Our Research
From Theory to Reality
Projects We Plan to Fund
Science of the Future, Because Science Is the Future
Research on Micro-Plastics
Micro-plastics are particles of plastic no larger than 5mm. Micro-plastics are not produced intentionally. They are byproducts of our everyday plastic consumption. Personal care products that contain micro-beads can wash down the drains during showers or baths and into the sewer system. Wastewater treatment plants cannot filter out micro-plastics due to their infinitesimal size. Instead, an alarming amount of micro-plastics end up in the oceans every day. Micro-plastics were first discovered in the 1970s, and since then, their impacts on the ocean's environment have been carefully documented. However, being a relatively new area of study, micro-plastics are still not fully understood today, with many researchers still questioning their possible sources and routes. However, one thing's for sure: their impact. Zooplanktons, which are small organisms that are consumed by many of humanity's favorite ocean delights, consume the micro-plastics as food. This contaminates the entire food chain moving upwards with micro-plastics in their diets. It has even been discovered that micro-plastics rain down from the sky quite frequently, affecting life on land directly as well. We plan to give the already eager researchers focused on this emerging field the foundation they need for their research goals using our profits.
Marine Environment Conservation Projects
As if our website doesn't already scream "SAVE THE OCEANS", our team is also willing to scream that at the top of our lungs to the whole world every chance we get. Considering that that alone is likely ineffective, however, we are planning to fund environmental conservation projects that are already in effect and have yielded promising results. With a global relations undergraduate major on our team, we were able to conduct extensive research and produce a list of potential campaigns we are interested in funding, out of which, one is called "Oceans 5". As part of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, this group of philanthropists have contributed to numerous conservation projects for over 20 years now. Among a number of other projects, they are currently involved in a project focused in Mexico on preserving marine life by reducing over-fishing. We would be honored to give to similar foundations and organizations to do our part.
Enzymatic Bio-Degradation of Plastics Using Micro-Organisms
This topic of research, having been around for quite some time now, has gained a lot of traction in the recent years, with many researchers believing that micro-organism-facilitated bio-degradation of plastics is the future of waste management. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogenic bacterium known to cause a very serious infection of the lungs, along with certain kinds of fungi, and get this, many marine micro-organisms, are known to have an appetite for plastics. Many successful researches have been conducted on plastic bio-degradation by the enzymes derived from these organisms, however there is still an abundant amount of quantitative research needed before this can be a possible solution for the future. Funding is needed for research focused on finding the best strains of the micro-organisms, selective breeding the micro-organisms for optimal rates of bio-degradation, and determining the types of plastics that different organisms consume. We aim to directly contribute by sponsoring individuals and institutions who are already conducting concentrated research.