Logan Tamadon

Growing up in the beach town of Wilmington, North Carolina, Logan has cared deeply about the environment from a young age. It was not until middle school, however, when a sei whale washed up on Masonboro Island with a plastic bag in its throat, that the issue of plastic pollution became a significant part of his life. For his first three years of high school, Logan began to tackle this issue from a scientific perspective by investigating the feasibility of biodegradable products, studying plastisphere formation and biodegrading plastics with microorganisms. His work regarding these plastic related topics earned him three consecutive third places at the State Science and Engineering Fair, two North Carolina One Water awards, and the US Army Award for scientific excellence. Additionally, in his freshman year, Logan began interning at the Plastic Ocean Project, a local nonprofit, where he continues to work today, honing his skills in using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) machinery to analyze microplastics. Logan’s commitment to this issue has also incorporated the community. In 2023, he founded a recycling organization that has successfully recycled hundreds of gallons of plastic pill bottles, thousands of shoes, and a variety of electronics. Currently, Logan is in his senior year of high school working with the Bass Connections Plastic Bioremediation Team, striving to genetically modify bacteria that can effectively consume plastic. He plans to major in biology with a concentration in biochemistry at Duke University in order to further equip himself with the necessary knowledge and skills to fight plastic pollution.