Rodney Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo and an active member of the Microplastics Fingerprinting project. This multidisciplinary initiative brings together over 30 faculty members, masters and PhD students, and staff to address the environmental challenges posed by microplastics.
Professor Smith leads a research group specializing in spectroscopy, data management, and machine learning, contributing to innovative solutions within the Microplastics Fingerprinting project. Key contributions from his team include:
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Standardizing environmental microplastics research data management: Developed an open-source metadata template to enhance the sharing and comparative analysis of datasets globally.
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Advancing microplastic particle identification: Built and refined a Raman spectroscopic database/library containing over 600 plastic samples to improve the speed and accuracy of particle identification.
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Leveraging Machine Learning for Microplastic Analysis: Trained machine learning models to streamline the identification of environmentally degraded plastic particles, eliminating the need for extensive cleaning or preparation processes.
Professor Smith’s work in microplastics research aligns with his broader interests in leveraging advanced analytical techniques to address pressing environmental issues.