Marine debris project by UNE Environmental Studies students featured in ‘Journal Tribune’

"Shelley the Sad Turtle" sculpture created with marine debris

For 6 weeks, pairs of Environmental Studies students in the Pathways to Pollution class fanned out across Freddy Beach on UNE’s Biddeford Campus to collect marine debris.

“They picked up 1,299 pieces of debris off Freddy Beach over the course of the 6 weeks they went out,” said Heather Heenehan, Ph. D., visiting assistant lecturer in environmental studies.

The students used that debris to create sculptures. The idea behind the artwork was to find a creative way to show how much debris and trash are left behind on beaches, specifically the beach on the UNE campus.

The top items found were bits of plastic and foam.

Four sculptures, including “Shelley the Sad Turtle,” were on display for several days at the Ripich Commons. Three of the student sculptures will soon be on display in the Marine Science Center.

Read the article in the Journal Tribune

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