Queenie Turner

Microplastic concentrations in bowhead whales

UAF Senior
B.S. Fisheries & Marine Sciences

Queenie Turner poses in front of the whale skeleton hanging in the UAMN.
Courtesy of Queenie Turner.

Queenie is a 2024-2025 Climate Change Project Award Recipient. 

My URSA project is about microplastics (MP) in bowhead whales that were subsistence harvested from Utqiagvik, Alaska in the fall of 2022-2024. I am comparing MP concentrations (MP/g) from a subset of tissues of stomach contents, colon contents, and muscle.

Stomach content MP concentrations can help estimate exposure of whales via their food. Colon contents can inform how much of the MP particles are excreted and are also useful to compare exposures of other large and endangered whale species where other tissues are not available. Finally, MP can translocate from the gut to body tissues. Muscle MP can be reliably detected and provide an estimate of potential body burden, or the total amount of MP accumulated within an organism's body. Preliminary results show that MP concentrations in bowhead whale tissues are among the highest our lab has investigated so far. 

Queenie lab photo showing microplastics on the microscope.
This is one of Queenie’s perspectives when counting microplastics on the sample filters. The computer screen shows a microplastic that is a black fiber with a length of 1721 micrometers (um), or 1.721mm. (Courtesy of Queenie Turner)

How is your project going so far this semester?

My project is going well, I’m just about done with my lab work! Completing the lab work has been quite fun. Most of my samples are completed or in the final stage of quantifying and analyzing the microplastics based on color, length, and frequency within each tissue sample. I’m eager and excited to have all the lab work completed and to focus on putting everything together for my poster presentation and my undergraduate thesis! 

How did you find out about URSA and what encouraged you to submit an application for funding?

During the summer of 2024, I completed a different URSA project. Going into the fall semester of 2024, I was familiar with URSA and wanted to do another research project. I was in one of Dr. Lara Horstmann’s classes and reached out to her about completing a marine mammal project. She offered me this microplastic project with [an application for] the climate change award in mind. Since bowheads are very culturally important to Alaska Natives, the health of these whales is critical for local food security. I’ve always considered myself an animal activist, so I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to the knowledge of anthropogenic harm to marine life. 

 

Queenie working in the lab
Queenie in the lab looking at a muscle sample filter under the microscope to measure and count microplastics. On the bottom left is her lab notebook where she records each microplastic based on its color, type, and length. (Courtesy of Queenie Turner)

How does your URSA project relate to your career or personal goals?

I grew up on the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and have a lifelong love and passion for the ocean and the animals within. I’ve always known I wanted to get into marine animal conservation and research. My microplastics project is an important step towards my career goals. Since I’m writing my thesis on this project, I will have experience in thesis writing for my future research and upper-level education. My current project has solidified my goal of going the research route in the field of marine science.

Growing up on the coast, sadly I’ve seen firsthand how pollution and trash affect and harm marine animals. I’ve always wanted to make the ocean a better place for the beautiful animals within. My project has helped me see truly how much anthropogenic waste, at a microscopic level, is directly in contact with marine animals. 

If you could share one piece of advice with students interested in pursuing URSA in the future, what would you say?

Apply! Apply! Apply!

Applying for an URSA award is a great experience for any future grant proposals. The URSA team is willing and happy to help you. It’s great getting the experience of completing a funded research project as an undergraduate. My URSA projects have helped solidify my career goal of becoming a marine science researcher without the Master’s or PhD pressure. At UAF, we are so lucky to have the opportunity to complete our own research and for it to be a funded research project!

You won’t regret applying for an award. The experience I've gained from receiving an URSA award it has changed my life for the better.