The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $500,846 Project Grant under the Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program to Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. The grant, awarded on August 1, 2024, with a completion date of July 31, 2027, will fund a research project investigating the effects of exposure to environmentally realistic concentrations of microplastics on the physiological and neurological development of amphibians. The key activities include: Determining the fate of...
This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) supports a collaborative research project focused on investigating microplastic sources, sinks, transport, and environmental impact across the Finger Lakes watershed in New York State. The $358,976 award to Hobart & William Smith Colleges will provide mentored research experiences for college sophomores to study the prevalence and behavior of microplastics in the region's air, water, soil, and...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program awarded a $752,886 project grant to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) to conduct research on the "Plastisphere of Pond Ecosystems: Understanding the Function and Fate of Novel Carbon in Biogeochemical Hotspots". The research aims to study the impact of plastic debris on pond ecosystems, which serve as important carbon sinks and provide resilience services. The 5-year...
This Project Grant award of $231,803 from the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) supports a collaborative research project to study microplastic sources, sinks, transport, and environmental impact across the Finger Lakes watershed in New York. The primary awardee, the Research Foundation of the City University of New York, will leverage the expertise and facilities at the City College of New York to provide mentored research opportunities for college sophomores....
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $258,210 grant under the Geosciences program to the University of Memphis to conduct research on the impacts of microplastic pollution on soil hydrology. The 5-year project, which began on March 1, 2024, aims to improve understanding of how microplastics can alter soil-water-plant interactions, soil pore structure, and desiccation crack development. The research will examine the effects of various microplastic characteristics, including size,...
The National Science Foundation awarded a two-year, $174,000 Project Grant to Princeton University under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050). The grant will fund research examining the effect of environmental conditions on the degradation pathways and sorption potential of microplastics and nanoplastics as vectors for inorganic pollution. The Geosciences program supports basic research to strengthen understanding of Earth's integrated system through atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences. This...
This $399,836 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (CFDA 47.075) program supports research to examine the sources and spatial distribution of microplastics in rivers. The project at Texas A&M University will characterize the extent of microplastic pollution in different watersheds and analyze how human activities and land use patterns impact the geographical distribution of these particles. The research...
This $191,801 National Science Foundation Project Grant under the Integrative Activities program will support research into the properties and toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics through a combination of experimental and computational methods. Professor B. Rasulev of North Dakota State University will lead an interdisciplinary collaboration with Rutgers University to characterize micro- and nanoplastic materials experimentally and computationally. Structure-toxicity analysis and...
This three-year, $192,385 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry and Mathematical and Physical Sciences program will support research into the formation and properties of micro- and nano-plastics in water systems. Professors Julie Peller of Valparaiso University and Stephen Mezyk of California State University, Long Beach will lead their students in experiments simulating the environmental weathering and chemical changes of small plastic particles over time...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences awarded a $346,823 Project Grant to the Regents of the University of Colorado (doing business as the University of Colorado) to conduct research under the NSF Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050). This research project aims to better understand how transformations to microplastics in coastal environments impact their regional-scale transport and fate. The study will use Lagrangian tracers and existing hydrodynamic modeling to quantify...