SCIENCE ON TAP: LET'S TALK TRASH

Name: SCIENCE ON TAP: LET'S TALK TRASH
Genre: science lecture
Released: 2027-01-13
Duration: 1 h 30 min

<p class="p1" style="margin: 0px 0px 20.1px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-language-override: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Let’s Talk Trash: Microplastic Pollution In & Around Us<p class="p2" style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-language-override: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Because of their small size, microplastics (plastic particles < 5 mm long) pose a unique environmental threat. Larger trash items can generally be removed through improved waste management systems and clean-up efforts, but microplastics are virtually impossible to collect en masse. On top of that, their number continues to grow exponentially as larger plastic items degrade over time. Microplastics can travel vast distances, carried primarily by water or air. As such, plastic has been found in some of the most remote habitats on earth. Research indicates that more than 1,500 species are known to ingest plastic, potentially causing gastrointestinal distress, false satiation, toxicological exposure, and bioaccumulation. Humans are not immune to these impacts. Microplastics have been found in various human organs and tissues, likely breathed in or ingested through contaminated food and beverages, leading to the recent concern regarding potential health impacts. Learn more about microplastics, their sources, effects, and some potential solutions, and hear about the newly established Oregon Microplastics Analytical Research Center (OMARC), and hear both past and ongoing microplastic research from PSU. <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/mcnair-program/expert/elise-granek">Dr. Elise Granek</a> runs the Applied Coastal Ecology (ACE) Lab in the Dept of Environmental Science and Management at PSU. She holds a PhD in Marine Ecology from OSU and a Masters in Forest Ecology and Conservation Biology from Yale. Her research at the land-sea interface spans ecological (community composition in mangroves), socio-ecological (perceptions and attitudes about marine reserves, microplastics, non-native mangroves), and eco-toxicological (examining effects of microplastics, pesticides, pharmaceuticals on marine animals) studies.<p class="p2" style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-language-override: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(49, 49, 49);"><a href="https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/omarc/team?authuser=0">Kellie Teague, MS</a> works as a research analyst at the Oregon Microplastics Analytical Research Center (OMARC). She has a BS in Chemistry from Southern Methodist University, and a MS in Marine Science from Hawaiʻi Pacific U, where she specialized in chemical oceanography. Kellie has been working in the field of plastic pollution since 2019, and served as the Laboratory Manager for the Center for Marine Debris Research from 2020-24.science lecturePT1H30M2027-01-13SCIENCE ON TAP: LET'S TALK TRASH"SCIENCE ON TAP: LET'S TALK TRASH"

Showtimes

January 13, 7:00 pm