Image
Alex Jang | Irving, United States
Solution
Measuring Oceanic Microplastic Concentration by Size: An Educational Tool Kit for Student Citizen Science
The size of microplastics, plastics ranging from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters, can have radically different effects on organisms. Unfortunately, existing citizen science initiatives focus only on one data point: the number of microplastics. To address this issue, Alex proposes a microplastic test kit that democratizes microplastic data collection while educating users about microplastic pollution. These kits, which are designed to be used by students and can be integrated into science curricula or after-school programs, contain different-sized filters to collect and categorize different-sized microplastics in accordance with a new categorization method proposed by J.R. Bermúdez and P.W. Swarzenski based on the sizes of plankton. The data collected through the kits will be logged on an online interactive map and shared with scientists and policymakers, directly contributing to the understanding and mitigation of marine debris. Finally, the kits will provide a hands-on learning experience for students, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills and enabling them to contribute to real scientific research. This solution will build a strong data collection infrastructure that will contribute to a better understanding of the effects of microplastics of various sizes, guiding efforts to reduce microplastic pollution and empowering and educating the next generation by involving them directly in scientific research and environmental conservation.