Marine Mammals and Plastic Pollution
Summary
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Join EarthEcho International and the Marine Mammal Foundation of Australia for an engaging 45-minute virtual field trip. Learn more from Dr. Kate Charlton-Rob, the Executive Director of MMF and Head of Research as she tells us more about the unique marine mammals of Australia and the impacts plastic has of them.
Panelists
Dr. Kate Charlton-Rob
Dr. Kate Charlton-Rob is the Executive Director and Head of Research at the Marine Mammal Foundation. She is an Australian zoologist and molecular geneticist, who along with colleagues, declared in 2011 a new species of the Genus Tursiops, and formally named is Tursiops australis.
Classroom Resources
Plastic, Sort It Out!
In this investigation, students design and create a Recycling Sorting Machine to eliminate the amount of waste that is incorrectly being sent to landfill. Students use basic resources (recycled and/or reused items in the classroom, home, or their community) to engineer a solution to the growing problem of waste in our schools.
PlasticSeas: ReThink Your Plastic
Students will follow the engineering design process to explore solutions to the overwhelming plastic packaging problem. They will develop sustainable designs that will consider alternatives to plastic packaging in items like juice boxes, plastic straws, bin liners, and single-use take-away/take-out containers.
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PlasticSeas: Plastic Impacts
Philippe Cousteau meets with Dr. Kate Charlton-Robb, the founding director of The Marine Mammal Foundation, to explore how marine ecosystems--specifically a unique population of dolphin--are impacted by plastic. From marine mammals to seabirds, plastic has a variety of impacts that Philippe examines with Dr. Jenn Lavers, who studies the health of seabirds through some unusual sampling methods.
Science Standards
NGSS:
MS-PS1-3 Matter and its Interactions
Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.*
MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design
Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design
Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design
Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
Australian Standards:
Science
› ST2‑4WS investigates their questions and predictions by analyzing collected data, suggesting explanations for their findings, and communicating and reflecting on the processes undertaken
› ST2‑5WT applies a design process and uses a range of tools, equipment, materials, and techniques to produce solutions that address specific design criteria
› ST2‑13MW identifies the physical properties of natural and processed materials, and how these properties influence their use
› ST2‑14BE describes how people interact within built environments and the factors considered in their design and construction
Mathematics
› MA2‑1WM uses appropriate terminology to describe, and symbols to represent mathematical ideas
› MA2‑2WM selects and uses appropriate mental or written strategies, or technology, to solve problems
› MA2-5NA uses mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction involving two-, three-, four- and five-digit numbers
› MA2-6NA uses mental and informal written strategies for multiplication and division
› MA2‑9MG measures, records, compares and estimates lengths, distances, and perimeters in meters, centimeters, and millimeters, and measures compare and records temperatures
› MA2‑10MG measures, records, compares and estimates areas using square centimeters and square meters
› MA2-18SP selects appropriate methods to collect data, and constructs compare, interprets and evaluates data displays, including tables, picture graphs, and column graphs