The Aegean Sea served as both a classroom and biology lab for a group of 20 students from all over the United States studying the environmental impact of microplastics this past summer. The students, including five from Penn State and 15 students enrolled in the College Year in Athens, traveled to Greece as part of the Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences (CHANCE) program, an accredited interdisciplinary environmental education program whose overarching goal is to teach conservation biology and global sustainability at the front line. The students spent nearly one month learning, gathering data and testing water samples, tracking endangered sea turtles, dolphins and whales, and exploring ancient ruins.

The field work was conducted under the guidance of Jacqueline McLaughlin, professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) and founding director of the CHANCE program, and Kathleen Fadigan, CHANCE instructor.

The students worked in groups to devise feasible solutions to the problem of marine microplastic pollution.

“The world’s oceans are full of plastic pollution, but the truth is, the Mediterranean Sea is considered a hotspot due to its semi-enclosed nature, densely populated coastlines, heavy tourism activity, fishing, shipping, unsustainable consumption, and the ineffective waste management practices of many nations,” McLaughlin said. “Greece itself has many waste management issues including bulging, open-top landfills; a recycling rate lower than the European average; illegal landfills; lack of infrastructure and enforcement, and public awareness. Most plastic ends up in the sea. Unfortunately, it has become so prevalent that biodiversity in each and every marine food chain of this incredible aquatic ecosystem is suffering; but, by experiencing these realities students witness and come to understand the urgency to deal with these issues. That’s what makes this CHANCE program so special.”

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