Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Community science is key to contributing data to large-scale projects. Public connections inform groups about human effects on the environment and afford opportunities for university students to demonstrate skills learned during their major programs. Marine plastic pollution has been an emerging topic of concern for several decades. Understanding the distribution and impacts is key to developing action plans that will reduce the input of plastics into the world’s ocean, specifically the Salish Sea. Undergraduate students at University of Washington Tacoma are trained in sampling techniques, laboratory analysis, and data synthesis in several courses throughout their program. Student researchers, along with their advisor participate in the environmental education nonprofit Sound Experience’s Girls at the Helm. Girls at the Helm is a 3-day sail aboard Puget Sound’s Environmental Tallship the S/V Adventuress with an all-female identifying crew, researchers, and girls. Participants include youth from diverse backgrounds throughout the country. Four research students have participated as science mentors, becoming experts able to communicate their work to others. Data collected over the years has been used to support undergraduate capstone projects in several Bachelor’s Degrees, as well as theses in Geographic Information Systems Master’s Degree. Community science programs like Girls at the Helm is important to educate communities about environmental issues, while providing participants the opportunity to collect field data. The connection to place, our Salish Sea, lasts a lifetime, often recruiting girls into STEM fields. Undergraduate researchers build self-confidence in their ability to understand, teach, and lead within their chosen field.
Session Title
Poster Session 4: People Working Together to Protect the Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE14: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-posters-481
Start Date
27-4-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
27-4-2022 5:00 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Plastic marine debris--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine pollution--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Women in science; Women aquatic scientists; Women environmentalists
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Society
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers and Aspiring Girl Scientists
Community science is key to contributing data to large-scale projects. Public connections inform groups about human effects on the environment and afford opportunities for university students to demonstrate skills learned during their major programs. Marine plastic pollution has been an emerging topic of concern for several decades. Understanding the distribution and impacts is key to developing action plans that will reduce the input of plastics into the world’s ocean, specifically the Salish Sea. Undergraduate students at University of Washington Tacoma are trained in sampling techniques, laboratory analysis, and data synthesis in several courses throughout their program. Student researchers, along with their advisor participate in the environmental education nonprofit Sound Experience’s Girls at the Helm. Girls at the Helm is a 3-day sail aboard Puget Sound’s Environmental Tallship the S/V Adventuress with an all-female identifying crew, researchers, and girls. Participants include youth from diverse backgrounds throughout the country. Four research students have participated as science mentors, becoming experts able to communicate their work to others. Data collected over the years has been used to support undergraduate capstone projects in several Bachelor’s Degrees, as well as theses in Geographic Information Systems Master’s Degree. Community science programs like Girls at the Helm is important to educate communities about environmental issues, while providing participants the opportunity to collect field data. The connection to place, our Salish Sea, lasts a lifetime, often recruiting girls into STEM fields. Undergraduate researchers build self-confidence in their ability to understand, teach, and lead within their chosen field.
