Dry Ice: A Cool Introduction to Marine Policy by Michael

Dry Ice: A Cool Introduction to Marine Policy by Michael - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Dry ice Gatorade and the effects of ocean acidification on marine life-never in a million years would I have thought those two could be connected.

My journey into marine environmental policy started with advocacy. Last year, the debate topic centered around water resources, giving me the opportunity to research and discuss complex issues ranging from fracking to nuclear wastewater disposal to regulations surrounding the Ogallala Aquifer. In understanding these issues, and the underlying science behind them, I realized the importance of communicating science in ways that anyone can understand.

While debate gave me advocacy and research skills, taking advanced-level courses in the sciences and government gave me the base-level knowledge necessary to understand core concepts. Every course from College Level Marine Biology to AP Environmental Science to AP Government has built layers of expertise on top of my foundation of strong public speaking.

My favorite exploration in the communication of marine environmental policy came from collaborating with my best friend in founding Lowell's Marine Biology Club. While she is well-versed in the technical aspects of marine science, my core area of expertise lies in making the science intriguing and understandable. One of the issues we wanted to raise awareness about was ocean acidification. Combining her research, and my creativity, we designed a presentation using water, dry ice, and a pH indicator, to demonstrate that when ice melts it increases acidification.

Being a relatively new club, I decided to bring attention to our presentation by creating a miniature demonstration that would get the word out. The week before our presentation I bought a 24-pack of Gatorade and five pounds of dry ice. A normal study hall day in AP English, turned into a room of excitement as everyone was amazed by the bubbling Gatorade and icy fog. The massive amount of Instagram stories and Snapchat messages led to over three dozen new members of the club.

At UC Berkeley as an Environment, Economics and Policy major I will specialize in studying how behavioral economics can be integrated into the creation and enforcement of environmental legislation. While for any scientist the importance of sustainability can be derived simply from looking at the data, getting the common person to make sustainable choices requires framing environmental policies in a way that they can understand and get behind. I specifically want to tackle overfishing and aquaculture. In both industries, corporations have ignored the long-term impacts of their decisions because they are swayed by short-term profits. Once I graduate college I hope to begin convincing those corporations – through loss aversion – that in order to ensure their company stays afloat they need to begin developing sustainable standards.

When looking for an academic subject to fall in love with, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but the policy surrounding marine biology is the coolest one for me.