Arctic Adventures – Microplastics with Tristyn Garza

BY DANA TRICARICO

Tristyn Garza is a graduate student at the University of West Florida, with a focus on microplastic pollution. Tristyn is working with samples from the Great Lakes to Antarctic identifying and categorizing microplastics. Learn more about her work and her research journey below!

Can you describe your current research at the University of West Florida, and the path that led you there? 

I started my undergraduate work at the University of West Florida in 2014 in marine biology not really knowing what I could do with that, I thought sharks or something like that. Then I took a Tropical Marine Ecology class in 2016 where we spent a week at Forfar Field Station in the Bahamas studying the local environment and coral reefs. That class was actually taught by my current advisor, Dr. Alexis Janosik, and realized that the possibilities were endless, and I just needed to try out everything that I could. I began helping in a research lab my junior year after that trip, at the time I was in a physiology lab which I thought I really liked but I wasn’t really enjoying myself, so I knew I needed to switch it up. For summer terms, UWF has a program called SURP for undergraduates to conduct paid research and I ended up moving over to Dr. Janosik’s lab. I was going to work on a phylogeography project on mollusk from the Bahamas, then I don’t entirely remember how but, I ended up working on microplastics instead. I filtered through a few different iterations of the project but I ended the summer working with lettuce sea slugs and feeding them plastic to see if it changed the way they expressed certain genes. These slugs were so adorable, and because of them I figured out that inverts really had my heart and knew I needed to lean more into that. That project also taught me how much I love genetics; I have always thought they were interesting, but this was an eye opener for me.

So, in 2017 just quantifying the microplastics from Antarctica, as we (Dr. Janosik and I) were trying to figure out a project I could do (my sea slug samples didn’t have enough DNA to complete what we had intended). I really enjoyed seeing a different world under the microscope and helped out with a few other projects as I could. I graduated in May 2018 with the intention of taking a year off before returning to school. Dr. Janosik offered to let me work as a laboratory technician to keep working on the projects while I took a breather from a class load. I learned so much from everyone in the lab- especially Dr. Justine Whitaker- who was the postdoc at the time. I applied to work with her and Dr. Janosik for a master’s, and I ended up staying at UWF with Dr. Whitaker as one of my committee members. It actually worked out pretty great.

Now, in the simplest of terms I study microplastic pollution in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. I am looking at how quickly microplastics have accumulated in three fjords over three years. I collect water to filter out plastics to be counted and characterized. I also collect invertebrate organisms like brittle stars and sponges to quantify microplastic buildup in them. It was a little bit of a winding path to get to where I am now, but I wouldn’t change any of it.

Can you describe the hardest part of your research, and the most rewarding part?

Most difficult for any of my research was actually going to Antarctica. I went with British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in December of this year to collect 2020 samples, Dr. Janosik had collected in 2017 and Dr. Whitaker collected in 2018, so it was my turn. I found out about 7 months ahead of time that I would be going so I had plenty of time to prepare but there is only so much you can prepare when visiting a place that you have never been. The longest I had ever been away from home was a week with perfect cell service and I was going to be gone a minimum of 6 weeks essentially without connection from the outside world. I won’t lie- I was equally terrified and excited. This turned out to be the most rewarding part of my research as well. I was cruising with people from several different backgrounds, there were 19 nationalities on board, all from different areas of research and different ways of connecting with our oceans. I learned so much, although a lot went over my head too. Polar researchers are incredibly dedicated, the science was literally 24/7 and stopped when we were done as long as conditions cooperated. We had a few instances where we either ran into a storm or the ice front collapsed keeping us from stations. I ended up being on board for 7 weeks, and I still keep in touch with my cruise mates. It was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done, being away from home, not ever being on a ship for more than 8 hours and traveling to meet a bunch of strangers from other continents while on another continent, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. There is something to be said about pushing yourself beyond what you think you are capable of and what you can actually do.

In what ways do you hope to contribute to the protection of our ocean with this work?

I hope that I can share what we find with the world and show people that pristine and untouched by man no longer exists. As sad and doom and gloom as that is, I whole-heartedly believe that if people understood how far the human reach extends that maybe we can make a difference. We may not be able to remove all plastic from the oceans but if we can stop more entering our waterways, then we are protecting our oceans in some way, and that means everything to me. I am one of those kids that grew up eating, living, and breathing Animal Planet with Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin about how amazing animals are and how incredible our planet is. I just want to protect it and help others protect it too, and I understand that it is on us to do so.

What is your career goal upon completion of your graduate work? (It's completely fine to say "I'm not sure!" )

Right now, I have a very broad goal, I want to go back to Antarctica! I loved it so much, everything about it, the intensity of the work, the amazing people and breathtaking surroundings, and I never knew what true quiet was until then. So even though I don’t necessarily know what that means, I want a career working in the polar regions.

How can the general public be advocates for ocean conservation?

I love this question! I think there is a huge misconception when it comes to being an ocean advocate that you have to somehow work with the ocean like being a marine biologist or part of a conservation society but you don’t! You just have to love our oceans, do the right thing and speak up when you see good things and bad things. For instance, if you see someone littering on the beach you can tell them how important the ocean is- that it provides oxygen for us to breathe and food for us to eat- or do your own beach cleanups. When a restaurant stops serving straws because they aren’t necessary you can praise them for helping with the plastic problem. It can even be as simple as buying coral safe sunscreen, and ask questions- marine scientists love to share and help as much as they can. If you think about it, the people that pursued marine-based careers were all general advocates to start. 

 The marine science field can be a difficult one for those starting out. Could you give some advice to those in our Women in Ocean Science community who may be struggling to break into this field?

Don’t be afraid to ask someone about it or just start pursuing it. If it brings you joy and fulfillment then it is worth it. It may be overwhelming at first, but the good news is that there are entire communities based around it like “Women in Ocean Science”. I think the biggest thing to remember is that you don’t have to have it all figured out to start, some people might, and I admire them but, some people take time to figure out what they like. I know I did.

Many people are working remotely right now given the precautions put in place through COVID-19. How are you coping with this "new normal,"  and how has it impacted your graduate work?

My adjustment has been strange to say the least, but I think it has been for everyone. I was lucky to come home from my trip right before shutdowns started occurring, so I stumbled through it the whole time. I finally got used to being back in “the real world” as opposed to Antarctica only to have everything go remote. I take it day by day and I have productive days, and days where I binge watch shows and cuddle with my cat, but there is a balance within that. I was very fortunate to bring home a microscope to be able to work on the samples I have. I am very lucky to be able to continue my work, but I know several in my cohort that haven’t been able to do their research because of COVID-19. It breaks my heart to see research come to a halt but we have to keep everyone safe.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Ocean sciences are very collaborative, so even if you are an introvert (me) always try to talk to others about their science. I promise it pays off.