News
A Duckweed Film for World Water Day
For World Water Day, on 22 March 2023, a new film was published on duckweed and its role in water quality. The film was made by Luke Ring, a 4th year student at UCC. The short film, at 3:20 minutes long, explains what impact humans have on the planet, how we are searching for new solutions to the problem of water pollution.
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Duckweed, a small aquatic plant, may contribute to solving this problem. The floating plant is able to take up heavy metals and nutrients, and grows fast, yielding a protein-rich biomass. This can then be used in feed, creating a circular process.
Luke Ring is a 4th year honours student in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UCC, who joined the duckweed research group and studied the question to what extent duckweed will tolerate saline water. This is an important question, as many waste streams that can potentially be used to grow duckweed contain elevated levels of salinity. As part of his project, and to emphasise the importance of clean water, Luke made this inspiring video.
His supervisor, Professor Marcel Jansen said: "Research-led teaching provides students with relevant and in-depth learning experiences, while at the same time inspiring staff with new ideas, questions and enthusiasm".
We are certainly inspired!
Find Luke on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/luke-ring-717165236
The video can also be found on YouTube: A Duckweed Film