One of the key challenges for the NanoFASE project is linking simple and robust  laboratory-based techniques and protocols to what is likely to happen in the complex systems in our environment. NanoFASE WP9 on Bioavailability, bioaccumulation and food chain transport bridges this gap with mesocosm experiments that simulate soil and aquatic systems. These mesocosm experiments are labour intensive, requiring multi-disciplinary approaches with the potential to identify important interactions among the nanomaterial, the physical medium be it soil, sediment or water, and the organisms that inhabit those systems.

The University of Aveiro, NanoFASE lead partner for the mesocosm work, have produced a video aimed at a broad audience in which Susana Loureiro explains how and why we have conducted these experiments. Strikingly, the video will be inspiring to girls considering STEM careers as many members of the international mesocosms team are women. The NanoFASE video includes incredible close-up photography of different ecological systems and organisms. View "Nanomaterials in Mesocosms" here and share widely from our Facebook and Twitter accounts!

The video was presented at the national annual meeting of Portuguese researchers, "Science Meeting 2018-Encontro Ciência 2018" on 2-4 July, Lisbon, Portugal.