University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology

What University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology does

The Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) is an academic department within the University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR), located in College Park, Maryland. It delivers undergraduate majors and minors, a Master's program, and a PhD program centered on four concentration areas: Natural Resources Management, Ecological Design, Soil and Watershed Science, and Ecosystem Health. The department serves prospective students, graduate researchers, and, through its extension program, Maryland farmers and agricultural producers receiving applied support in nutrient management, anaerobic digestion, composting, and waste management.

ENST operates 16 specialized research labs and centers covering soil science, wetland ecology, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, aquatic toxicology, bioenergy, contaminant research, and ecosystem engineering. Notable proprietary research outputs include the POXC (Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon) soil health test now used by researchers worldwide, the SoilDoc field-ready soil analysis system developed with Columbia University's Earth Institute, and the introduction of forage radish as a cover crop to North American agriculture. The department also leads a multi-institution antimicrobial resistance research program via an AFRI grant and partnership with NIAMRRE.

The department's "business model" is that of a public academic unit: it does not sell products commercially and is funded through state appropriations, tuition, and competitive grants. Its customers are best characterized as education-oriented (undergraduate and graduate students) and applied outreach recipients (Maryland farmers via AGNR extension). Strategic positioning relies on interdisciplinary research infrastructure, long-standing faculty expertise, and partnerships with USDA, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Virginia Tech, the Smithsonian, and the Chesapeake Bay NERR.

Name

University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology

Legal name

University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology

Website

https://enst.umd.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ENST is an academic department within the University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It educates undergraduate and graduate students in environmental science and operates 16 specialized research labs spanning soil science, wetland ecology, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem engineering, with extension services to Maryland farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education & Environmental Science Research

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE) (EDAAALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) & Regulatory Reference (OSHA, EPA, Risk) (EDAGAGAJ), Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA), Data Management, LIMS & Compliance Software (ELN, eDMS, reporting automation) (EUANAJAE)

Keywords

• Environmental science education
• Soil science research
• Watershed science programs
• Agricultural extension services
• Ecosystem health studies

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) is an academic unit within the University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources that delivers undergraduate majors/minors, master's, and PhD programs in environmental science with concentrations in Natural Resources Management, Ecological Technology Design, Soil and Watershed Science, and Environmental Health. It operates 16+ specialized research labs and centers covering soil quality, wetland ecology, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, water resources, and antimicrobial resistance, and runs extension programs in nutrient management, anaerobic digestion, composting, and waste management for Maryland farmers.

Product overview

The Department of Environmental Science and Technology is an academic department offering educational programs (undergraduate majors/minors, master's, and PhD) and conducting research through multiple specialized labs and centers. The research portfolio includes 16+ dedicated research labs and centers covering areas such as soil science, wetland ecology, water resources, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and environmental health. Extension programs provide outreach in Nutrient Management, Anaerobic Digestion, Composting, and Waste Management. Key research tools include the SoilDoc field analysis system and POXC soil health test. The department also hosts an Antimicrobial Resistance Workshop program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Forage radish cover crop adopted by farmers across North America
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Debre Birhan University (Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransdisciplinary collaboration to enhance ecosystem health in Ethiopia's Central Highlands, targeting a traditional farming system suffering from erosion and degradation. Involves integrated soil, crop, nutrient, animal, biofuel, energy, social and natural resource management.
• Columbia University Earth Institute (AgCenter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the SoilDoc system for field-ready soil analysis, originally housed at Columbia and now at University of Florida. Enables soil testing in regions lacking laboratory infrastructure.
• National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIAMRRE is housed at Iowa State University and drives collaborative One Health research on antimicrobial resistance. ENST faculty (Dr. Stephanie Lansing) received $1.2M AFRI grant involving six institutions for AMR research.
• USDA Agricultural Research ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on antimicrobial resistance in agroecosystems, pathogens and antibiotic resistance in agricultural settings, and manure management impacts on soil health.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Health research collaboration on antimicrobial resistance, examining the intersection of bacteria and hosts to reduce microbe-mediated disease in humans and animals.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-institution AMR research including modeling studies, social science research on farmer/veterinarian perceptions, and dairy farming antimicrobial stewardship.
• Virginia TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on USDA NIFA project 'Reducing Antibiotic Resistance from Farm to Fork' and research on antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural systems.
• Chesapeake Bay—Maryland National Estuarine Research ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship partnership supporting coastal wetland research, long-term monitoring of plant communities, and soil sampling at wetland reserve sites.
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch in Global Change Research Wetlands (GCREW) examining Phragmites-dominant areas, carbon transformations, and redox oscillations in coastal wetland soils.
• Penn State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project on thriving agriculture in urbanizing areas, involving research on soil health and sustainable farming systems.
• Mid-Shore River KeepersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on research to keep rivers clean and farmers profitable through extended cover crop growing times and nutrient cycling studies.
• Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-EcologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject on organic matter integration into agricultural soils, characterizing molecular composition of organic matter fractions under future climate scenarios.
• Green Roofs for Healthy CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to determine thermal, hydrological and ecological properties of various green wall and green roof designs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences: Large land-grant peer department with directly comparable soil science, agronomy, and agroecology research programs.
• Iowa State University Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology: NIAMRRE is housed at Iowa State and ENST participates in the AMR research network anchored there; comparable ecology and soil/microbial research at a land-grant university.
• Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences — Ecosystem Science and Management: Direct peer land-grant department with overlapping soil, water, and ecosystem research; ENST and Penn State have an active collaboration on thriving agriculture in urbanizing areas.
• UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources: Top-ranked peer department with directly comparable soil science, hydrology, and environmental quality research at a major research university.
• Colorado State University Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability: Peer land-grant department with directly comparable ecosystem, sustainability, and watershed science research programs.
• Cornell University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences: Core research partner on the multi-institution AMR/One Health consortium; directly comparable in soil science, agronomy, and agroecology research.
• University of Florida Soil and Water Sciences Department: Houses the SoilDoc system originally developed at Columbia; directly comparable soil and water sciences department at a major land-grant university.
• Michigan State University Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences: Comparable land-grant department with overlapping soil, microbial ecology, and agricultural research.
• Virginia Tech Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences: Active collaborator on the USDA NIFA 'Reducing Antibiotic Resistance from Farm to Fork' project; comparable land-grant soil and environmental sciences program.
• Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources: Direct peer with overlapping soil, water, and ecosystem science research; comparable land-grant ENR program structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EnstUmd
• YouTubego.umd.edu/enst-youtube
• Facebookfacebook.com/enstumd
• Instagraminstagram.com/enstumd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-environmental-science-and-technology-umd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology