Home | First International Summer School on Extreme Environments: from Ecology to Biotechnology (ISSEE)

After the success of the first edition of the school, which was widely attended and enthusiastically received by all the trainees, it is with pleasure that we would like to propose the second edition of the school.

The Second Edition of the ISS-SEEA Summer School will take place in 2025, from September 22nd to 25th (optional excursion and sampling experience on the 26th), at the Sicily Marine Centre, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Messina. The school will maintain its multidisciplinary approach, combining the ecological and biotechnological aspects for the exploration of extreme environments, and will extend its training topics by involving the deepening of other specific extreme ecosystems and new research fields. In this vein, the school will be implemented with lessons covering the concepts of bioacoustics in extreme environments, oceanographic dynamics, astrobiology, and anoxic basins. Moreover, a special focus will be devoted to the Strait of Messina and its extreme dynamics. All the training activities of the school will be treated day by day through a combined perspective, merging the ecology and biotechnology of extreme environments.

The summer school is a renewed opportunity to enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration, and to improve skills and expertise in the knowledge of extreme ecosystems in taxonomy, high molecular approaches, bioprospecting, oceanography, and bioacoustics.

Professors and researchers will give lectures about their own research and will share their experiences with the students during group discussion sessions. Practical sessions are envisaged, i.e. observation of mesopelagic species, taxonomy, laboratory experience for the treatment of samples for biotechnological purposes (production of bioactive compounds) and observation of the bioluminescence phenomenon. The second edition of the school will have as its strong point the involvement of young researchers from SZN-SMC, who will actively participate in the scientific offering of the course, fostering exchange, interaction, and the consolidation of new networks.

The school is open to students, PhD students and early career researchers working in the fields of marine ecology and biotechnology.

All students will be allowed to present their research through either a short talk or a poster.

Explore Main Topics and Highlights of the Second Edition!

Deep Sea

Deep sea represents a peculiar ecosystem characterized by a series of environmental parameters difficult to find in other environments. Deep sea organisms usually face a range of environmental and ecological conditions (light scarcity or absence, high pressures, low oxygen levels, low temperatures, absence of phytoplankton, food scarcity, interspecific competition), which over time have adaptively shaped behaviors and the species themselves.

Hydrothermal Vents

Special focus will be addressed to the marine hydrothermal systems, which have attracted the interest ofresearchers due to their enormous ecological and biotechnological relevance. Fromecological perspective, these acidified habitats are useful natural laboratories to predict the effects of global environmental changes, such as ocean acidification at ecosystem level, through the observation of the marine organism responses to environmental extremes. In addition, hydrothermal vents are known as optimal sources for isolation of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microbes, with biotechnological potential.

Polar Environments

The polar environments constitute a reality as remote as it is fascinating. Both the Arctic and Antarctica, due to the peculiar conditions (i.e. low temperatures, dryness, solar radiation) are the subject of numerous researches focused on the exploration of less known environments, on enriching the knowledge of the adaptations of cold-loving organisms, on the possibility of new discoveries useful in biotechnological fields.

Bioacustic

Marine bioacoustics is the study of the sounds that populate the sea. Several marine animals use sound to communicate and to explore their surroundings. Sight, which in water is limited to a few metres and can't be used in the dark depths of the ocean, is replaced by sound. The study of marine sounds could help in the understanding of marine organisms' behaviour and their relationships with the marine environment. Not only that, marine acoustic exploration and monitoring is useful for the evaluation of anthropogenic noise as a stress factor for marine animals, causing behavioural changes, hearing loss and masking of communication.
During the ISS-SEEA the students will have the opportunity to meet expert in bioacustic fields who will will teach to listen to the fascinating sound of the sea!

Astrobiology

The study and search for life beyond Earth is an intriguing area of research interest. Astrobiology encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including astronomy, geology, biology and sociology. Much of the current thinking about whether life exists beyond Earth is based on the study of life in extreme terrestrial environments, as the organisms that inhabit them can cope with harsh conditions. The analogies between terrestrial sites and their extraterrestrial targets can be based on mineralogical, geochemical and geomorphological features, as well as physico-chemical environmental parameters and conditions. Exploration of terrestrial analogs provides a unique opportunity to provide critical observations about the limits of life and the potential signs of past life. The appeal of astrobiology lies in the search for answers to profound questions about our origins and the possible existence of life beyond Earth.
During the Second Edition of the ISS-SEEA we will explore the role of endolithic microorganisms living in extreme environments, by illuminating the Quest for Life on Mars.

Oceanography

Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical and biological properties of the ocean, including its past, present and future. Oceanographic studies in extreme regions are crucial for understanding climate change, as these areas are sensitive indicators of global temperature shifts. They also help reveal the dynamics of ocean currents and ecosystems that influence global weather patterns and marine biodiversity.
The ISS-SEEA will provide the opportunity to explore the oceans, spanning from the fascinating oceanographic dynamics in the Strait of Messina to the intriguing Atlantification process in polar environments and its role in the climate change!

After the success of the first edition of the school, which was widely attended and enthusiastically received by all the trainees, it is with pleasure that we would like to propose the second edition of the school.

The school is open to students, PhD students and early career researchers working in the fields of marine ecology and biotechnology.

Explore Main Topics and Highlights of the Second Edition!

Deep Sea

Hydrothermal Vents

Polar Environments

Bioacustic

Astrobiology

Oceanography

New!

New!

New!

After the success of the first edition of the school, which was widely attended and enthusiastically received by all the trainees, it is with pleasure that we would like to propose the second edition of the school.

​

The school is open to students, PhD students and early career researchers working in the fields of marine ecology and biotechnology.

Explore Main Topics and Highlights of the Second Edition!

Deep Sea

New!

New!

New!