Whitney Horstman, HICOM Alumnus, Joins Science Sea Expedition To Study Plastics In The Ocean.
Plastics at SEA: North Pacific Expedition 2012 is a scientific research expedition conducted by Sea Education Association (SEA) dedicated to the study of the effects of plastic marine debris in the ocean ecosystem. Plastics are versatile, durable and inexpensive materials that have become an important part of our daily lives. Because of their extensive use and slow degradation, plastics have also become a ubiquitous presence in the world’s oceans. In October 2012, 38 scientists, sailors and students will embark upon an expedition from San Diego, CA to Honolulu, HI to tackle tough questions about the impacts of plastic on the ocean ecosystem, while also providing updated estimates of floating plastic concentrations in the region dubbed the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.
Website Bio:
Whitney Horstman is an acupuncturist and massage therapist, originally from the mountains of Colorado, currently living on the Big Island of Hawaii. She holds an M.S. in Oriental medicine from Hawaii College of Oriental Medicine (2012), and a B.A. in medieval and Renaissance studies from Wellesley College (2002). Prior to entering the field of alternative medicine she worked as a wildland firefighter and EMT. Whitney participated in SEA Semester class C-174 her junior year of college, thus fulfilling a dream she had since high school when she first learned of the program. Her outside activities include hiking and swimming with her dogs, outrigger ocean canoe paddling, fire spinning, horseback riding, literature, and picking up trash on the beach to use in art projects.
http://www.sea.edu/plastics/team/whitney_horstman
