Our Mission

We are Team MARINE: a research group of 12 dedicated sophomore gemstone students investigating sources and prevention methods of microplastic pollution. Microplastics are small particles that come from the degradation of larger plastics. Our team is researching where microplastics are introduced to the Anacostia watershed and mapping their concentration. Additionally, we are investigating potential methods to reduce the amount of microplastics in marine ecosystems. With your support, we hope to fund our collection and analysis efforts to better understand where microplastics are and how we can manage them. 

We plan to collect microplastic samples in three distinct phases. The first phase beginning Spring 2022 involves collecting water samples on and around the University of Maryland campus. The second phase involves expanding our collection to the greater Paint Branch Creek watershed adjacent to campus in College Park. Our third and final phase involves broadening our efforts to the main Anacostia River. We plan to strategically select collection sites based on access, weather, tidal, urban development, and seasonal considerations. 

After collection, our team hopes to conduct a range of polymer analyses to determine the count of microplastics in our samples. We hope to compare samples longitudinally and from different circumstances (e.g. after heavy rainfall, snowpack melting, and drought). Even broader, we want to understand the magnitude of where microplastics are in our local watershed and develop solutions to reduce them. These solutions could include investigating filtration solutions to block microplastics from entering the watershed at point sources. 

Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents.   Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.