Over the past 4 years I have been developing my research skill and over those years I have grown passionate about the environment and finding ways to improve the damage that is already done to our planet. I have done projects at TRU in the microbiology, chemistry and physics labs and each fields of science has given me a unique perspective on how interconnected research involving the environment is.
My most current research project is for my Honours degree for my Bachelor of Science. This project is primarily focussing on talking the issue of microplastic contamination. As you may know, microplastics are small pieces of plastics that can last for 1,000’s of years and are known to have many negative impacts on ecosystems.
For this project my research is focussing on microplastic contamination in Kamloops municipal compost. In this project I will be identifying and characterizing microplastics in compost as well as trying to isolate bacteria already present in the compost that are able to degrade plastics
Bioremediation is a very useful tool to tackle environmental contamination. Bacteria are highly evolved organisms that are able to break down complex products like plastics for energy.
This project bring together my love for helping the environment and my new found curiosity for the microbial world.
Honours Update Presentation
Reflection:
This project has been a very valuable experience for me by allowing me to share my knowledge about the environment. My main message from this presentation was not only to update faculty about the progress on my research but also make people aware of the serious impacts microplastics can have. In this project I have learned how different environments are connected, which is evident by tracking how microplastics travel through these environments. A piece of plastic that ends up in compost can travel into soils, into plants and animals and eventually into humans. This cycle has made me aware of how humans cannot escape the impacts of the natural world and that we are very much apart of this system just like the plants and other animals that live on Earth.