Nicholas D. Holland
Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA - USA

Sala Conferenze
Venerdì 23 giugno 2017 - ore 15.00

Poster

Niall McDonough
European Marine Board, Ostenda - Belgio

Sala Conferenze
Venerdì 23 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster

Danila Voronov
Sezione Biologia ed Evoluzione Organismi Marini

Sala Conferenze
Mercoledì 21 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster

Mandë Holford
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Hunter College - City University of New York
New York, USA

Sala Conferenze
Martedì 20 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster

Christian Canestro
Department of Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics - University of Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain

Sala Conferenze
Lunedì 19 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster

In the framework of the G7 working group
“Promote increased G7 political action by identifying additional action needed to enhance the future routine ocean observation” as part of the Action “The future of Seas and Oceans”

June, 14/15 2017 - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy
Organizing committee: Prof Roberto Danovaro, Dr. Daniele Iudicone and Dr. Marco Borra

In the framework of the G7 Oceans and seas working group Action 1 experts recommend the development of a G7 strategy for extending observations focused on a set of priorities. This includes the definition of a roadmap for the establishment of “augmented” observatories (i.e., genomic-enabled multidisciplinary observatories) to allow deeper investigation of marine biology and ecology and as sites to test the new technology with the aim to develop an observational system capable of penetrating deeper in to the biology and biogeochemistry of the ocean, broadening the scope of standard measurements (Bio Argo and SOO), developing new sensors and establishing ‘augmented observatories’ as foci of more detailed studies and as sites to test the new technology

Under the auspices of the Italian G7 Presidency the workshop is organized for discussing the draft document and prepare its final form before the forthcoming G7 event in Turin at the end of September

The aim of the meeting is to prepare a roadmap for a fully multidisciplinary approach to the study of marine ecosystems necessary to assess ongoing ocean changes and their impact on economies, and to develop appropriate, coordinated policies to ensure the sustainable use of the oceans and seas. 
The core of the roadmap will consist in the empowerment of selected observatories as sites for developing protocols for a routinely inclusion of meta-omics (also to foster integration with blue economy and blue biotech), and as test sites for new technologies (sensors, devices).

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Ulisse Cardini
Sezione Ecologia Marina Integrata

Sala Conferenze
Martedì 13 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster

No. 2 Scholarships co-funded by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa) and Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples) on Marine Biorobotics

http://www.santannapisa.it/en/admissions/call-admission-phd-biorobotics-0

The Ph.D. Program in BioRobotics is a three-year course of advanced studies and supervised research; at the end of the Program, the Ph.D. degree is conferred to students who have fulfilled the didactic requirements and passed a final examination with thesis dissertation.

The Ph.D. Program aims at educating highly competent researchers with the potential to be leaders in this area. The students will be educated in a stimulating and multidisciplinary environment, both through high-level courses and through demanding, creative and original research work. Doctoral research projects will be carried out in very well equipped, state-of-the-art laboratories (in such fields as bio-robotics, micro- and nanotechnology, biomimetics, prosthetics) and through individual and team work performed under the supervision of a committed full-time faculty. The students will investigate how biological systems work from an engineering viewpoint, and will make use of such knowledge to pursue challenging research projects aimed at modeling, designing and building novel components and systems for biomedical applications.
At the end of the Ph.D. Program, students will possess solid scientific and engineering skills, the ability to conceive and carry out original research projects, and an autonomous entrepreneurship spirit.

Research Topic # 1 - Microrobotic system inspired by marine organisms

The aim of this PhD project is to take inspiration from nature and in particular from a Phylum of marine organisms (Annelida) towards the design of high dexterity and high performance microrobots to be employed in different fields, but resulting particularly interesting when foreseeing medical applications.

An anatomically simple, high motility organism can represent a valid inspiration towards the dream to develop smart micromachines able to navigate or meander across the body lumina and to perform desired therapeutic tasks directly in the region of interest. Biopsy, microsurgery and targeted drug delivery are just examples of medical procedures that could benefit from the conceived bioinspired design and by high dexterity, despite of the reduced dimensions.

The candidate will work in strong collaboration with engineers (from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna - https://www.santannapisa.it/en/institute/biorobotics/surgical-robotics-and-allied-technologies-area) and marine biologists (from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn di Napoli - http://www.szn.it/index.php/it/). The starting point will be a deep cross-fertilization between engineering and biology: the first one will provide useful tools to the latter for a better understanding of marine organisms’ behavior, functions and performances; on the other hand the acquired biological knowledge will provide specifications and inspiration while conceiving novel smart microsystems.

Research Topic # 2 - Benthic soft robots inspired by marine organisms

The aim of this PhD project is to take as a reference a biological model (animals from the phylum of Arthropoda, subphylum Crustacea) to create an innovative underwater soft robots with augmented environment interaction capabilities. Current underwater vehicles and systems (i.e. AUVs, USV, ROVs, gliders, etc.) demonstrate great locomotion capabilities yet their interaction with underwater structures, rocks, and substrates is poorly performed. On the other hand, recent advancements in the field of soft robotics pushed forward the interaction skills of autonomous systems. By exploiting their compliance, soft robots can safely interact with the seafloor, reefs, underwater structures or other substrates. A key factor in robot-environment interaction relies on the compliance of the robot itself: structures with intrinsic soft components absorb, store, and release energy to provide safe and effective interaction with the environment. The final goal of this PhD project should be the development of autonomous soft robots with augmented capabilities for the exploration and sampling of the benthic zone.

Specific objectives of this project are (i) to investigate locomotion of soft underwater robots, by taking in to account deformation of the mechanism/body; (ii) to derive a reduced-order model to describe soft locomotion; (iii) to build a prototype that demonstrates capabilities and/or advantages of compliant locomotion. This prototype will also carries novel underwater sensors to analyse and inspect the substrate and, as a specific example, it will collect living organisms in the sediment to perform genomic analysis, construct DNA libraries and sequence DNA fragments through High Throughput Sequencing Oxford nanopore technology.

The candidate will benefit from a multi-disciplinary tutoring by engineers (from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna - https://www.santannapisa.it/en/institute/biorobotics/soft-robotics-area) and marine biologists (from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn di Napoli - http://www.szn.it/index.php/it/), and the PhD project will be carried in close collaboration between these two institutions. From the engineering side, tools and methods will be provided to achieve a deeper understanding of marine organisms’ behaviour, capabilities, and mathematical model describing the system; from the biological side, fundamental principles of locomotion, living system knowledge, and biological mechanisms will provide insights and specifications to conceive the novel underwater soft robot.

Mette Handberg-Thorsager
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics - Dresden, Germany

The ancestral retinoic acid receptor (RAR) was a sensor triggering neuronal differentiation

Miquel Vila-Farré
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics - Dresden, Germany

Why can some animals regenerate while others cannot? Tracing the evolution of regeneration in planarians

Sala Conferenze

Lunedì 12 giugno 2017 - ore 15.00

Poster

Alfonsina Milito
Sezione Biologia ed Evoluzione Organismi Marini

Sala Conferenze
Venerdì 9 giugno 2017 - ore 12.00

Poster