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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Marine debris project by 51ƷEnvironmental Studies students featured in ‘Journal Tribune’

"Shelley the Sad Turtle" sculpture created with marine debris
"Shelley the Sad Turtle" sculpture created with marine debris

For 6 weeks, pairs of Environmental Studies students in the Pathways to Pollution class fanned out across Freddy Beach on UNE’s Biddeford Campus to collect marine debris.

“They picked up 1,299 pieces of debris off Freddy Beach over the course of the 6 weeks they went out,” said Heather Heenehan, Ph. D., visiting assistant lecturer in environmental studies.

The students used that debris to create sculptures. The idea behind the artwork was to find a creative way to show how much debris and trash are left behind on beaches, specifically the beach on the 51Ʒcampus.

The top items found were bits of plastic and foam.

Four sculptures, including “Shelley the Sad Turtle,” were on display for several days at the Ripich Commons. Three of the student sculptures will soon be on display in the Marine Science Center.

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The 51Ʒ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.