Physical Science

A summary of the work of Danielle Lasseigne, a microplastics researcher at the University of the Virgin Islands

Students will learn what microplastics are, where they come from, and their effect on the environment.

In this activity, students will investigate how long it takes different types of debris to degrade and how weather and sunlight affect the breakdown rate. Students will learn how degradation rates impact how long debris persists in the environment. Students will learn the difference between human-made and natural materials.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the distribution of marine debris (specifically microplastics) throughout the water column and food web.

Students will learn about what happens to floating marine debris (surface, near surface, and in the water column) that doesn’t get collected during beach cleanups. They will apply knowledge of oceanic water movement to understand why trash gets trapped in specific areas in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Students will interpret maps published in news articles.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the most commonly found marine debris items in USVI.

Career highlight by Zola Roper, then graduate student at the University of the Virgin Islands studying marine debris.

Utilizing field work and in-class activities, students will learn to identify, sort, and classify marine debris in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They will learn to identify and classify common marine debris through analyzing and/or collecting samples.

Have you ever found litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this project, organized by Oregon Sea Grant and supported through funding by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, students focus on one particular item of marine debris and try to learn about the item's story. What was the item originally used for?

Have you ever found litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this project, organized by Oregon Sea Grant and supported through funding by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, students focus on one particular item of marine debris and try to learn about the item's story. What was the item originally used for?

Have you ever found litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this project, organized by Oregon Sea Grant and supported through funding by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, students focus on one particular item of marine debris and try to learn about the item's story. What was the item originally used for?

In this lesson, students will learn about the impact of school waste on the environment. They will use math to measure some/all of the waste produced in one day on campus, and brainstorm ways to reduce that waste.

In this lesson students will learn about which types of matter can decompose by conducting a simple experiment. Students will observe changes over time due to decomposition, notice patterns and classify materials based on their ability to decompose, and explain how matter changes through decomposition.

In this lesson students pose questions about the nature of the litter found around their school, make predictions, do a campus cleanup to cultivate environmental stewardship, and then brainstorm solutions to prevent litter. 

In this activity, students will learn more about the career of a research scientist who studies plastic pollution. Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason is a leading researcher in the field of plastic pollution and has published numerous peer reviewed academic articles.