Lillian Stewart is a PhD Candidate currently focusing on waste management and marine plastics on remote islands. Harrison Talarico is very soon to complete his honours project using bioacoustics to monitor the phenology of short-tailed shearwaters.

Both Lillian and Harrison are members of the Adrift Lab team, (at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania) a dedicated group of researchers studying all things adrift in the ocean.

In this episode we discuss:
• Lillian and Harrison’s respective backgrounds and forays into the science world
• The importance of science communication and translating science into practice for the general public
• Acknowledging eco-grief and the impact on climate and environmental scientists and science students
• Lillian’s recent time on Lord Howe Island, and her new project work looking into plastic waste management
• Harrison’s honours project, studying the phenology of Tasmanian Shearwaters, and his current passion project; attempting to build a call recogniser to automatically detect shearwater vocalisations
• The high percentage of anthropogenic debris ingestion in urban gull populations and why this shines a spotlight on our current waste management practices
• Research findings highlighting birds as transporters of waste into marine and aquatic environments
• The need for industrial and personal change in order to address our plastic waste problem
• The importance of local and Indigenous knowledge in environmental science and stewardship
• Future plans and goals for both Lillian and Harrison, and the benefits of working with Adrift Lab as a student

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