Workshop on Bridging the Gaps: Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics Challenges in Coastal Ecosystems
The Gulf Coast Center for Addressing Microplastic Pollution (GC-CAMP) at the University of South Alabama (USA) plans to hold a workshop titled "Bridging the Gaps: Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics Challenges in Coastal Ecosystems" from Monday, March 9 to Thursday March 12 , 2026, at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Marriott Hotel in downtown Mobile, Alabama. This workshop aims to address the multi-jurisdictional efforts in three leading Gulf Coast states: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and eastern coastal states including South Carolina, Delaware, Maine, and Rhode Island. The workshop will foster discussions on micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) pollution and enhance collaboration among academia, industry, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. The desired outcomes are multifold:
Identify current challenges in characterizing, measuring, and quantifying MNPs in water bodies, soil, and air;
Identify gaps in understanding the transport pathways, degradation mechanism, the impacts of MNPs on human health and ecosystems;
Identify available techniques to remove, reduce, and mitigate MNPs; and
Define and reshape future research areas, focusing on collaboration, education, and outreach to increase awareness in STEM fields related to MNPs.
We welcome over 100 participants from diverse backgrounds and sectors, including local, regional, and federal government, non-profit organizations, K–12 education, industry, and academic institutions (R1, R2, and community colleges). We believe that everyone’s expertise and interests will make a valuable contribution to this first-ever capacity-building workshop focused on microplastic and nanoplastics issues in the Gulf Coast region.
The drafted workshop agenda include (Detailed agenda will be updated later.)
Day 0 (Monday, 3/9, Travel Day): check-in, downtown activities, welcome dinner reception
Day 1 (Tuesday, 3/10): Keynote speakers and talks (morning), breakout sessions (afternoon), dinner networking reception
Day 2 (Wednesday 3/11): Keynote speakers and breakout sessions (morning), technical tours, dinner networking reception
Day 3 (Thursday, 3/12, Travel Day): Breakout sessions and summary (morning), adjourn at noon
Organizing Institutions:
Gulf Coast Center for Addressing Microplastic Pollution (GC-CAMP), USA
Interdisciplinary Center for Sustainable Engineering (ICSE), USA
Gulf Coastal Environmental Engagement Center (GCEEC), USA
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Mississippi State University
Louisiana State University
The Citadel
Organizing Committee
Shenghua Wu (University of South Alabama)
Kaushik Venkiteshwaran (University of South Alabama)
John Cleary (University of South Alabama)
Melike Dizbay-Onat (University of South Alabama)
Alexandra Stenson (University of South Alabama)
Shenghua Zha (University of South Alabama)
Jinhui Wang (University of Alabama)
Tina Miller-Way (Dauphin Island Sea Lab)
Ebenezer Nyadjro (Mississippi State University)
Bhuvnesh Bharti (Louisiana State University)
John Weinstein (The Citadel)
Yi Bao (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Shihui Shen (Penn State University – Altoona)
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out Dr. Shenghua Wu (shenghuawu@southalabama.edu) or Mrs. Marty Lind (mlind@southalabama.edu). This workshop is funded by National Science Foundation (Award No. 2450141).
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