Category: Engagement Discover Highlight

URI initiative will invest $200K to support translational research on microplastic pollution

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Inaugural seed grant program will fund six collaborative projects to ‘address plastic pollution on a global scale’

Jaime Ross, assistant professor at the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience within the college of pharmacy, will continue research on the impact of microplastics in the human body, focusing on their potential contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. (URI photo/Shaun Kirby)

KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 15, 2023 – The University of Rhode Island’s Plastics: Land to Sea initiative announced today over $200,000 in funding to six faculty research projects that will help to address the challenges posed by plastic pollution globally.

“The selection of these six projects for funding serves as a testament to URI’s diverse range of expertise in the field of plastics pollution,” said Dr. Vinka Oyanedel-Craver, director of the URI Plastics Initiative and professor and associate dean of research at URI’s College of Engineering. “Notably, faculty members from five colleges—business, engineering, environment and life sciences, pharmacy, and health sciences—will receive support, facilitating cutting-edge research that will generate crucial information for the development of sustainable and equitable approaches to address plastic pollution on a global scale.”

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This article originally appeared through the University of Rhode Island’s Rhody Today on Sept. 9, 2023.

Professor Elizabeth Mendenhall: Propelling Policy for Ocean Plastics

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Dr. Elizabeth Mendenhall is an Assistant Professor of Marine Affairs and Political Science at URI. Photo credit: Beau Jones.

Elizabeth Mendenhall article lays out “A research agenda to propel policy development” regarding ocean plastics. According to Mendenhall, although the phenomenon of marine plastic debris is now widely recognized as a problem for the international community, significant gaps in understanding still inhibit the creation and implementation of effective policy responses. This paper reviews the state of scientific knowledge about the causes and consequences of marine plastic debris, including its sources, pathways, composition, location, and impacts on ecosystems and human activities. Much remains unknown about the large scale impacts of plastic debris on ecosystem functions and human health, among other information gaps. Mendenhall suggests that additional scientific research about the nature, extent, and harms of marine plastic debris could increase the political salience of the problem, and produce urgent and focused attention on the formulation of solutions. She also notes that while many policy responses have been proposed, and even pursued, additional research could assist in the prioritization of the most cost-effective strategies. Finally, Mendenhall offers that the research agenda outlined would support a more detailed and comprehensive assessment of the nature of the problem of marine plastic debris, and inform the creation and implementation of effective solutions.

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