Department of Natural Sciences

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www.umes.edu/sciences/

Dr. Jonathan Cumming, Chairperson

Mission

The mission of the Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) is to prepare students for employment in diversified fields in the biological, physical and environmental sciences, and health-related occupations. DNS programs also prepare students for entry into graduate and/or a variety of professional schools.

DNS offers undergraduate degree programs in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science. The degree programs in Biochemistry and Chemistry are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Both BS and combined five-year BS/MS programs are offered in Environmental Science, Marine Sciences, and Environmental Chemistry. The Department also offers minor programs in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Physics, and a 73-credit program which allows qualified students to apply for admission to Pharmacy School before completing a BS degree.

The Department has a joint program with the UMES School of Pharmacy. Highly qualified freshmen are conditionally admitted to the PharmD program, complete an accelerated 114 credit program in biochemistry in three years, and matriculate to the PharmD program assuming their GPA and PCAT scores are satisfactory. As Pharmacy students, they complete 6 credits of elective courses which allow them to complete an ACS approved undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a PharmD degree in six years. More information about this program may be secured from the Pharmacy Admissions office.

The Department offers graduate degree programs in Chemistry, Toxicology and Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences. Information regarding these programs can be found in the UMES School of Graduate Studies Catalog.

Objectives

The objectives of the programs in DNS are to:

1. Provide students with academic curricula to develop a strong understanding of basic science.

2. Prepare students to be adaptable to new developments in science.

3. Train students to conduct scientific research through example, mentoring and personal experience.

4. Prepare students for employment in newly evolving and conventional scientific fields related to their majors.

5. Expose students to social, historical, and ethical issues through the science curricula.

6. Promote interaction between the university and the community through faculty and students in the department.

7. Promote faculty development to accomplish the objectives of the department.

Department General Program Requirements

The Maryland Higher Education Commission has set a graduation requirement of 120 semester hours to obtain a four-year baccalaureate degree. The Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science Programs require that students earn a minimum grade of “C” in each course of the Program Core and Program Electives and an overall “C” grade average in General Education and Supportive Course Requirements. A grade of “C” or better is required in all prerequisite courses (lecture and laboratory) to continue with sequence classes offered by the DNS.

Departmental Requirements

Biochemistry: Students majoring in Biochemistry are required to complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses. This includes a minimum of 43 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 49 semester hours of Departmental Core courses, 7 semester hours of Program Electives, 18 semester hours of Supportive courses and 3 semester hours of Free Electives.

Biochemistry Non-Teaching ACS Approved: To obtain a Certified Biochemistry degree, students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours of university courses. In Biochemistry, this includes 60 semester hours of Program Core courses, 10 semester hours of Supportive courses, 7 semester hours of Program Electives, 3 semester hours of Free Electives and 40 semester hours of General Education courses. Students are required to adhere to ACS guidelines by completing a year of calculus-based physics and in meeting their undergraduate research requirements and in the submission of their BIOL 499 or  CHEM 499 (Undergraduate Research) research reports. For more information, please refer to the ACS website www.ACS.org.

Biology Non-Teaching Honors: Students majoring in Biology non-teaching Honors must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses as specified for one of the three Biology tracks, described below. The admission of students to the undergraduate program in Biology is based upon the general admission requirements of the university. Minimum requirements for application to the UMES Honors Program include a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 and minimum SAT score of 1650. Additionally, for retention in the Honors Program, each student must maintain a semester grade point average of 3.0 in their major courses and a cumulative GPA of 3.3. Students must complete a minimum of two Honors courses each semester.

Biology Non-Teaching & Ecology and Organismal Biology Track: Students majoring in Biology- Ecology and Organismal Biology Track must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses. This includes a minimum of 42 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 29 semester hours of Departmental Core courses, 15 semester hours of program electives, 31 semester hours of supportive courses and 3 semester hours of free electives.

Biology Non-Teaching & Biomedical/Pre–Med/Pre-Dentistry Track: Students majoring in Biology in the Biomedical/Pre-Med/Pre-Dentistry Track must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses. This includes a minimum of 42 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 29 semester hours of Program Core courses, 15 semester hours of Program Electives and 34 semester hours of Supportive courses. This track is specifically designed to provide students the undergraduate experiences required to allow them to excel in biomedical graduate programs and in medical or dental school.

