BLUEPRINT 2019

RiverUP is a two part project that intends to mitigate the plastic pollution problem through trash collection as well as  proactive social and political outreach through a phone application. In the app, students will collect, log, and classify plastic and other pollutants caught by RiverUP surface nets implemented along waterways. Educational, social, and motivational tabs accompanied by a “point” system will motivate and educate students about plastic pollution collection.

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The Prophet is an automated underwater sensor that powers itself by the mechanical energy of waves in the area. A small network of prophets take continuous data of properties of the water to create a predictive algorithm of algae levels. Just like weather predictions, the prophet creates probabilities of algae blooms ahead of time and communicates it publicly to affected/interested people in the area as a warning system. The prophet could be utilized in the future to control algae levels through ultrasonic wave emission according to its predictions to keep algae blooms from happening.

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This project aims to reduce seafood fraud and illegal fishing, an issue that permeates through as much as 70% of seafood in the US. With this blockchain based platform, machine learning as well as a “bitag” can track and identify seafood through the supply chain, allowing for more trustworthy end products.

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In an effort to control invasive lionfish populations by marketing them as food, a supply shortage has resulted from sudden high demand. Lionfish Supply Chain aims to connect a community of hunters, divers, and distributors through its website in order to increase and maintain a constant supply of lionfish, thus benefiting ecosystems, fisheries, and divers.

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Algal blooms are detrimental for marine ecosystems, causing dead zones. Bloom Bloom Pow proposed two solutions: 1) the introduction of sea grass to fix the over-enrichment of nutrients in water, and 2) using dinoflagellates to kill off algal bloom accumulations.

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The Reduce Reuse Refuse initiative is a 3-part project across multiple platforms that will engage students on campus to think about the impacts they have on the world oceans. By introducing an ocean plastic art exhibit, to providing incentives for usage of reusable food containers, this project changes the culture on campuses away from plastic usage.

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Oyster Box seeks to use a citizen science platform to increase public knowledge surrounding oyster reef ecosystem services in water quality and living shoreline stabilization. Focused on educating and enlightening schoolchildren and their families on marine ecology, the Oyster Box is a science kit complete with all the tools to build and maintain an oyster reef with an accompanying app and online community.

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Unregulated fishing in no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a large-scale problem that requires constant supervision to remedy. Using an array of passive acoustic monitors (hydrophones) that can identify and detect certain vessels, agency personnel can be notified and called to action without constant human monitoring.

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Fertilizer runoff containing high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contributes to algal blooms and causes subsequent ocean eutrophication in coastal bodies of water. The Algaeculture app uses existing datasets and emerging soil sensors to create a real-time map of fertilizer runoffs, predict algal bloom locations, and visualize the impact of precision agriculture.

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