Texas A&M University’s Marine Technology Society (MTS) and Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), a joint chapter of student organizations in the Department of Ocean Engineering recently adopted and cleaned a mile of beach in Galveston, Texas, through the Texas General Land Office’s Adopt-a-Beach Program.
Twenty Texas A&M students joined more than 10,000 volunteers to pick up trash left behind by beachgoers. Corporations such as Shell Oil Company, Schlumberger, Murphy Oil Company, NOAA Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Program, Apache Corporation, Trusted Senior Specialists, Corona Del Mar Properties, and the Ocean Conservancy also participated in the event.
According to the Texas General Land’s Office volunteers have collected an average of 500 tons of trash annually from Texas beaches.
“We picked up a lot of small pieces of plastic, called ‘micro plastics’ which are especially harmful because of how easy it is for marine life to ingest,” said Amanda Massingill, vice president of MTS. “We also picked up a lot of tangled fishing line. Turtles and birds get killed by fishing line all the time.”
The officers of MTS/SNAME want to increase the organization’s involvement in philanthropic activities closely related to, and impacting their field of study.
“We are hoping to combine efforts with the Texas A&M Galveston campus to bring the members of the two locations of the ocean engineering department together,” said Austin Grieger, president of MTS/SNAME.
The Marine Technology Society’s goal is to disseminate marine science and technical knowledge; to promote and support education for marine scientists, engineers and technicians; to advance the development of tools required to explore, study and exploit the oceans; and to provide services that create a broader understanding of the relevance of the marine sciences to other technologies, arts and human affairs.
The goal of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers is to advance the state of the art; to afford the opportunity for the exchange of information and ideas; to disseminate results of research, experience and information among its members; to encourage and sponsor such research, to cooperate and educational institutions; and to promote the professional integrity and status of the members.
More information about MTS/SNAME can be found on the organization’s website.