Biology Non-Teaching & General/Pre-Allied Health/Pre-Physical Therapy Track: Students majoring in Biology non–teaching or General/Pre-Allied Health Track must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses. This includes a minimum of 42 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 25 semester hours of Program Core courses, 15 semester hours of program electives, 23 semester hours of supportive courses, and 15 semester hours of free electives. This track is designed to support students who wish to enhance their undergraduate Biology degrees by completion of a minor or to allow students to complete both a BS in Biology and complete the courses required to meet the admissions requirements for a variety of allied health graduate programs without exceeding 120 credits of undergraduate work.

Biology - Teaching: Students who meet University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s admissions requirements can enroll in Biology Education. Prospective Biology Teacher Education candidates are not formally admitted to the Professional Education Unit until they have completed an Application to Teacher Education and have been accepted.

Teacher candidates who wish to major in Biology Education must have an overall and major content grade point average of 2.75 for admission into and retention in the program. For admission, an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher in a minimum of 45 approved semester hours is required, along with passing the university’s English Proficiency Examination, and also PRAXIS I (scheduled and administered by Educational Testing Services) while registered for Praxis preparation course (Credit 1) EDCI 201.

Passing Praxis Scores

Applications must be completed for admission to the Biology Education teacher program within the scheduled deadline. The teacher education application lists specific course requirements and requires two essays which address the potential candidate’s disposition toward teaching, as well as providing writing samples, and a field experience recommendation. Four letters of recommendation from faculty (one has to be from the advisor) are also required.

Grades of “C” or above must be attained in each required course of the Biology Education major, the specialized content area combined with the professional educational courses. A candidate’s progress is monitored each semester by the academic advisor to ensure that the candidate continues to meet the minimum GPA of 2.75 in both the major and overall course work.

In order to be eligible for internship, Biology Education candidates are required to submit the following indicators: application for internship; field experience and pre-internship recommendations; methods instructor recommendations; formal academic measures including a 2.75 or higher overall ^[1]grade point average; a 2.75 grade point average in the major, with no grades lower than C in all courses; PRAXIS II passing scores in Biology; and a working portfolio review.

All Biology Education candidates must satisfactorily complete an independent research project and manuscript prior to graduation. The candidates must satisfactorily complete the professional portfolio, which is tied to the INTASC Principles, Unit’s Conceptual Framework, and NSTA standards prior to graduation. The portfolio is started early in the program and revised and completed during the internship experience. They must also complete an Exit Survey. Chemistry Non -Teaching ACS Approved: To obtain a Certified chemistry degree, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses as required by the major. This includes a minimum of 49 semester hours of Program Core courses, 11 semester hours of Supportive courses, 10 semester hours of Program Elective courses, 40 semester hours of General Education courses, and 10 semester hours of Free Electives. Students are required to adhere to ACS guidelines by completing a year of calculus-based physics and in meeting their undergraduate research requirements and in the submission of their CHEM 499 (Undergraduate Research) research reports. For more information, please refer to the ACS website www.ACS.org.

Chemistry Non-Teaching Pre-Medicine/Pre-Dentistry Track ACS Approved: To obtain a Certified chemistry degree, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours of university courses as required by the major. This includes a minimum of  49 credit hours of Program Core courses, 12 credit hours of Supportive courses, 7 credit hours of Program Elective courses, 40 credit hours of General Education courses, and 12 credit hours of Free Elective courses from the approved lists of requirements as outlined in the catalog. The students are required to adhere to ACS guidelines by completing a year of calculus-based physics and in the submission of their CHEM 499 research reports.

Chemistry - Teaching: Maryland Higher Education Commission² has set a graduation requirement of 131 semester hours to obtain a 4-year baccalaureate degree in the teaching track. Students must complete 29 semester hours of program core courses, 15 hours of supportive courses, 3 hours of program electives courses, 42 hours of general education courses, and 42 hours of professional education courses from the approved lists of requirements as outlined in the catalog. Students are not required to follow the ACS course guidelines since the degree is not ACS approved. Teacher candidates who wish to major in Chemistry Education must have an overall and major content grade point average of 2.75 for admission into and retention in the program. For admission, overall GPA of 2.75 or higher in a minimum of 45 approved semester hours, passing the university’s English Proficiency Examination, and PRAXIS I (scheduled and administered by Educational Testing Services) while registered for Praxis preparation course (Credit 1) EDCI 201 are required.

Any individual who meets University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s admissions requirements can enroll in Chemistry Education. Prospective Chemistry Teacher Education candidates are not formally admitted to the Professional Education Unit until they have completed an Application to Teacher Education and have been accepted.

