated Press stylebook.