Minoli Dias

Undergraduate Honour’s Thesis Student, Environmental Studies

I have long had a passion for climate change and pollution issues. Constantly spending time outdoors with family, and joining community clean-ups helped grow my love for the natural world, and allowed me to see human society as a small part of it. This led me to study Environmental Science at Queen’s University, where I am currently completing the fourth year of my B.Sc.H. I recently joined the QE3 lab, as an NSERC USRA student, researching microplastic ingestion in polar bears through analysis of their scat. Few studies have observed the exposure of polar bears to plastics, which is why QE3, along with Dr. Steven Lougheed decided to spearhead this project. This year I will be completing my honour’s thesis, where I will study microplastic contamination in freshwater sediments. Through my time at Queen’s, I have been inspired to study conservation issues, the effects of pollution on ecosystems, as well as their intersection with social and environmental justice. When I’m not thinking about polar bear poop, I love to read mystery novels, play basketball, and volunteer with the Society for Conservation Biology.