Registration for the AIPG MN Section's Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026, technical talk is now open online!

The cost is $10 for non-members and $5 for members. Students may attend free of charge. 

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Microplastics

Presented by David Duffey, Hydrogeologist with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Presentation Overview

Microplastics and their presence in the environment are receiving considerable attention in the news as well as in the scientific community. The MPCA, University of Minnesota - Duluth, and United States Geological Survey are near completion of a multi-year interagency statewide survey of microplastics in Minnesota's surface, ground, and drinking waters. This presentation will highlight the novel methods used for sampling and analysis of microplastics in challenging matrixes as well as some of the results obtained so far.

Biography

David Duffey, David first joined the MPCA as an intern in 2004 — in the very program he now spearheads. Hired into his current role in 2007, he has spent the past 18 years advancing Minnesota’s understanding of groundwater conditions and trends. Notable achievements include helping expand the state’s ambient groundwater monitoring network into a dedicated, statewide network, and currently managing an interagency statewide survey of microplastics in Minnesota’s waters. He collaborates closely with the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other state agencies to strengthen water science, knowledge, and policy. He earned his B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in GIS & Cartography from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Outside of work, David enjoys the outdoors, running, playing in the Payne-Phalen Community Band in Saint Paul, and traveling with his wife, Erin, and their dog, Barb.