Creating Sea Change

Alongside staff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant and the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research, Kristin Burkholder, associate professor of environmental science, is currently working on a project that explores the sources and impact of marine debris. This initiative was made possible by a $286,284 award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant.

“[Their] support will go a long way in helping us complete this important work, which we hope will benefit many,” Burkholder said.

The researcher is helping oversee a coalition working to enhance the design of ocean-drifters, low-cost units that use satellites to determine oceanic movement. Specifically, they hope to make these devices more sustainable. Once the updated drifters are produced, the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation will coordinate with commercial fishermen to launch them so researchers can examine how debris travels.

The NOAA grant will also help Burkholder and her colleagues create an internship pathways program for underrepresented youth, through which students will receive funds to address geographic and financial barriers that prevent them from interning.

“We hope that a program like this can help broaden the community that is exploring the impact of marine debris,” Burkholder noted.