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I have been selected to join eXXpedition, the world's first all-female scientific voyage mapping plastic pollution from sea to source; and I am partnering with SciGi (Sciences for Girls) to show young girls they can do this too. But I need your support to make it happen.
- Where? From Nuku'alofa to Vava'u in Tonga
- When? 2nd of June to 11th of June
- In partnership with SciGi (Sciences for Girls)
What Is eXXpedition?
eXXpedition is the first global expedition connecting plastic pollution on land and at sea. It traces where plastic comes from, how it travels, and where it ends up: in our bodies, our ecosystems, and our oceans.
Over 12 years and 29 missions, eXXpedition has proven there is no single solution to the plastic crisis. What works are local, place-based answers - driven by local data, local communities, and local action. That's what this expedition delivers: investigating at a local level to identify sources, catalyze action, and address the crisis across multiple scales.
Here's what we'll be collecting:
- We'll conduct surface-water microplastic sampling to identify type, origin, and polymer composition from the open ocean.
- We'll map coastline and street litter through systematic transects to trace plastic's pathway from land to sea.
- We'll survey local shops and restaurants to analyze what single-use plastics are sold and what alternatives exist. And we'll assess waste infrastructure, from collection, sorting, and processing systems, to find exactly where the system breaks down.
The lead science partner for this expedition is the University of Georgia (UGA) Circularity Informatics Lab. (Find out more - Circularity Informatics) Every voyage has a specific scientific program tailored to its location; if you'd like more details on what we'll be doing in Tonga, just ask me by email!
THE MISSION: TONGA
We will sail from Nuku'alofa to Vava'u in Tonga; a nation of 170 islands bearing the full brunt of the global plastic crisis despite contributing almost nothing to it. Plastic from across the world washes onto its shores: affecting its communities, its reefs, its fisheries, and its people carry the consequences.
The Journey in a few steps:
- Nuku'alofa — Baseline Data Collection: We conduct coastal and urban litter transects, survey waste infrastructure, and begin polymer analysis to establish baseline data.
- Remote Archipelago — Open Ocean Sampling: Continuous surface-water sampling for microplastics as we sail between islands. Kelefesia, an uninhabited island, offers a control site to measure how far human-generated pollution reaches into remote marine ecosystems.
- Ha'apai Islands — Community Research: We work with local communities to gather data on how plastic pollution intersects with daily life, health, and livelihoods; centering voices from the frontline of a crisis they didn't cause.
- Vava'u — Knowledge Exchange & Community Action: A community event with local partners brings together scientific findings and local expertise. Data without community ownership doesn't drive change.
WHY AM I JOINING THIS MISSION?
I am joining this expedition as both a woman and a women's health researcher – and those two things are inseparable from why this matters.
First: Because science has a gender problem.
Women make up only 28.2% of the global STEM workforce (Source: ETI). That imbalance has real consequences; for whose voices shape research, whose health gets studied, whose solutions get funded. eXXpedition exists to shift that balance. Every woman on this voyage is proof that science belongs to all of us.
For the past few months, I've been a member and author for SciGi (Sciences for Girls), a charity dedicated to inspiring the next generation of girls in STEM. I've seen how easily young girls are put off by a world that signals they don't belong. This expedition isn't just a research trip. It's a message: you belong here, and you can do this too; look at all of us, women scientists, getting together to do research. When I sail with these women, I sail for every girl who was told science wasn't for her.
Second: Because this is a women's health crisis.
Maybe you've noticed it too. More and more women around you are struggling with conditions that didn't seem to exist a generation ago: endometriosis, unexplained infertility, thyroid disorders, autoimmune flare-ups. Maybe you've experienced some yourself. I have too.
For years, doctors couldn't explain what was wrong with me. Like most women, I learned to absorb the uncertainty and get on with it. Then I completed my Master's in Women's Health last September, and everything shifted. I came to realise that environmental factors are not a background issue in women's health, but are actually central to it. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates, found in everyday plastics, interfere directly with hormonal, reproductive, and developmental health. Women are disproportionately affected: higher body fat percentages mean we accumulate more toxic chemicals, and globally, women disproportionately handle waste without protection. Climate change and toxic pollution compound existing inequities, driving higher rates of infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and specific cancers in women who often have the least power to change the systems causing them. Did you know that microplastics were detected in human ovarian follicular fluid for the first time just last year? They have also been found in blood, placentas, and breast milk. This is not a distant environmental problem. This is a women's health crisis happening inside our bodies right now.
