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Marine Debris Program Participates in Baltimore Underground Science Space Microplastics Panel

OCTOBER 6, 2017--On September 22, 2017, staff from the Marine Debris Program’s (MDP) Research Coordinator, Carlie Herring, gave a microplastics presentation and participated in a panel discussion – A Plastic World: Are microplastic choking our environment? – held at the Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS).

Tiny pieces of plastic laying in sand.
Microplastics in a beach environment. Image credit: NOAA.

Other presenters and panelists included Julie Lawson, Executive Director of MDP partner Trash Free Maryland, Jason Rolfe (MDP Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator), and Alterra Sanchez, a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. Approximately 25 community members attended the event and asked questions about the sources and fate of microplastics, effects on wildlife, and potential solutions including the use of biodegradable plastics.


BUGSS is a non-profit public laboratory offering classes, seminars, and laboratory access so that anyone can safely and affordably investigate science and the living world. This community-based science lab was established five years ago. They currently have a high school class exploring the issue of biodegradable plastics. 


For additional information, please contact Carlie.Herring@noaa.gov or Jason.Rolfe@noaa.gov.


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Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:40pm PST