Campus Resources

The Plant Sciences Building is adjacent to the Biology-Psychology, Bioscience Research, and Microbiology Buildings, which facilitates interaction between multiple departments – Entomology, Plant Sciences, Biology, Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience & Cognitive Science, and Microbiology – in a highly collaborative environment.

Research Farms & Greenhouse
The department is affiliated with both the College of Computer, Mathematics & Natural Sciences and Agriculture & Natural Resources. Our close ties to AGNR allow faculty and students to utilize the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, which maintains four Research and Education Centers at nine sites across the state where field and laboratory work is carried out on urban and agricultural insects.

At each research farm, faculty and students have access to plot space and experienced farm crews that can help maintain research/training plots. Each farm is equipped with tractors, planters, sprayers and irrigation equipment as well as crop management and harvest equipment to carry out research. Each facility is also equipped with wagons for transporting stakeholders on farm tours.

Faculty and students also have access to a state-of-the-art greenhouse on campus. This resource is a 2-acre site with 45,000 square feet in greenhouse space and an outdoor nursery area.

Insect Rearing & Animal Housing
Insect rearing facilities include Percival incubators within laboratories and walk-in growth chambers in the department, all of which have temperature, light and humidity controls. A fly food facility (housed on the fifth floor) is shared by five fly groups on campus, providing fly food to each once per week at minimal cost.

The Animal & Avian Sciences Building provides housing for the animal subjects involved in research and teaching programs at UMD. The facility can accommodate mammalian, reptilian, avian, and aquatic animal subjects. It contains modern, climate controlled, and restricted access space for animal housing, as well as ancillary rooms used to perform surgeries, conduct research, mix feed, and wash cages. This facility is located within walking distance of the Plant Sciences Building.

High Performance Computing
Faculty and students at UMD are provided access to Deepthought2 & MARCC/Blucrab high-performance computing clusters through the Division of Information Technology (DIT). A variety of open-source software packages relevant to biological research are available, maintained, and updated on these clusters by DIT.

Core Facilities
The College of Computer, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences and the University maintain a large number of Core Facilities , all of which are available to faculty and students.

Other University Resources
Students and faculty at the University of Maryland have access to vast library resources as well as research laboratories and facilities that include biotech and biomedical, engineering, environment, climate, and robotics.