A STEMsaic Portal experience, free to play, teach, and host. See the method →
Sound · Interactive · NOAA MOSAIC

The microPlastics DJ

Mix the music hidden in microplastics. Research-based Raman spectra from microplastics in Great Lakes water, turned into a beat you build.

▶ Play the DJ

Lab data. Real beats.

Tap to step up to the decks and hear what is hiding in a water sample.

▶ Launch the DJ

↗ Opens in a new window

Best experienced with sound on. Touch the pads to mix.

How it works

From spectrum to sound.

The sounds you hear are a direct translation of the molecular fingerprints scientists read in the lab, the same measurements used to find microplastics contamination you cannot see.

Step 1
Measure
In the Wei lab, Raman spectroscopy reads each particle and returns a precise spectral fingerprint of the polymer.
Step 2
Map
Peak positions become pitches, intensities become rhythm and timbre. Every plastic gets its own riff.
Step 3
Mix
You take the decks. Blend real spectra from actual water samples and hear the contamination resolve into a beat.
The science

Making the invisible tangible.

Microplastics and nanoplastics are in the Great Lakes but many stay invisible to the eye, some as small as 300 nanometers. They float, settle into the shoreline sediment, accumulate in small organisms like daphnia and biomagnify through fish. Scientists can use Raman spectroscopy to identify them by their molecular vibration patterns since there are many types of plastics.

Each plastic type carries a distinct fingerprint under laser light. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) vibrates differently than polypropylene (PP), which differs from polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS). Those spectral peaks, measured in wavenumbers, reveal a contamination identity that would otherwise stay hidden.

A direct translation, not a metaphor

The spectral peaks scientists analyze are converted to audible frequencies. You are hearing the actual data collected from microplastics spectral fingerprints that are in Great Lakes water.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)water bottles, fibers
Polyethylene (PE)bags, packaging films
Polypropylene (PP)caps, food containers
Polystyrene (PS)foam, disposable cutlery
The experience

Discovery through interaction.

01
Touch and connect

Touch a physical plastic sample, PET, PE, PP, or PS, to trigger the interface.

02
See the spectrum

The screen shows a segment of the Raman spectrum for that plastic, with its peaks labeled.

03
Hear the translation

Tones play the spectral peaks, the actual molecular vibration frequencies, as sound.

04
Mix it up

Combine up to four plastics at once and hear how their signatures overlap, just like a real environmental sample.

05
Follow the research journey

Markers trace the full process, from sampling on the lake to analysis in the lab.

Take it further

Bring it to your classroom, museum, or event.

For Educators
Teach with it
Ready-to-run lesson plans, grades 5 to 12, NGSS-aligned, with facilitation cards.
Lesson plans →
For Museums
Host the station
Run it as a staffed or unstaffed kiosk. Docent scripts, signage, and checklists included.
Museum guide →
Build it
Make your own
A full parts list and Makey Makey wiring guide to build the tactile station yourself.
Setup guide →

Catch it in person.

A physical Makey Makey installation travels to museums and festivals, turning everyday objects into the DJ's controls, so visitors play the spectra with their hands.

Credits and acknowledgments

Developed under Award No. NA24OARX417C0392. Haoran Wei, UW-Madison (PI), with Ginny Carlton (Co-PI), Wisconsin Sea Grant; Gavin Dehnert (Co-PI), UW-Madison; Sarah Janssen (Co-PI), USGS; Mohan Qin (Co-PI), UW-Madison; and Travis Tangen, STEMsaic (Co-PI). The microPlastics DJ is a STEMsaic Research Impacts public-engagement project, built through STEMsaic Portal, a member of the Portal to the Public Network.