Sherri A. “Sam” Mason, Ph.D.

Associate Research Professor and Director of Sustainability, Penn State Behrend
Faculty Affiliate, The Public Policy Initiative at Penn State Behrend
1 Reed

Mailing Address:
PENN STATE BEHREND
1 REED UNION BUILDING
4701 COLLEGE DRIVE
ERIE PA 16563

Dr. Sherri A. Mason holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Montana and is a leading researcher in freshwater plastic pollution. Her award-winning work has drawn international attention to the threats posed by microplastics and led to the passage of national measures banning microbeads. She currently serves as Associate Research Professor and Director of Sustainability at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Visit Sustainability at Behrend for more information about this program or SherriMason.com for more information about Dr. Mason.

Freshwater plastic pollution

Current State of Microplastic Pollution Research Data: Trends in Availability and Sources of Open Data, Frontiers in Environmental Science - June 30, 2022
Collaborator: Tia Jenkins, Corresponding Author

Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in Surficial Benthic Sediment of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - 2021
Collaborators: Peter Lenaker, Author; Steven Corsi, Author

Distribution, abundance and spatial variability of microplastic pollution on the surface of Lake Superior, Journal of Great Lakes Research - August, 2021
Collaborators: Kara Cox, Author; Emily Brocious, Author; Simon Courtenay, Author; Mark Vinson, Author

Science-Based Solutions to Plastic Pollution, ONE EARTH - 2020
Collaborators: Tamara Galloway, Author; Marcus Haward, Author; Joshua Babayemi, Author; Britta Hardesty, Author; Stefan Krause, Author; Joleah Lamb, Author; Ivan Hinojosa, Author; Alice Horton, Author

High levels of pelagic plastic pollution within the surface waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario, Journal of Great Lakes Research - April, 2020
Collaborators: Juliette Daily, Author; Ghadah Aleid, Author; Rachel Ricotta, Author; Morgan Smith, Author; Katie Donnelly, Author; Rebecca Knauff, Author; William Edwards, Author; Matthew Hoffman, Author

Plastics, Plastics Everywhere, AMERICAN SCIENTIST - 2019

Vertical Distribution of Microplastics in the Water Column and Surficial Sediment from the Milwaukee River Basin to Lake Michigan, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - 2019
Collaborators: Peter Lenaker, Author; Austin Baldwin, Author; Steven Corsi, Author; Paul Reneau, Author; John Scott, Author

Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt, PLOS ONE - 2018
Collaborators: Mary Kosuth, Author; Elizabeth Wattenberg, Author

Microplastic in riverine fish is connected to species traits, Scientific Reports - 2018
Collaborators: Rachel McNeish; L Kim; Heather Barrett; Tim Hoellein; John Kelly

Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Bottled Water, FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY - 2018
Collaborators: Victoria Welch, Author; Joseph Neratko, Author

Determination of the gut retention of plastic microbeads and microfibers in goldfish (Carassius auratus), CHEMOSPHERE - 2017
Collaborators: Stefan Grigorakis, Author; Ken Drouillard, Author

The occurrence of microplastic contamination in littoral sediments of the Persian Gulf, Iran, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH - 2017
Collaborators: Abolfazl Naji, Author; Zinat Esmaili, Author; A. Vethaak, Author

Microplastic contamination in the San Francisco Bay, California, USA, MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN - 2016
Collaborators: Rebecca Sutton, Author; Shavonne Stanek, Author; Ellen Willis-Norton, Author; Ian Wren, Author; Carolynn Box, Author

Microplastic pollution is widely detected in US municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION - 2016
Collaborators: Danielle Garneau, Author; Rebecca Sutton, Author; Yvonne Chu, Author; Karyn Ehmann, Author; Jason Barnes, Author; Parker Fink, Author; Daniel Papazissimos, Author; Darrin Rogers, Author

Plastic Debris in 29 Great Lakes Tributaries: Relations to Watershed Attributes and Hydrology, Environmental Science & Technology - 2016
Collaborators: Austin Baldwin, Author; Steven Corsi, Author

Pelagic plastic pollution within the surface waters of Lake Michigan, USA, Journal of Great Lakes Research - August, 2016
Collaborators: Laura Kammin, Author; Marcus Eriksen, Author; Ghadah Aleid, Author; Stiv Wilson, Author; Carolyn Box, Author; Nick Williamson, Author; Anjanette Riley, Author

High-levels of microplastic pollution in a large, remote, mountain lake, MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN - 2014
Collaborators: Christopher Free, Author; Olaf Jensen, Author; Marcus Eriksen, Author; Nicholas Williamson, Author; Bazartseren Boldgiv, Author

Microplastic is an Abundant and Distinct Microbial Habitat in an Urban River, Environmental Science & Technology - 2014
Collaborators: Amanda McCormick, Author; Timothy Hoellein, Author; Joseph Schluep, Author; John Kelly, Author

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes, MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN - 2013
Collaborators: Marcus Eriksen, Author; Stiv Wilson, Author; Carolyn Box, Author; Ann Zellers, Author; William Edwards, Author; Hannah Farley, Author; Stephen Amato, Author

Kinetics and Products of the OH Radical-Initiated Reaction of 1,4-Butanediol and Rate Constants for the Reactions of OH Radicals with 4-Hydroxybutanal and 3-Hydroxypropanal, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - 2010
Collaborators: Janet Arey, Author; Roger Atkinson, Author

Rate Constants for the Gas-Phase Reactions of NO3 Radicals and O-3 with C-6-C-14 1-Alkenes and 2-Methyl-1-alkenes at 296 +/- 2 K, Journal of Physical Chemistry A - 2009
Collaborators: Janet Arey, Author; Roger Atkinson, Author

Intercomparison of two box models of the chemical evolution in biomass-burning smoke plumes, Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry - 2006
Collaborators: Joerg Trentmann, Author; Tanja Winterrath, Author; Robert Yokelson, Author; Theodore Christian, Author; Lisa Carlson, Author; Thomas Warner, Author; Louise Wolfe, Author; Meinrat Andreae, Author

An Analysis of the Chemical Processes in the Smoke Plume from a Savanna Fire, Journal of Geophysical Research - 2005
Collaborators: J Trentmann; Robert Yokelson; P Hobbs; T Winterrath; T Christian; M Andreae

Complex Effects Arising in Smoke Plume Simulations due to Inclusion of Direct Emissions of Oxygenated Organic Species from Biomass Combustion, Journal of Geophysical Research - 2001

Doctorate of Philosophy, Physical Chemistry, The University of Montana

Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin