The students spent more than $3,000 of their own money and two months traveling around Taiwan scooping up water samples that they then took back to campus for freezing and mounting on wooden sticks.

They later researched the exact type of pollution contained in each dessert to compile 100 ingredient labels, which make up the pages of a book that goes with the exhibits.

Some Taiwan waterways turned up dead fish, decayed fishing nets and plastic trash such as disposable chopstick wrappers. The trio was particularly surprised by the extent of boat oil in Keelung Harbor along the north coast.