BLUE for Ocean Plastics (Winter 2025)
Please write to us if you have any additional questions.
.png)
What is the BLUE for Ocean Plastics (Winter 2025) program?
We want to hear from those of you who are passionate about eradicating ocean pollution.
Beautiful, Limitless, Unconstrained Exploration (BLUE) is a model of research Building 21 has developed and refined over the last 8 years. We believe there are vast amounts of knowledge that rests beyond what is conventionally recognized. We developed BLUE to facilitate scholars of all levels, backgrounds, and disciplines to discover that knowledge.
The BLUE Residency supports students who are dedicated to pursue an original project that falls outside of traditional research paradigms. By being a resident, students receive space, an interdisciplinary scholar community, mentorship, access to networks, and training to develop their research at Building 21.
This winter 2025, Building 21 is offering 5 special residency positions in collaboration with the global ocean cleanup company, 4ocean. Residents of the program will be a part of the 2025 BLUE Resident cohort while having dedicated mentorship with 4ocean's CEO, Alex Schulze, during the beginning, middle, and end of their BLUE project.
We believe that by combining the BLUE model of research with a front-line industry partner, we may uncover new perspectives and methods to tackle the ocean plastic crisis in a meaningful way.
Apply to this unique opportunity today.
Details
Position type
Residency
Cohort size
5 fellows
Period
Winter 2025 Semester
Duration
January 2025 - April 2025
This is not for credit.
*This year, BLUE is an unpaid residency where select students will receive compensation in the form of exclusive access to top executives from MILA, Google Deepmind, Microsoft, The Government of Quebec, and other connections through the BLUE residency program.
The Program
BLUE for Ocean Plastics (Winter 2025)
1. Part of the 2025 BLUE Residency cohort
2. Receive mentorship from the 4ocean team at the beginning, middle, and end stages of the project cycle.
3. Present the final iteration of the project internally at Building 21 and potentially, externally, with 4ocean.
Function
Develop one’s personal, original, creative, and rigorous academic project in order to acquire the knowledge and skills to think beyond the acknowledged, the recognized, and the comfortable.
Requirements
10 - 15 hours of physical presence at Building 21 per week across
- Doing research in the space
- Project check-ins
- Weekly Lightning sessions
- Training workshops
- Regularly scheduled talks and events
In-person presence at B21 leads to essential interdisciplinary connections and conversations.
Responsibility
To cultivate a community of scholars aligned with the BLUE ethos, we ask you to:
- Talk to other scholars about your project
- Develop your project in the space
- Present your project with the community
- Share ideas and feedback with a group of interdisciplinary scholars
- As an aspect of the residency, students may be asked to participate in Building 21 initiatives or host scholar events
See: Our philosophy of education
Showcase
Scholars will be asked to present their work to the community at the end of the residency in a project showcase.
