Collaborative Research: REU Site: Microplastic Sources, Sinks, Transport and Environmental Impact across the Finger Lakes Watershed

Microplastic—tiny particles, films and fibers of plastic smaller than a quarter of an inch in length—are everywhere in the environment. They are found in soil, drinking water, food, air, and even rain and snow. Microplastic comes from improperly disposed plastic waste that breaks down in the environment and finds its way into the human body through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.

Scientists aren’t yet sure whether microplastics harm humans, but one study published in 2024 showed that microplastics in artery-clogging plaque contributed to an increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Before Americans can protect themselves from microplastic contaminants, they must understand where microplastic comes from and how it moves through the environment.

This research focuses on identifying how microplastics enter community drinking water resources in the Finger Lakes of New York State, how microplastics move through the environment, and how these particles, films, and fibers interact with microbes and other water contaminants. More important than the research itself, this project provides mentored research opportunities for college sophomores.

Students spend five weeks in the field in Upstate New York learning how to design a research project and collect data. Then they will travel to New York City to use state-of-the-art equipment to examine the material they collect. They will analyze their data and learn how to communicate their findings to a variety of audiences, and will have the opportunity to present their results and network at scientific conferences.

Students will also participate in workshops on leadership, communication, and preparing for graduate school. This project will build the scientific workforce of the future through authentic hands-on research with faculty members who are experts in their fields and have decades of experience successfully mentoring undergraduate research.

This project offers mentored, interdisciplinary environmental science research experiences for sophomores that combine complementary perspectives among geoscience, chemistry, and biology. These research experiences will capitalize on the resources (e.g., field sites and analytical equipment) of two institutions with strong cultures and track records mentoring undergraduates in research.

The project will holistically develop young scientists by creating a supportive environment where participants can develop confidence and learn collaborative skills, while working closely with near-peer and faculty mentors to learn the process of science. Mentored projects will focus on microplastics—mm-sized fragments, fibers or films of synthetic polymer—in the air, water, soil, and organisms of the Finger Lakes watersheds of New York State.

Microplastics are ubiquitous in freshwater environments and are recognized as an emerging contaminant. Many basic questions remain unanswered that are appropriate for undergraduate research, making microplastic a fruitful system for research and mentorship. The Finger Lakes offer well-documented watersheds with a variety of land uses, allowing undergraduate research students to explore microplastic sources (e.g., streams, the atmosphere, wastewater etc.), sinks (e.g., sediment), and environmental impacts (e.g., on organisms, chemical and biological adhesion).

This project combines field sites in the Finger Lakes (Hobart & William Smith Colleges), analytical resources at the City College of New York (e.g., GC/MS, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy), and seven faculty mentors with decades of experience guiding undergraduates in original research.

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.