The Appalachian Laboratory (AL) is nestled in the mountains of western Maryland on the campus of Frostburg State University. Using its state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities, AL faculty engaged in environmental science research on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems with a primary focus on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Research areas include: wetland and stream ecology; restoration ecology; landscape ecology; geographic information systems and remote sensing; conservation biology; biogeochemistry; and behavioral ecology.

The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) is located on the western shore of Maryland on Solomons Island. Its mid-Bay position at the mouth of the Patuxent River places it within easy reach of the diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitats of one of the world's largest estuarine ecosystems. Faculty at the Laboratory conduct research in: ecosystem studies; fisheries science; environmental chemistry; geochemistry and toxicology.

The Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) is located on the banks of the Choptank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Laboratory faculty engage in research on the biology, chemistry, physics, and ecology of organisms and ecosystems from wetlands and estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the continental shelf and open waters of the world's oceans. Research includes: oceanography; plankton dynamics; marine macrophyte and wetland ecology; systems ecology; nutrient dynamics and eutrophication; physiological ecology of benthic invertebrates; benthic-pelagic interactions; and aquaculture

The Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB), part of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, occupies 171,000-square-feet of the Columbus Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Committed to research, education, and economic development, COMB applies research in molecular biology and molecular genetics to aquaculture and fisheries; marine microbial products and processes; and marine pollution and bioremediation. Researchers search for improved methods of aquaculture and fisheries production; develop new marine-based compounds and pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostic test methods, and industrial applications of microbial products.

The Maryland Sea Grant Program (MDSG) is based at University of Maryland College Park and is part of a network of 30 university-based Sea Grant programs around the country. With funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Maryland, MDSG supports innovative marine research and education with a focus on the Chesapeake Bay. MDSG supports research targeting practical problems and serves as a gateway to relevant and reliable scientific information so that citizens can make informed choices about marine resources.