REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research to Address Microplastics in Gulf Coast Region

This three-year REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research to Address Microplastics in Gulf Coast Region is hosted by the University of South Alabama. The project takes a multidisciplinary approach to exploring the impact of microplastics in the Gulf Coast region. Microplastics, which are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size, have become a significant environmental concern, prevalent in oceans, rivers, and coastal areas.

These pollutants not only harm marine life but also pose risks to human health and disrupt ecosystems. Microplastics are a very real issue with major economic impacts, especially with respect to Gulf Coast based tourism. Ten students each year will be recruited to engage in place-based research during the ten-week summer program.

REU students can select projects featuring civil, coastal, and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, computer and electronic engineering, and marine science. The research initiatives include the impact and degradation of plastics into microplastics, the detection and measurement techniques for microplastics, filters to mitigate microplastics, microplastics monitoring system, and repurposing collected microplastics for alternative applications.

REU students will have the opportunity to work together as a team, conducting both fundamental research and hands-on experiments as they investigate real-world issues. Students will also receive formal training in ethics and codes of conduct, experimentation, data collection, systematic and critical thinking, writing skills, and team building. Participants will engage in research about microplastics pollution and developing effective solutions to protect marine ecosystems, promote sustainable practices, and enhance the long-term health of coastal regions.

This three-year REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research to Address Microplastics in Gulf Coast Region is hosted by the University of South Alabama. The project takes a multidisciplinary approach to exploring the impact of microplastics in the Gulf Coast region. The primary goal for students is to engage in intensive research towards detecting, measuring, and remediating microplastics in coastal regions, while also understanding the impacts of sustainable practices.

REU participants will have the opportunity to work together as a team, conducting both fundamental research and hands-on experiments as they investigate real-world issues. Student activities encompass five key areas: understanding impact and degradation of plastics into microplastics; developing detection and measurement techniques for microplastics; creating filters to mitigate microplastics; establishing a microplastics monitoring system; and repurposing collected microplastics for alternative applications.

Through these initiatives, students will collaborate on fundamental research and practical experiments. Students will also receive formal training in ethics and codes of conduct, experimentation, data collection, systematic and critical thinking, writing skills, and team building. This project is jointly funded by the EEC REU and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.