Marine debris: part 2

Holding onto the rail with one elbow, I fished through my backpack with my other hand. It had to be in there somewhere. My fingertips registered the plastic texture, and my hand wrapped around the rectangular shape. There it was: my card for the Washington DC Metro. Just in time. I smiled. That little plastic card with $3 left on it has lived in my backpack since 2019. It's about time I used it again.  I stepped off of the airport tram and scanned the overhead signs for my train. 

My Marine Debris project is one of many funded recently by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That means I am now part of a national community of concerned investigators trying to remove trash from our oceans. NOAA SeaGrant, the federal agency that funded my proposal, has organized a series of meetings to connect us with each other. Once per year, I will travel to NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, MD to update the community about my team's work. 

This was my first marine debris symposium, and the project is brand-new. I didn't have much in terms of results to present, so I shared my team's plans. We're connecting with fishermen and marine stakeholders across Massachusetts. We're educating the public about marine debris. And we're building a robot to remove fishing nets from shipwrecks. 

My talk went well, and there were a few good questions afterward. It was really inspiring to hear the other project leads speak about their work. Unlike typical scientific grants, many of the marine debris awards went to local non-profit organizations. I was impressed by the range of organizations and activities represented. 

It was a great trip, and I'm glad I got to connect with others tackling marine debris.