Workshop on Microplastic Pollution

February 6, 2026, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

CEME 2202 | 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4

plasticHow can we effectively measure, monitor and model microplastics in our oceans? What equitable regulations and policies are needed to limit their presence? What limitations currently exist? Join us for a workshop that will explore these questions and provide deeper insight into microplastic pollution in our oceans. 

The workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Mona Rahmani (UBC), Dr. Maite Maldonado (UBC), and Dr. Juan Jose Alava (SFU). It will examine the current science and pressing issues related to microplastic pollution and will focus on three key areas: research methods, policy, and ocean science. 

This workshop will take place at the Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Building (CEME), Room 2202 on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. 

Faculty, staff and graduate students are all welcome! 

Agenda 

  • Short Presentations and Q&A on microplastic pollution methods, policy, and ocean science
  • Group discussions  

Please kindly RSVP below. 

__________

Pre-reading before workshop 

We suggest that, to better engage with colleagues during the workshop, you strongly consider reading some or all of the following curated papers.

Methods Papers:

Covernton, G. A., Pearce, C. M., Gurney-Smith, H. J., Chastain, S. G., Ross, P. S., Dower, J. F., & Dudas, S. E. (2019). Size and shape matter: A preliminary analysis of microplastic sampling technique in seawater studies with implications for ecological risk assessment. The Science of the Total Environment, 667, 124–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.346 

Rochman, C. M., Brookson, C., Bikker, J., Djuric, N., Earn, A., Bucci, K., Athey, S., Huntington, A., McIlwraith, H., Munno, K., De Frond, H., Kolomijeca, A., Erdle, L., Grbic, J., Bayoumi, M., Borrelle, S. B., Wu, T., Santoro, S., Werbowski, L. M., … Hung, C. (2019). Rethinking microplastics as a diverse contaminant suite. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 38(4), 703–711. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4371 

Policy Papers:

Brander, S. M., Senathirajah, K., Fernandez, M. O., Weis, J. S., Kumar, E., Jahnke, A., Hartmann, N. B., Alava, J. J., Farrelly, T., Almroth, B. C., Groh, K. J., Syberg, K., Buerkert, J. S., Abeynayaka, A., Booth, A. M., Cousin, X., Herzke, D., Monclús, L., Morales-Caselles, C., Bonisoli-Alquati, A., Al-jaibachi, R., Wagner, M. (2024). The time for ambitious action is now: Science-based recommendations for plastic chemicals to inform an effective global plastic treaty. Science of The Total Environment, 949, 174881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881 

Filella, M., & Turner, A. (2023). Towards the global plastic treaty: a clue to the complexity of plastics in practice. Environmental Sciences Europe, 35(1), Article 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-023-00801-9  

Ocean Sciences Papers:

Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C. M., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., Galgani, F., Ryan, P. G., & Reisser, J. (2014). Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea. PloS One, 9(12), e111913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111913  

RSVP

First Nations land acknowledegement

The PRISMS research excellence cluster acknowledges that our work takes place on the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Bluesky The logo for the Bluesky social media service. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. External Link An arrow entering a square. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.