Teacher candidates who wish to major in Chemistry Education must have an overall and major content grade point average of 2.75 for admission into and retention in the program. For admission, overall GPA of 2.75 or higher in a minimum of 45 approved semester hours is required, passing the university’s English Proficiency Seminar, and also PRAXIS I (scheduled and administered by Educational Testing Services) while registered for Praxis preparation course (Credit 1) EDCI 201.

^[2]Passing Praxis Scores

In order to be eligible for internship, Chemistry Education candidates are required to submit the following indicators: application for internship, field experience, and pre-internship recommendations, methods instructor recommendations, formal academic measures including a 2.75 or higher overall grade point average, a 2.75 grade point average in the major, with no grades lower than C in all courses, PRAXIS II passing scores in Chemistry, and working portfolio review.

All Chemistry Education candidates must satisfactorily complete the independent research project and manuscript prior to graduation. The candidates must satisfactorily complete the professional portfolio, which is tied to the INTASC Principles, Unit’s Conceptual Framework, and NSTA standards prior to graduation. The portfolio is started early in the program and revised and completed during the internship experience. They must also complete an Exit Survey.

Environmental Science - Environmental Chemistry Option: Students must complete 120 semester hours: 42 semester hours in general education courses, 29 semester of hours in program core courses, 43 semester hours in program supportive courses and 6 semester hours in program electives. Students are required to take Independent Study and conduct and report on an Undergraduate Research project in their junior or senior year.

Environmental Science - Marine Science Option: Students must complete 120 semester hours: 42 semester hours in general education courses, 36 semester hours in program core courses, 35 semester hours in program supportive courses and 7 semester hours in electives. Students are required to take an Independent Study and conduct and report on an Undergraduate Research project in their junior or senior year.

Dual Degree Program - Environmental Science (Marine Sciences Track) UMES - SU Dual Degree Program-Students enrolled at Salisbury University in the Biology Program may earn a degree in Environmental Sciences from UMES by taking 30 hours of prescribed coursework in Environmental Science and General Education at UMES in addition to completing a minimum of 90 credits of courses specified at Salisbury University.

Combined Five-Year B.S./M.S. Degree Program with Environmental Chemistry and Marine Sciences Options: The two options are administered under the auspices of the undergraduate Environmental Science and the graduate Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Science (MEES) programs. The student receives the BS and MS degrees after completing the requirements for the two programs. A student wishing to pursue the 5-year BS/MS program must make a formal application to the MEES program in the first semester of the junior year. Students must take the GRE (General Test) during their junior year. They have the option of being in residence at UMES or at a participating MEES campus during their senior and fifth years.

Students enrolled in the Environmental Chemistry option must complete 120 semester hours: 42 semester hours in general education courses, 29 semester of hours in program core courses, 43 semester hours in program supportive courses, and 6 semester hours in program electives. To receive the MS degree, students must satisfy degree requirements which include a total of 30 credits: 24 credits of graduate level course work and 6 credits of Master’s Thesis research.

Students who enroll in the Marine Science option must complete 120 semester hours: 42 semester hours in general education courses, 36 semester hours in program core courses, 35 semester hours in program supportive course, and 7 semester hours in electives.  To receive the MS degree, students must satisfy degree requirements which include a total of 30 credits: 24 credits of graduate level course work and 6 credits of Master’s Thesis research.

Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum: The Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum is a collection of courses specified by the UMES PharmD Program that prepares a student for application to its pharmacy school. Each pharmacy school has specific admissions requirements and students must supplement the recommended set of courses to meet any additional admissions requirements for their program of interest. Some pharmacy schools require a BS prior to application. Pre-pharmacy students who do not wish to complete a bachelor’s degree before they matriculate to pharmacy studies must complete the requisite number of credit hours of courses with grades of “C” or better.  

Minors in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics: A minor can be obtained with 20 semester hours of program courses with a grade of “C” or better in addition to those courses used to fulfill graduation requirements in the major program.

Faculty Directory

Bell, Tracy, Associate Professor

B.S., Albany State University; Ph.D., Medical College of Georgia

Bobenko, Jennifer, Professor

B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Ph.D., University of Delaware

Chen, Nianhong, Lecturer

B.S., U. Sci. Tech. of China.; M.S.; U. Southern Mississippi, Ph.D., Tulane University

Chigbu, Paulinus, Professor and Director, LMRCSC

B.Sci. & M. Sci.; University of Benin, (Nigeria), Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle

Crawford, Maurice, Associate Professor

B.S. Univ. of Massachusetts-Dartmouth; M.S. Rutgers University; Ph.D. North Carolina State Univ.

