Our Youth. Our Nation’s Future

4-H Youth Development

Our team of 4-H agents and specialists are committed to providing high-quality positive youth development opportunities around STEM topics to the youth of the Lower and Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Specialties & Ready-to-go Lessons

In addition to creating STEM programs at UMES, we encourage community organizations and schools to request help from any member of our team to deliver lessons at their events and classrooms. We can offer help in the following ways:

  • In-school enrichment lessons
  • Afterschool program enrichment lessons
  • Workshops & short-term experiences (ex: day camps)
  • Professional development for educators and teen counselors
  • STEM curriculum training for educators
  • Consultations on new program designs
  • Support for program evaluations and research projects
  • Equipment, curriculum booklets, and other resources

To request help from our staff, simply contact the person below who best matches your needs. If you are unsure who is the best match, please contact Ariel Clay at amclay@umes.edu or 410-651-6724 and she will be happy to advise you.

Ag Day with UMES Extension, Junior Achievement

  • UMES Extension agent Diamond Nwaeze instructs students from Woodson Elementary School on how to make seed bombs. Over 250 fifth graders from Wicomico and Somerset counties went on a field trip to Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center in Salisbury for AG Day at the center, June 3, 2024. (Photo by Todd Dudek, Ag Communications Photographer)

Ariel Clay

Specialties & Ready-to-Go Lessons:

Educator Development
  • 4-H Staff
  • Youth-Serving Volunteers
  • School Teachers
  • Afterschool Program Staff
  • Teens-as-Teachers
Curriculum Development

Curriculum Development

Program Design & Evaluation

Program Design & Evaluation

Animal & Avian Science
  • ChickQuest
  • Avian Science Bowl

Students work on stomp rockets during the STEM summer camp at Salisbury Middle School held at the school July 12, 2023. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Agriculture Communications Photographer)
Almost 100 students from Caroline County visited the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Paul S. Sarbanes Coastal Ecology Center on Monday, April 1, 2024 to learn about ecology of the shore by University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension Agents as part of thier 4-H program. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Ag Communications)

Brad Hartle

Specialties & Ready-to-Go Lessons:

Marine Science
  • Squid Anatomy (Dissection)
  • Shark Biology
  • Fish Adaptation
  • Turtle Hurdles – Project Wild Aquatic
  • Water Chemistry
  • Chesapeake Bay Watershed
  • Schooling Fish Sticks
Climate Science
  • Weather vs Climate
  • Sea Level Rise
  • Solar Energy
  • Hydrologic Cycle
Conservation
  • Oh Deer – Project Wild
  • Esmeralda’s Island
  • Plants of the Forest
Soil Investigations
  • Soil Chemistry
  • Soil Texture
  • Soil Porosity & Permeability
Physics
  • Power of the Wind
  • Rockets to the Rescue
  • Density Divers
Engineering Challenges
  • Strawbridge Challenge
  • Ecobots Challenge
  • Penny Boat Challenge
Navigation
  • GPS Clue
  • Orienteering
Miscellaneous Lessons
  • Fossil Hunt/Archeology Dig
  • Edible Entomology
  • Owl Pellet Dissection
  • Strawberry DNA Extraction
  • Fingerprinting
  • Cool It – Lizard Thermoregulation
  • Animal Olympics
  • Nocturnal Adaptations
  • Butter Making (Changes of Matter)

Email: bhartle@umes.edu

Phone: 410-651-6729

Jeremiah Mowen

Specialties & Ready-to-Go Lessons:

Robotics
  • LEGO WeDos
  • VEX
  • Mindstorms
  • FTC
Rocketry
  • Water Bottle Rocket Launchers
  • Water Pressure Rockets
  • Stomp Rockets
Coding/Programming
  • Scratch
Engineering
  • Spoon Catapult
Forestry

Forestry

Junior Master Gardener
  • Plant Press
  • Soil Ball Competition
  • Vermicomposting
  • Paper Pot Making

Email: jlmowen@umes.edu 

Phone: 410-422-3005

Evjanae Broome puts together a robot during a visit from Jeremiah Mowen, a UMES Extension Agent, to the Upward Bound program in Princess Anne Monday, July 10, 2023. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Agriculture Communication Photographer)
Students from Washington High School and Wicomico County Schools visit UMES during the UMES 4-H STEM College Day on campus. They were introduced to Physics, Engineering and Aviation Science, the Pharmacy program, The Entrepreneurship Center, Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Agriculture Communication Photographer)

Diamond Nwaeze

Specialties & Ready-to-Go Lessons:

College & Career Readiness
  • Building the Framework: Searching for Scholarships
  • Etiquette & You
  • Navigating Pre-College Programs
  • Majors & Areas of Study: What is best for you?
Nutrition Science

Nutrition Science

Agriculture & Community Gardening
  • Creation of a Vegetable Crop
  • Teatime in the Garden!
  • Not Just Seeds!
  • Closing Up Shop: How to prep your garden for next spring

Email: dcnwaeze@umes.edu

Phone: 410-651-6724

UMES Extension helps plant a garden at The Salvation Army

UMES Extension is partnering with The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club to create a community garden and conduct STEM activities as part of the club’s summer camp. 

Donna Price, program management specialist, worked with a group of about 10 children June 24 to plant the community garden at The Salvation Army Richard Hazel Boys & Girls Club, located at 429 N. Lake Park Drive in Salisbury. 

Jeremiah Mowen and Bradley Hartle, both of UMES Extension’s 4-H, will teach STEM activities at Salisbury’s Oak Street location of The Salvation Army.

On Thursdays, Diamond Nwaeze of UMES Extension 4-H, teaches campers at the Hazel location how to prepare for the county fairs in Somerset, Wicomico, and other nearby areas. Photos by Todd Dudek/Todd Dudek, Ag Communications Photographer

Planting at Salvation Army 062424 (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Ag Communications

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