Research in the time of COVID-19: An exciting update

As you may have guessed, conducting field research while there is a global pandemic is a challenging endeavor. For some, they got funding but haven't been able to go use the funds, while others were unable to get funding because the application date was mid-pandemic and funding organizations didn't want to endorse research during the pandemic. I am very lucky because I applied for funding in the late Fall and early Winter, and received funding from the PADI Foundation and from the Friends of Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to be able to do my work. However, my work was also put on hold when the powers-that-be released quarantine guidance. I had planned to spend the summer collecting samples, processing the samples, learning how to use one of the analysis machines for my work, and starting to piece together a story of microplastics pollution in Panama City Beach, Florida, but it was not the case.

However, I am really excited to announce that I received permission today to conduct a portion of my field research!

I cannot wait to take you along with me as I start the next step of my research journey: collecting and processing my own samples. I have a few weeks to prepare before I go into the field, and in that time I will dedicate the blog posts to what I will be doing in the field, where I will be going, and what I hope to learn. Come join me on this exciting new adventure!