The University of Maryland Eastern Shore hosted the Maryland Association of Family and Consumer Sciences spring meeting April 17, 2026. It was organized around the theme “Advancing the FCS Profession.” The event brought faculty and students together for a day of professional development and networking, including workshops on natural dyeing, financial literacy and digital textile printing.
Student research in UMES’ Department of Human Ecology was showcased during a poster presentation session. A strong focus was on the use of emerging technologies like AI in textile imagery, said Bridgett Clinton-Scott, professor and director of the Human Ecology Graduate Program.
Aalayia Otis, Samaiah Davis (pictured at left) and Chelsea Wright presented their research on the use of AI-generated textile imagery to improve transparency and functional support for pregnant and postpartum women. Jaylen Milburn’s work was on adaptive aesthetics using generative AI to visualize textile performance for aging consumers, while Aryaun Stevens explored its use for plus-sized shoppers.
Another highlight of the day was an advocacy-focused session “From Classroom to Capitol: How UMES Students Became ECE Advocates” led by Michelle Spencer, assistant professor of child development, and including child development students Nevaeh Schreiber, Elexus Hamilton Holland, Rhonda Johnson and Quinci Smith.
The session provided a critical platform for these students to share their experiences transitioning from the classroom into professional advocacy roles for early childhood education, Clinton-Scott said.
Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, tdudek@umes.edu.