I could not simply read the research and look away. I wanted to go to where this crisis is happening, to trace plastic from the ocean to the source, and to connect those findings back to what it does to us. Not just as a researcher, but as someone who has felt this personally, studied it academically, and now wants to act on it directly.
I've been given the chance to join this expedition. Now I need your help to get there.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCIGI: A MISSION BEYOND THE OCEAN
SciGi (Sciences for Girls) is a charity dedicated to inspiring the next generation of girls in STEM. Through its blog, social media, and community events, SciGi connects young girls with women scientists - highlighting those thriving in their careers today and those who shaped science history but aren't talked about enough.
I've been a writer and member of the SciGi community for several months, and SciGi is generously supporting a part of this expedition. This voyage is a natural extension of that work; turning ocean science into accessible education and inspiration.
Your support funds not just a journey, but a living programme of science communication. In partnership with SciGi, here is what we will deliver:
BEFORE THE EXPEDITION
- "Meet the Crew" series: Short introductions to each woman scientist on board — who they are, what they study, and one piece of advice they wish they'd heard at age 14
- Educational resource pack: Downloadable activities on microplastics, ocean currents, and data collection methods
DURING THE EXPEDITION (I'll do my best to share regular updates, though posting may be irregular depending on conditions)
- Weekly Ocean Postcards: a photo + a scientific concept explained simply + a personal reflection from aboard the boat
- Blog series: "What does a female scientist actually do at sea?", "Why girls belong in environmental research", "The plastic pollution you can't see: microplastics explained" (and more)
- "Science Live" — participate in real research: Sharing our raw data and inviting the SciGi community to form hypotheses and analyse findings alongside us
- "Women at Sea" portrait series: In-depth conversations with each crew member about their journey into science, the barriers they faced, and their message to the next generation
- Daily data snapshots: Visual infographics showing what we collected that day — making complex science accessible and shareable
AFTER THE EXPEDITION
- Illustrated field journal: A beautifully designed expedition journal, with reflection questions, activities, and downloadable PDFs for all ages
- Live interactive workshop: A hands-on session (virtual or in-person) for the SciGi community — not just a presentation, but real scientific activities based on what we discovered
- Q&A session: Online discussions where young people can ask me (and other crew members) anything about preparing for the expedition, pursuing science careers, or what it's like to be a woman in research
- Impact report: Showing exactly what your support made possible — the science we contributed, the communities we worked with, the communities we reached
- "From Classroom to Ocean" — Co-created article/video: How girls can go from studying science in school to leading expeditions themselves — reusable content for SciGi's programmes and campaigns
- "Where Are They Now?" follow-up series: Checking in with the women from the expedition 6 months later — what research came from the trip, what changed in their work, keeping the story alive
FINANCIAL
To make the expedition possible, each crew member must contribute to the cost of the voyage. Overall, I need to contribute 5140€ to take part. I am saving as much as I can to reach this goal, but I’m also hoping you wonderful people might help support my cause. The total contribution covers vessel costs, insurance & fees, scientific equipment and logistical coordinations. I am also seeking additional donations to help me cover the cost of kit and travel that I will incur for the voyage. Every contribution, big or small, directly supports making this expedition, and its scientific and educational impact, possible.
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE
- A Real Postcard from Tonga — handwritten and sent from the Pacific. A tangible piece of the expedition. Just share your mailing address!
- Live Expedition Updates — follow the journey in real time through SciGi platforms / content: scientific findings, ocean dispatches, moments from aboard the boat (I'll do my best to share regularly, though posting may be irregular depending on conditions).
- Be part of a Bigger Movement — Your contribution funds real ocean science that traces plastic from sea to source, and educational outreach that reaches hundreds of young girls through SciGi. You're funding both the research and the next generation of researchers who will continue it.
- Genuine Reciprocity — I am deeply committed to supporting the work and projects of everyone who backs this mission. This goes two ways.
THREE GOALS YOUR SUPPORT MAKES POSSIBLE:
Inspire the next generation of women scientists • Expose plastic's impact on human health • Drive community-led solutions at the source
You can learn more from eXXpedition here: eXXpedition
You can learn more from SciGi (Sciences for Girls) here: Sciences for Girls
Thank you for taking the time to read this! Your support, in any form, truly means the world.
Organizer
