Ohio Sea Grant’s work to address marine debris removal and prevention includes beach cleanups, public education, and outreach efforts. One initiative for debris removal is the Beach and On-water Trash Trapping Tech Team for Lake Erie (BOTtttle) program, which involves the use of trash trapping robots called the BeBot and Pixie Drone. Marine debris removal activities involving the robots have restored a total of 9.55 acres of habitat along Lake Erie in Ohio.
Another important aspect of Ohio Sea Grant’s marine debris programming includes community education. Coastal residents are educated on the issue of marine debris in Lake Erie through various outreach events. Events include school presentations and training with students and educators, and public engagement at beaches, nature centers, and festivals.
Another pillar of marine debris outreach in Ohio focuses on a group of like-minded partner organizations brought together under the name Plastic-Free Cleveland. A Plastic-Free Cleveland website was developed by Ohio Sea Grant to aggregate resources about marine debris for Cleveland area residents, highlight public events focused on plastic prevention, and connect coastal residents with local organizations working to address marine debris in Lake Erie. Presentations on the pollution risks of balloons, textiles, and plastic based shoreline stabilization techniques were created by members of the Plastic-Free Cleveland partner initiative.
The Ohio Sea Grant Marine Debris intern will support the BOTtttle program and Plastic Free Cleveland. As such, successful candidates will excel at environmental communications and public engagement. The intern’s scope of work includes:
- Program support: Assist BOTtttle program partners and Plastic Free Cleveland members with meetings and general tasks, including beach clean ups.
- Digital communications: Manage and enhance Plastic Free Cleveland’s digital presence by updating website content, including the creation of graphics for outreach materials.
- Multimedia content creation: Produce engaging visual storytelling materials, such as social media posts and a digital content calendar.
- Public outreach and event support: Represent Ohio Sea Grant at community events, maintaining outreach materials and identifying new opportunities for public engagement.
- Publicity and awareness campaigns: Collaborate with BOTtttle program and Plastic Free Cleveland members to research and design public awareness tools, such as fact sheets, educational handouts, and short educational videos.
- Strategic planning: Assist in developing a draft Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan.
Time commitment
The intern will work 40 hours per week for approximately 3 months. At least one day per week will be spent on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. There will be additional opportunities for flexible attendance as necessary at alternate locations, including shadowing opportunities with Ohio Sea Grant Extension agents and members of Plastic Free Cleveland.
The intern will also be expected to attend all public engagement events prioritized by Ohio Sea Grant. Examples include environmental festivals and symposiums, community open houses, and educational workshops. Oftentimes these events will take place at night or during weekends.
Shadowing opportunities
Throughout the duration of the internship, the intern will have the opportunity to shadow parters on the BOTtttle project and members of Plastic Free Cleveland. This will introduce the intern to a diversity of job responsibilities in the environmental field. Career education will be emphasized by including the intern in scheduled workshops, lectures, and professional meetings with academic, government, and industry professionals. There will be built-in opportunities for additional meetings with “near-peers” and others associated with the mentoring team.
