That's a Big Boat

This week was exceptionally busy; lots of meetings, discussions, and presentations/documents to prepare. I also got to spend some time in the lab preparing for the day at sea this weekend. This weekend, I will be supporting an undergraduate recruitment event for the USM School of Ocean Science and Engineering. We will be bringing high school students out to sea and showing them what marine research looks like. The students will work with sediment coring, water sampling, fish and invertebrate trawling, and even learn about marine technologies. I've spent time in the lab this week - and will continue the work tomorrow - preparing environmentally-friendly microplastic extraction solutions to see if the students can isolate plastics from the sediment cores. While the science and theory behind microplastic density separation is quite simple - the less dense plastics float to the top of the more dense liquid solution added to the mixture - preparing a density solution poses a few challenges. First, most microplastic density separation solutions are either really expensive, hazardous, or both. Second, we want to be as precise as possible when we make these solutions, which means accurate masses of the solute (the item we dissolve - usually a solid salt), accurate volumes of the solvent (the item we use to dissolve the solute - usually pure water), and have a way to measure the density throughout. Unfortunately, these steps require some items we don't have at the lab, so I am doing my best to provide the highest quality extraction solution possible. What is cool, though, is that there's a good chance we extract some meiofauna along with potential plastics, which gives me a chance to talk about nematodes, copepods, and the rest of the animals that live between grains of sand. 

When we get back from this day at sea, I leave for a conference in Louisiana, focused on science research, policy, management, and entrepreneurship along the Louisiana coast with a brief nod to the Mississippi coast. This conference is unlike others I have attended, as many attendees will be government workers and industry employers. Although I'm not presenting any of my work at this conference, this will be a good time to connect with other researchers, professionals who are interested in the work that we do regarding the Bonnet Carré Spillway, and potentially future employers. 

I can't wait for a great upcoming week. Notably, I will not be posting a blog next Thursday, as I will be just getting back from the conference. Stay tuned for the next update on May 29.