christophercali | Fall 2015 Science Forward at Brooklyn College

As I walked around the Lecture Hall, Commons, and Cabaret in the Macaulay Building, I felt quite overwhelmed by the amount of posters there were. I looked for posters that caught my eye and looked pretty. If they were nice-looking, then I asked about some more info on their work.

Although the poster I am talking about wasn’t the most beautiful of the bunch, the research and whole project was/is super interesting. The Brooklyn College group did their research on restaurants and what they tell us about socioeconomic status in three different areas of Kings County: Flatbush, Williamsburg, and Bushwick. With changing neighborhoods and controversy over “gentrification,” the group examined prices of restaurants in each of the areas to see what exactly is going on; specifically, they looked at the relationship between how much the restaurants charged and the average family incomes in each area. They sampled 25 random restaurants (not including fast food joints and chains) and then averaged out the top five entrees each location served to get a value for each place. After averaging the restaurant prices in each area, they were able to compare the data they found to 2013 income statistics. I thought that was a great way to sample the restaurants.

The group found that restaurant prices do reflect socioeconomic status (at least in the places they sampled). Bushwick and Flatbush had closely comparable statistics and Williamsburg showed higher prices and a higher income (see blow).

Restaurant Prices – Bushwick: Approx. $11, Flatbush Approx. $12, Williamsburg: Approx. $26

ACS Income Data – Bushwick: Approx. $52,000, Flatbush: Approx. $53,300, Williamsburg: Approx. $70,800

The group presented their research and data really well, so I was impressed and interested. They made me wonder about my own neighborhood and its surrounding areas as well, so maybe one day, when I have a lot of free time, I am going to try what they did. It also made me think about gentrification and changing neighborhoods, which is a really interesting thing to talk and learn about.

Many people are not concerned about the issue of increasing plastic consumption and its pollution into our oceans. It may not be necessarily that people don’t care. It could very well be that they do care, but not enough because it does not directly affect them/us. Something that may or may not change our minds on the issue: “New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety.” This is an article that was published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal that talks about the potential impact marine plastics can have on humans through our food chain.

Group 2’s focus is on the effect that plastic pollution can indirectly have on humans. It is an intriguing topic and is definitely concerning. The article talks about plastic’s tendency to “sorb” or take up “persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances,” which can be found in the bodies of water we are polluting. The article then discusses how these toxic-sorbed plastics find their ways into marine animals when they eat. As seen in Ana Luiza’s video, even the smallest of organisms are documented as having consumed microplastics. As we go up the food chain, the plastics follow, all the way up to commonly eaten seafood like tuna and swordfish and ultimately making it’s way to us. I think this article is a must-read for anyone even remotely concerned about their own health and of course the plastics issue at large.

This food chain issue is an interesting piece to the puzzle that is plastic pollution. A lot of what was talked about in the article is not yet proven by scientific research, which is why some people are not convinced. Funding for research on this topic is harder to get because of greater concern in other things (overfishing, acidification) and although we have a lot more to learn, it is comforting to know that the EPA and other government agencies are starting to look into it. By 2016, the EPA plans to launch a full-scale “inquiry” into effects on human health in relation to chemical loading effects on plastic litter. I’d urge everyone to give this article a read because it gives us a good understanding of what we know, what we can infer, and what we still have to learn about plastic’s harmful link in our food chain.

Link here:

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A Macaulay Honors College Seminar taught by Prof. Brett Branco