The University Centre of the Westfjords has had good representation at a two-day online workshop which was hosted by the UArctic Thematic Network on Marine Plastics with over 60 participants. The purpose of the workshop was to explore the different educational needs and research gaps related to Arctic Marine Litter, and how to better coordinate with Arctic Council activities. UW research manager Catherine Chambers is part of the Thematic Network and was involved in organizing the workshop. With the UW experience with the Pollution in the Coastal Arctic course and the masters student research, it is clear that UW has an important role to play in marine litter research and education.  

Marine plastics is considered a topic of concern both by local communities and by national governments. There is still a lot of research that needs to be carried out to understand the details of the risks and solutions of marine litter, but it is also clear that there is a need for education of the next generation of researchers in order to produce high quality scientific information. Three UW students were also invited to take part in the workshop and Mathis Blanche, a 2nd year Coastal and Marine Management student, was invited as a student representative for the workshop's concluding panel workshop. In May, Mathis will defend his masters thesis on benthic marine litter around Iceland which was a cooperation with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. It is students like him that provide important input for ideas for new and exciting courses!