NASA Microplastics Research and Education Center - MIRO Award

NASA Microplastics Research and Education Center - MIRO Award

Funder: NASA (Minority University Research and Education Project Institutional Research Opportunity - MIRO)

Award Amount: Approximately $5,000,000

Status: Active

Geographic Scope: Alaska, with collaborations across Alaska, University of Michigan, and California

Focus Areas:

Microplastics research and detection

Environmental science education

Alaska waterways and ecosystems

One Health approach to environmental contaminants

Alaska Native Traditional Ways of Knowledge integration

Research Scope:
The Microplastics Research and Education Center will explore and detect microplastics in:

Traditional drinking water sources

Urban and rural watersheds

Glaciers

Coastal waterways

Ocean column

High-altitude depositions

Program Goals:

Contribute to research and education needs of Alaskan communities

Determine microplastic concentrations in Alaskan waterways

Assess impacts on human, animal, and ecosystem health

Integrate Alaska Native Traditional Ways of Knowledge with Western science methods

Increase workforce diversity in environmental sciences

Eligible Applicants:

Alaska Pacific University students in Marine and Environmental Sciences program

Student Support Offered:

Internship opportunities

Tuition stipends

Funded research projects

Collaborations with NASA scientists and academic partners

Key Personnel:

Principal Investigator: Dr. Dee Barker

APU Collaborators: Nate Anderson, Dr. Jason Geck

External Collaborators: Dr. Denise Thorsen (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Dr. Chris Ruff (University of Michigan), Shelly Moore (Institute of Plastics Research, California)

Facilities:
Building capacity of Alaska and Arctic Waterways Analytics (AAWA) lab at APU for microplastics detection and remote sensing ocean surface anomalies using NASA's SWOT satellite system.