For every marine sediment sample from the GoM that C-IMAGE PI David Hastings\u00a0processes with his students, he generates four (4) plastic disposable test tubes. He prefers not to re-use them since the trace element analysis is sensitive to very low levels of contamination.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That Dr. Hastings’\u00a0lab is generating substantial plastic waste in an effort to understand the eventual fate of the oil that was spilled trying to provide us with petroleum resources, like the plastic test tubes, was an interesting contradiction. He\u00a0put out a call for Eckerd students to make a piece of art with the used test tubes. Without any additional information, one art student found a modelling simulation of the subsurface plume transport from Dr. Claire Paris, a researcher out of the University of Miami, RSMAS and, ironically, a fellow C-IMAGE Researcher. The art student, Robin Rowland,\u00a0replicated the subsurface intrusion using the test tubes suspended by waste monofilament fishing line recovered by Tampa Bay Watch. This art installation was part of her senior art project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The full\u00a0exhibit description can be found here:<\/p>\n