About me

I am passionate about protecting environmental, animal, and human health- with a focus on plastic pollution.

I have studied (micro)plastic pollution since an impactful 2016 study abroad experience in the Pacific Ocean with Sea Education Association (SEA cruise S-267). I completed my undergraduate thesis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Environmental Science BS, '18) on plastics in North Carolina salt marshes, then had an internship at the Shaw Institute Blue Hill Research Center assessing microplastics in the Gulf of Maine. I then began graduate school at The Citadel (Biology MA, '21). While at The Citadel, I worked with Dr. John Weinstein to investigate the sources, pathways, and fate of microplastics within the Charleston Harbor ecosystem.

I am currently on contract with CSS to NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to assess rates of microplastic ingestion, trophic transfer, and biological fate by studying local bottlenose dolphins as a sentinel species. This work involves assisting with dolphin necropsies, leading dissections on gastrointestinal samples, processing samples for microplastics, and analyzing polymer composition in partnership with Dr. Austin Gray at Virginia Tech. This research is also part of my dissertation research with the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences with Dr. Geoffrey Scott. 

I have experience studying microplastics in various matrices (e.g. sediment, water, and biota) and applying analytical techniques, including FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopy. I am an active student member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), which has helped build my professional network. In my spare time I enjoy reading, gardening, volunteering at church, and playing with my cats Coco and Pebbles.

Contact me:

bonnie.ertel@noaa.gov