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Microplastic Analysis through High School Classrooms: Leveraging an Authentic Science Experience for Students to Build Global Knowledge
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Scientists created a hands-on program that lets high school students test local ponds, creeks, and lakes near their own neighborhoods for microplastics, tiny plastic particles that have become a widespread pollutant in our environment, food, and water. This matters because most microplastic research focuses on big cities or remote areas, leaving a gap in understanding how much of this contaminant is in the everyday places where people actually live, swim, and gather water. By training students to collect real data, this project not only fills that research gap but also helps a new generation understand and think critically about a pollutant increasingly linked to concerns about human health.
Abstract Microplastics are ubiquitous particulate contaminants of concern that are found in all environmental media. While the global reach of this pollutant is well-documented, most monitoring involves densely populated urban areas or remote, pristine locations. Few studies track microplastic abundance and accumulation in everyday, suburban, or residential landscapes where most people live. The identification and quantification of microplastic pollution in a nearby retention pond, neighborhood creek, or popular recreational lake can be an effective means of illustrating the pervasiveness of this contaminant. This activity, designed for high school students, expands awareness around microplastic pollution and also offers participants an authentic hands-on science experience. Pilot tests demonstrate accessibility for this rigorously validated standard operating procedure. In addition to demonstrating fidelity, the activity gives students the opportunity to improve specific laboratory techniques, troubleshoot unexpected problems, consider bias and limits of detection, and develop future scientific questions. Survey questions administered to students piloting this activity demonstrate that it encouraged participants to consider how scientific findings about microplastic pollution could shape behaviors, attitudes, and policies in their local communities.
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