The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. As an 1890 land grant institution, UMES has a history of underrepresented minority student engagement with research in the sciences, both applied and basic, that is part of its mission and purpose to serve the people of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) provides undergraduate programs in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, and environmental sciences. DNS provides foundational support for study in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and other allied health fields and trains students in the fundamental sciences as preparation for the job market and advanced study in the chemical and life sciences, including marine science. The department also houses graduate programs in chemistry, marine, estuarine, and environmental sciences, and toxicology.