11TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY CHARLES RIVER CLEANUP

Charles River Cleanup Volunteer Group Profile: MIT Sea Grant

Group Mission Statement
MIT Sea Grant is part of the National Sea Grant College Program, a network of 32 programs working to promote the conservation and sustainable development of our marine resources through research, education, and outreach. Sea Grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Organization Information
MIT Sea Grant’s research, outreach and educational projects are aimed at finding real-world solutions to coastal problems and helping to create the coastal stewards of tomorrow. Particular areas of focus and expertise include autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), aquaculture and fisheries, coastal management, underwater communications, and biotechnology. Much of MIT Sea Grant’s research and outreach is geared toward improving and caring for our marine environment, from designing scallop dredges that don’t damage the sea floor to studying contaminated sediments, doing research on marine bioinvasives, working to improve collaboration among Gulf of Maine researchers, and using small, autonomous underwater vehicles to monitor the oceans

Involvement with Charles River Cleanup
Performed clean-ups before the CRWA event was established and now the organization provides over 100 volunteers for the Earth Day event.

Cleanup Experiences

"The Charles River is one of MIT's greatest assets and we're pleased to have this opportunity each year to step up to the spring cleaning challenge. My young daughters are always thrilled to work alongside MIT staff, students, and other families to ensure that the banks of the river are as pristine as we can make them!" - Nancy Adams     

The most interesting trash we have found during the cleanup is the plethora of debris that floats up underneath the Longfellow Bridge. It’s extremely satisfying to see the difference there right after we’ve hauled a whole lot from that spot.
           

Other Volunteer Involvement
MIT Sea Grant is involved in a number of educational and outreach activities. We participate in the Cambridge Science Festival, host the Blue Lobster Bowl, and lead workshops to teach teachers how they (and their students) can build small remotely operated vehicles, known as Sea Perches.

For more information on this group, click here or contact Nancy Adams at nadamsx mit.edu