Hi there!
Thank you so much for showing an interest in my cause! I'm overwhelmed by the support and am so grateful for the £1020 I have already raised through crowdfunding which has this campaign possible for me.
This is my last crowdfunder, to help support my crew place aboard the eXXpedition from Leg 1: Plymouth to the Azores, to coincide with my departure from the UK on Tuesday 8th October.
For more information about me... please head to my website. And stay tuned on my insta: @yogarama_uk for live updates and stories from the high seas.
As a student of sustainability at Anglia Ruskin and The Eden Project this is an incredible opportunity for me to take part in citizen science with Plymouth University and the University of Georgia. The research conducted during the mission has been designed to advance a better understanding of the plastics issue as a whole and to work with industry to pinpoint solutions and policy at a global level by addressing knowledge-gaps and delivering evidence to inform effective solutions.
We'll be sampling surface, sub surface and sediment to determine the areas of the ocean most contaminated by micro plastics, and contributing to 10 SCIENTIFIC STUDIES! For more information, visit the eXXpedition Science page.
With 300 women taking part in the eXXpedition, a big part of the mission is about using this platform to showcase women in STEM, exploration and sailing.
Despite significant progress, women are still underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) sectors. Globally, women occupy only 13% of the STEM workforce (including health professionals).
That’s not the only reason eXXpedition takes on an all-female crew. Historically, studies on the effects of chemicals on human health have largely focused on the specific effects on men. Reasons for this include men historically being the majority component of the workforce where occupational studies have typically been focused, or because effects on reproductive systems can often be more easily determined in men compared to those in women. As a result, research on female-specific diseases has held a relatively low profile.
As a surfer, marine activist and student I'm incredibly enthused by the scope of eXXpedition, and will also be using it as the foundation to my own MSc research: looking into the impact plastic pollution has on whales.
I'm excited to begin my research, contribute to world class studies, experience the wildness of Mother Ocean and work with an incredible crew of strong, capable and inspiring women.
I am hoping that this voyage will help me chart the next stage of my professional career, into the sustainability industry and shed more light on solutions to our plastic pollution crisis, through finding alternatives and eliminating it at source.
Thanks so much to all my crowdfunding supported already! As well as my partners:
I'll be sharing my story through Surf Girl Magazine.
Mossy Earth will be offsetting my travel (Lagos to Plymouth, then Azores to Lagos)
Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Futurismo Azores are helping me conduct whale research for my major project.
STAY TUNED at www.ecoyogasurf.com!
Big love! Nat x