Ocean Wise - Plastic Lab
Project Details
Location
Ocean Wise's Plastic Lab delivers cutting-edge research on microplastics.
Project Description
The Ocean Wise Plastics Lab is focused on delivering cutting-edge research on microplastics – in particular, the sources, transport, fate and related effects in Canada’s aquatic environments. The wonderful Plastics research team studies microplastics occurrence in laundry machine outflow, seawater, municipal wastewater and the stomachs and organs of aquatic animals, using state-of-the-art technology.
This placement is a blend of remote work and lab work at the Pacific Science Enterprise Centre (PSEC) in West Vancouver, BC. Here they conduct field research and access lab machines and tools. Ambassadors are able to get to know the Plastic Team by assisting in several ongoing projects and have the opportunity to co-design a placement project of their own, allowing them to get involved in hands-on research with real-world applications and ramifications. Microfiber pollution is a huge problem, and these research projects are used to further understand the issues and help build solutions moving forward.
Placement Category: Lab Research; Plastic, Pollution or Waste Management
Placement Season: Flexible
Placement Type: Urban, Lab
2023 Participant Highlights
Participants Julia Keeping and Gabrielle Smith
Julia’s produced a literature review for the Plastics team on whether green infrastructure in Vancouver is equipped to catch and filter pollutants from rainwater. This helped her gain experience and insight into a coastal region that faces different environmental and sociological challenges than those she is familiar with on the east coast. Throughout her placement, she has made impressive progress on her project, going on to write a research proposal for a sampling plan based on her findings. Her project will inform the work of the following Ambassador, Gabrielle, and ultimately empower the municipality to tackle critical challenges relating to microplastics and microfibres in the urban landscape.
See Gabrielle’s reel on Instagram here from her placement experience!
2021-2022 Participant Highlights
Participant Monica Gravel
Monica’s placement was partially remote work-based and occasionally she would visit the Pacific Science Enterprise Centre (PSEC) in West Vancouver, BC to conduct field research and access lab machines and tools. Monica spent her placement working on several other ongoing projects and was able to get involved in hands-on research with real-world applications and ramifications.
Participant Anneka Vanderpas
Read about a Day in the Life of a Plastic Lab Researcher in Anneka’s blog here!
