As we know, micro plastics are a problem found in our food. ORCA (Ocean Research & Conservation Association) in Vero Beach had an Art & Science competition for students and adults. ORCA has a citizen science program that collects data all along the Lagoon, including counting micro plastics in fish stomachs.
Our Chair, Kris Baker entered the contest. A natural artist & painter, she accepted the challenge of doing art totally out of box for her, and even prepared a required science lab report! The data spoke volumes about the reality of this problem in our local waters. Kris created a sculpture/painted piece to represent the science data - the title is “Dinner is served”.
![ORCA_Art Competiion 2024 Microplastics in Food](https://20811975.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/20811975/hubfs/ORCA_Art%20Competiion%202024%20Microplastics%20in%20Food.jpeg?width=2296&height=4080&name=ORCA_Art%20Competiion%202024%20Microplastics%20in%20Food.jpeg)
It's no surprise that Kris placed first place in the competition for the adult category!
The art makes us think - what’s really in our food? What are we really consuming and putting in our bodies? Granule, fiber, fragments, and film of micro plastics were found in many species of fish.
Here’s to all the artists and scientists that rely on each other to express the important data in a way everyone could relate to and understand! Bravo to our chair, Kris, for expressing this important matter in such a creative way.