Cumming, Jonathan, Chairperson

B.S., The College of William and Mary; M.S., The University of New Hampshire; Ph.D., Cornell University / Boyce Thompson Institute 

Das, Kausiksankar, Associate Professor

B.S., M.S., Calcutta University(India);  Ph.D. Jadavpur University(India)

DaSilva, Ligia, Research Assistant Professor

B.S. & M.S. Tashkent State University (Uzbequistan); M.Sc. & Ph.D., Louisiana State University.

Dodoo, Joseph, Lecturer

B.Sc. Polytechnic of South Bank; M. Sci., Bedford College University of London; Ph.D., King’s College, University of London

Elnabawi, Ahmed, Associate Professor

B.Sc., M.Sc.  Univ. of Alexandria(Egypt); -, Ph.D. Institute of Toxicology, Univ. of Kiel, (Germany).

Elnaiem, Dia-Eldin A., Professor​

B.Sc., M.Sc., University of Khartoum(Sudan); Ph.D., University of Liverpool,  (UK)

Ishaque, Ali B., Professor

B.Sc., University of Science & Technology (Ghana); M.Sc.; Ph.D., Free University of Brussels

Johnson, Linda R., Professor

B.S., Lincoln University; M.S., & Ph.D., Temple University School of Medicine

Khatabi, Behnam, Assistant Professor

B.S., M.S. Shiraz Azad University (Iran); Ph.D., University of Giessen (Germany)

May, Eric B., Professor

B.S., Oregon State University; M.S., North Arizona State University; Ph.D., Oregon State University

Mayor, Ejiroghene, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, LMRCSC

B.S.(Honors), Delta State University (Nigeria); M.S. University of Benin (Nigeria); Ph.D. University of Maryland Eastern

Mitra, Madhumi, Professor

B.S., Presidency College (India); M.S., Calcutta University (India); Ph.D. North Carolina State University

Morales-Nunez, Andres, Research Assistant Professor, LMRCSC

B.S., Universidad de Bogota, Jorge Tadeo Lozano; M.S. & Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico

Okoh, Joseph, Professor Emeritus

B.Sc., University of Lagos (Nigeria); Ph.D. Howard University

Okulate, Mobolaji, Professor

B.Sc., Ph.D., University of Lagos, (Nigeria)

Pitula, Joseph, Professor

B.S., Rutgers University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Buffalo, New York

Potter, Amelia G., Lecturer

B.S., Birmingham Southern University; M.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Ruby, Douglas E., Professor Emeritus

B.A., Gettysburg College; M.S., Ph.D., University of Michigan

Sauder, Deborah G., Professor

B.S. High Honors, College of William and Mary; M.S., Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; PhD., Johns Hopkins University

Sexton, Margaret, Research Assistant Professor

B.S., Coastal Carolina University; Ph.D. University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Singh, Gurbax, Professor Emeritus

B.S., M.S.,Delhi University (India), Ph.D. University of Maryland

Stevens, Bradley, Professor and LMRCSC Distinguished Research Scientist

S.B., University of Cincinnati; M.S., College of Charleston; Ph.D., University of Washington

Taabodi, Maryam, Lecturer

B.S., Salisbury University; M.S.Ph.D.  University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Volkis, Victoria, Associate Professor

B.A. and M.S., Leningrad Institute of Chemical Technology; M.S. Chemistry & Ph.D., The Technion – Israeli Institute of Technology

Waguespack, Yan, Professor

B.S., Beijing Polytechnic University; Ph.D., Tulane University

Xia, Meng, Associate Professor

B.S., Ocean University of Qingdao; M.S., First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration of China; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Zebelo, Simon, Associate Professor

B.S., M.S. Hawassa Univ.(Ethiopia); Ph.D. Univ. of Turin (Italy)

Programs

• Biochemistry, B.S.
• Biology - Biology Education, B.S.
• Biology Honors Non-Teaching, B.S.
• Biology Non-Teaching, B.S. - Biomedical and Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Track
• Biology Non-Teaching, B.S. - Ecology and Organismal Biology Track
• Biology Non-Teaching, B.S. - General/Pre-Physical Therapy/Pre-Allied Health Track
• Chemistry (ACS Certification), B.S.
• Chemistry Education (Teaching), B.S.
• Chemistry Honors (ACS Certification) - Pre-Medicine/Pre-Dentistry Tracks, B.S.
• Environmental Science - Environmental Chemistry, B.S.
• Environmental Science - Marine Science, B.S.

• Biology Minor
• Chemistry Minor
• Environmental Sciences Minor
• Physics Minor

• Dual Degree Program, Environmental Science - Marine Sciences Track
• Pre-Pharmacy

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