Closeup of microplastics on the beach | International Institute for Environmental Studies

Location

Online

Date

Oct 04 2023 - Dec 06 2023

This event has passed.

IIES Member Registration Fee

Free

Microplastics in the Environment

Name: Microplastics in the Environment
Start: 2023-10-04
End: 2023-12-06
Location: Online

Of the 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste produced globally, less than 10% has been recycled (UNEP). While there is a huge problem with plastic waste generally, more recently researchers have begun to identify problems associated with microplastics, i.e. very small particles of plastic that are either released directly to the environment or are formed in situ. In this lecture series we will hear from leading experts from different countries and different research backgrounds on the issues associated with microplastics including analytical challenges, distribution and fate in different environments, potential health effects for humans and other biota and some possible solutions to the problem. Join us to learn in detail about the most current research in this rapidly evolving area of study.

Contributing Institutions and Organizations: Trent University (Canada), Akvaplan-niva (Norway), Nankai University (China), Northwest A&F University (China), IUCS-CESPU (Portugal), Nanjing University (China), University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy), ETH Zürich (Switzerland), The University of Edinburgh (Scotland).

The IIES is pleased to offer a FREE online seminar series focusing on Microplastics in the Environment. The series runs every Wednesday from October 4 to December 6. Each week join a speaker from one of the contributing universities or organizations who will share their research and expertise. Lectures run approximately 45 mins with a short Q&A to follow. The talks are FREE and available to anyone interested. Please see below for seminar information:

Online Lecture Series

Location: Online Zoom Meeting
Date: October 4 to December 6, 2023 (every Wednesday)
Time: 8:00am EST (GMT -05:00)

*Be sure to check your local time zone to ensure you don’t miss the lecture.

Schedule

This course has passed.

Date	Week	Seminar Title	Speaker	Affiliation
October 4	1	Introduction to Microplastics	Professor Julian Aherne	Associate Professor at Trent University (Canada)
October 11	2	Analytical Methods	Professor Lei Wang	Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Nankai University (China)
October 18	3	Challenges and Opportunities for Measuring Nano- and Microplastics in Complex Environmental Systems	Professor Denise Mitrano	Professor at ETH Zürich (Switzerland)
October 25	4	Aging of Microplastics – Role of Free Radicals	Professor Hanzhong Jia	Professor at Northwest A&F University (China)
November 1	5	Microplastics in Freshwater Systems	Dr. Veronica Nava	Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
November 8	6	Microplastics Pollution in the Nordic (marine) Environment	Dr. Claudia Halsband	Senior Researcher at Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø (Norway)
November 15	7	Microplastics and the Effects on Wastewater Treatment Technologies	Dr. Efthalia Chatzisymeon	Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland)
November 22	8	Effects of Aging on the Environmental Behaviour of Microplastics	Professor Cheng Gu	Professor in School of the Environment, Nanjing University (China)
November 29	9	Car Tire Rubber Particles – A Special Case of Microplastics	Dr. Claudia Halsband	Senior Researcher at Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø (Norway)
December 6	10	Human Health Implications	Dr. Joana Prata	Assistant Professor at ICBAS-UP and IUCS-CESPU (Portugal)

Guest Speakers

Professor Julian Aherne | Trent University (Canada)
Professor Lei Wang | Nankai University (China)
Professor Denise Mitrano | ETH Zürich (Switzerland)
Professor Hanzhong Jia | Northwest A&F University (China)
Dr. Veronica Nava | University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
Dr. Claudia Halsband | Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø (Norway)
Dr. Efthalia Chatzisymeon | The University of Edinburgh (Scotland)
Professor Cheng Gu | Nanjing University (China)
Dr. Joana Prata | ICBAS-UP and IUCS-CESPU (Portugal)

Kindly Note:

Registration confirmation and ZOOM link sent out by email after registration. Please check your JUNK FOLDER.

Recorded Lectures

Lecture 1 | Introduction to Microplastics | Professor Julian Aherne, Trent University (Canada)

Lecture 2 | Analytical Methods | Professor Lei Wang, Nankai University (China)

Lecture 3 | Challenges and Opportunities for Measuring Nano- and Microplastics in Complex Environmental Systems | Professor Denise Mitrano, ETH Zürich (Switzerland)

Lecture 4 | Aging of Microplastics – Role of Free Radicals | Professor Hanzhong Jia, Northwest A&F University (China)

Lecture 5 | Microplastics in Freshwater Systems | Dr. Veronica Nava, University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)

Lecture 6 | Microplastics Pollution in the Nordic (marine) Environment | Dr. Claudia Halsband, Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø (Norway)

Lecture 7 | Microplastics and the Effects on Wastewater Treatment Technologies | Dr. Efthalia Chatzisymeon, The University of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Lecture 8 | Effects of Aging on the Environmental Behaviour of Microplastics | Professor Cheng Gu, Nanjing University (China)

Lecture 9 | Car Tire Rubber Particles – a Special Case of Microplastics | Dr. Claudia Halsband, Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø (Norway)

Lecture 10 | Human Health Implications | Dr. Joana Prata, ICBAS-UP and IUCS-CESPU (Portugal)

Tags: Environmental Health, Environmental Policy, Free Online Course, Microplastics, Online Seminar Series