First-year master’s student Ashley Ohall took home a first place prize at this past spring’s 2024 Microplastics in the Coastal Region conference for her research advancing capabilities to identify microplastics in the ocean from satellites, aircrafts, drones and other devices used for remote sensing.

At a lab on the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) campus, Ohall is using a novel hyperspectral backscattering instrument to develop a library of data that can then be used to train an algorithm to accurately detect microplastics in the ocean, from space, and determine which type of plastic they are — separating styrofoam from polyethylene, for example. 

“Because it is such a new field, there are a lot of people who are skeptical of whether or not it is going to prove to be anything,” said Ohall. “So, getting an award gave me that boost that someone believes that this is possible. And that was very meaningful to me.”

Ohall, a Florida native, joined SkIO less than a year ago, after graduating from the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s in biotechnology and minored in sustainability studies. 

Her interest in marine debris research, and microplastics in particular, drew her to SkIO, where faculty members Dr. Sara Rivero-Calle and Dr. Jay Brandes serve as her mentors. Both Rivero-Calle and Brandes attended the conference with Ohall. 

“I am very proud of Ashley. She is very passionate, determined, intelligent and hardworking,” said Rivero-Calle. “Ashley’s work is providing a new perspective on the study of microplastics in the ocean, and she is pushing the boundaries of what we think can be done with remote sensing tools. It is not surprising that she won the award.”

The conference was hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. It took place from April 8-10 at the Marine Resources Research Institute (MRRI) Auditorium in Charleston, S.C.

About SkIO

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and training institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in 1967 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists. For more information, visit www.skio.uga.edu.