The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $464,508 Project Grant to the University of South Alabama (USA) for a 3-year Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site focused on addressing the impacts of microplastics in the Gulf Coast region. This REU program, funded through the NSF Engineering (CFDA 47.041) program, will recruit 10 students per year to conduct research on detecting, measuring, and remediating microplastics. Key focus areas include understanding the degradation of plastics into microplastics, developing detection techniques, creating mitigation filters, establishing monitoring systems, and repurposing collected microplastics. Students will receive training in experimental methods, data analysis, critical thinking, and scientific communication. The project takes a multidisciplinary approach spanning civil, coastal, and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, computer/electrical engineering, and marine science.