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The Microplastics Fingerprinting project is working towards better understanding of microplastic pollution in the natural environment, including the quantities, particle sizes, and composition of plastics found in sediments, soils, and water. This work requires recovering microplastic particles from different types of environmental samples (i.e., matrices). However, there is an overall lack of standardization across the methods people use to do this extraction in a way that ensures results can be compared and quantified across projects. 

From April 23to 29, the world came together in Ottawa for the global plastics treaty negotiations at INC-4 (the 4^th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee). The University of Waterloo, through the Water Institute, participated as an official observer. This involved sending a delegation to witness the negotiations at a pivotal moment in the collective goal of ending plastic pollution. The delegation consisted of members of the Microplastics Fingerprinting project, Stephanie Slowinski, Nancy Goucher, and Cassandra Sherlock, as well as Elizabeth Prince, Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Philippe Van Cappellen, professor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department and Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology, has been appointed a University Professor by the University of Waterloo. This designation recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement and international pre-eminence, and once appointed, a faculty member retains the designation until retirement. Van Cappellen is the first Earth and Environmental Sciences professor to receive this honour.  

“The relationships between graduate students and their academic supervisors are critical to achieving this goal. Our colleagues who are receiving the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision have been and continue to be exceptional collaborators with and mentors to our students. We are thrilled to celebrate their vast contributions to the graduate community.”  

As a representative of the Microplastics Fingerprinting project, I had the chance to join world leaders in Kenya this past November at the third negotiation session for the Global Plastics Treaty. Led by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the meeting was part of an effort to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. I was invited to join as part of the Environmental Defence delegation, one of our project partners. 

A recent article published by members of the Microplastics Fingerprinting research team introduces a new AI tool they developed and tested called PlasticNet. The tool uses a deep learning convolutional neural network architecture to identify microplastics using images obtained from infrared spectroscopy.

In November 2023 a high-profile multidisciplinary journal in environmental science, Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN) recently published an editorial describing the journal’s minimum requirements for measurement of plastics in environmental samples that must be met before the paper is considered for review and possible publication.