The three-day international workshop organized by the University of Kerala (Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries), supported by the Ecomarine project as a part of “training the trainers” was held from 29 to 31 May 2023. 82 participants from all over India attended the programme. This first workshop on microplastic was inaugurated by the Director of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, Dr. Adeela Abdulla. Dr. Andy Booth, Chief scientist, SINTEF Ocean, Norway, delivered the keynote address and handled sessions on the chemistry of microplastic pollution and microplastic degradation.
The experts handed the training of trainees included Dr A Biju Kumar (Professor and Head, Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries), Dr Suvarna Devi (Project Scientist, Ecomarine project), Dr. JK Patterson Edward, Dr Jamila Patterson, Professor & Dr RL Lajju and Dr K. Immaculate Jeyasantha (Suganthi Deavadason Marine Research Institute, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu), Dr. EV Ramasamy (Professor, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala), and Dr P Karthikeyan (Research Associate, Ecomarine Project) handled various sessions in the workshop.
The trainers were given on-hand training on microplastic collection, characterization and mapping. Further, Raman and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for microplastic characterization was given at the Central Laboratory of Instrumentation and Facilitation (CLIF), University of Kerala.
The workshop concluded with a group discussion, “Emerging Trends in Marine Debris and Microplastics Research, Identifying Knowledge Gaps Relevant to India and the Way Forward”, and the emerging points would form the framework for a discussion paper. Dr Kurian Mathew Abraham, Assistant Project Director, ECOMARINE, proposed thanks to all the participants. On the feedback, the participants stated their appreciation for organizing this workshop that provided them with hands-on experience in microplastic collection and characterization and opined that a full practical workshop is further required.
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