Concern for the Ocean Leads to Support for URI’s Microplastic Research
Ava Wilson ’24 grew up in Chicago, sailing on Lake Michigan with her family. When choosing a college, the University of Rhode Island (URI) topped the list due to its beautiful location, range of academic programs, and the sailing team.
“Sailing has always been a part of my life, and URI gave me the chance to keep racing competitively, while exploring my diverse academic interests,” said Wilson. “My professors and advisors were very supportive of all my pursuits and helped me narrow my academic passions. Now I’m going for my master’s degree in international affairs policy at American University in Washington, DC.”
Recently, the Donald R. Wilson, Jr. Family Foundation made a $450,000 gift in honor of Ava Wilson to support URI’s research regarding the impact of microplastics on the ocean environment. The gift purchased state-of-the-art equipment for URI’s Plastics: Land to Sea Initiative and will support undergraduate research opportunities in the program for the next three years.
“I attended the 2023 Fish Lecture, which featured Charlie Enright from 11th Hour Racing,” said Wilson. “He talked about how two teams in the Ocean Race carried a special research device to collect and prepare samples of ocean water for analysis of their microplastics concentrations. It was eye-opening.”
This Wilson gift enabled the College of the Environment and Life Sciences to purchase the Agilent 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System, dramatically reducing the time needed to process water samples from days to minutes. It also detects objects much smaller than those found using traditional methods and significantly reduces training time for processing samples.
“My experiences at URI, in class and as a member of the sailing team, have heightened my concern for preserving our natural resources,” said Wilson. “My father and I care deeply about the health of our oceans and want to support initiatives that can have a positive impact on the future.
“This past summer, he and I participated in the 2025 Transpac Race with Charlie Enright. During the race, we caught two fishing nets on our rudder and board. Moments like those really make you think about the impacts humans have on our oceans and the effects on both human and marine health. URI is at the forefront of microplastic research, and we believe this gift will help identify the risks of microplastics and encourage new solutions and technologies.”
In addition to the equipment purchase, the Wilson Foundation is funding 10 students to participate in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). For three years, REU grants will be awarded by the College of Engineering and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to support undergraduates working with the Land to Sea Initiative.
Wilson graduated from URI with a B.A. in political science, criminal justice, and gender and women’s studies.
Plastics: Land to Sea Initiative
As the concentration of microplastics in the environment accelerates year after year, very little is known about their risks to humans. However, we do know that they can make marine life very sick. The Plastics: Land to Sea Initiative is a network of URI colleges and programs that integrates disciplines to study microplastic contamination and better understand the threat it poses before it’s too late to contain its consequences.