Problems of Growth
Nineteenth Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences
Biblioteca Antoniana, Ischia, Italy, 28 June – 5 July 2026

The Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences provides advanced training in a lively international field that offers a long-term perspective on some of the most significant ideas, practices and institutions in the world today. The school, which has a tradition of association with the Naples Zoological Station, was revived in 2005 after a break of two decades and has run every other year since then other than during the coronavirus pandemic. We can accommodate up to 26 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The event provides a structured learning experience plus extensive opportunities for participation and interaction. English is the working language and we encourage exchange of ideas across disciplinary boundaries, national cultures and historical periods. Spending the week on an island, staying in the same hotel and sharing breaks and meals maximizes opportunities for exchange. These are enhanced through social events, including a welcome reception and a day trip to Naples, the morning spent learning about the history and current research of the Station, the afternoon free for sightseeing. There will also be a free afternoon to explore Ischia itself.

Introduction to the theme

Growth affords hope and attracts fear. Balanced growth feeds populations, fuels prosperity and imparts purpose to individual and collective lives. The unfettered growth of cells, pathogens, parasites and populations threatens physiological, economic and ecological collapse. Even balance may be a problematic ideal: norms of flourishing and beauty have guided discrimination by vaunting harmonious over retarded, excessive or monstrous growth. The sustainability of life on Earth, attempts ‘to change the story of cancer’ and the politics of human diversity: growth is at the heart of them all. Yet compared with other vital processes, notably inheritance, development and reproduction, growth in the life sciences has lacked status and attention. This summer school provides an opportunity to explore knowledges and practices of growth between antiquity and the present day while bringing together problems usually kept apart.

For Aristotle, vegetative growth was the lowest function of the soul and for that reason fundamental to plants, beasts and humans. Unlike fire, vegetative growth had a natural limit. Where minerals grew by external accretion or juxtaposition, living beings had the distinctive ability to expand by assimilation of nutrients from the inside out, whether organ by organ or from a preformed seed. Surgeons tried to remove those tumours, cankers and warts that resulted from an imbalance of humours among other causes. Generation, which was hard to imagine in mechanical terms, was often framed as a special form of growth. Late medieval philosophers brought together generation, projectile movement and the accumulation of capital as sharing the same basic problem, how a movement severed from its mover could continue to produce. In a balanced world, gain in one part was compensated by loss elsewhere. Large animals, according to Aristotle, produced fewer offspring, and the relative growth of one organ entailed the diminution of another. At Italian universities during the Renaissance, these ancient ideas were taken up and reformed by scholars including Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente, Andrea Cesalpino and Marcello Malpighi in attempts to reground the systematic study of nature and naturalize growth and development.

By contrast, it seems, modern approaches to growth, in biology as in economics, aimed for an overall increase—in size, in number of individuals and in productivity. As the ultimate source of economic progress the physiocrats postulated an inherent capacity of nature to reproduce. Naturalists like Lazzaro Spallanzani located the same reproductive and regenerative capacities in minute parts that made up animal bodies. But proper growth was also reckoned to occur within certain limits. In the principle of population Thomas Robert Malthus expressed the limit set for the potentially geometric growth of human numbers by the merely arithmetic growth of food supplied from the land. More generally, in the hands of the population biologist Raymond Pearl the S-shaped curve came to capture the colonization of a new space, with slow initial acceleration towards exponential growth and then deceleration as environmental resistance increased and the ‘carrying capacity’ was reached. Based on computer simulations of the catastrophic consequences of runaway population and economic growth, the Club of Rome’s bestselling report The Limits to Growth (1972) is a point of origin for debate over ‘degrowth’ and ‘sustainable growth’.

Classical discussion of growth within organisms had been informed by the canons of beauty appropriate to each stage of life, with more attention to proportion than size. Beginning in the eighteenth century, longitudinal measurements of human growth aligned with demands for military manpower and projects of social reform. Measurement fed debate over the roles of heredity and environment. On the one hand, anthropometry ultimately produced distinct growth equations for groups defined by age, sex and race. Unbalanced growth was associated with monstrosity and other ways of falling short of the white, male model. On the other, failure to grow became an index of deprivation, most obviously, as physiologist Angelo Mosso argued, in the stunting of factory children. Eugenicists, notably criminologist Cesare Lombroso, were concerned with imbalance at the level of populations.

Standards justified clinical intervention in pathologies of growth. James Tanner, who led the Harpenden study into growth through puberty into adulthood, pioneered the treatment with growth hormone of children who looked set to miss out on the advantages of height. Since the 1980s ultrasound measurements of fetuses have identified growth restrictions on an ever larger scale. Yet even after major surveys from Turin to Nairobi, it is controversial to what extent the standards should be universal or tailored to demographic groups.

In the nineteenth century the knotty issues involved in defining individuals that were explored productively at the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli made growth hard to distinguish from maintenance and reproduction. An influential formulation held that reproduction represented growth beyond the individual limit. From the 1860s embryonic development was discussed in terms of the differential growth of parts. Inspired by D’Arcy Thompson’s On Growth and Form (1917), Julian Huxley set an agenda with Problems of Relative Growth (1932) and the notion of allometry, or the shape-changing growth of a part at a different rate from the organism as a whole. Mechanisms could be studied in ontogeny or changing patterns traced in phylogeny. In a famous essay, ‘On being the right size’, J.B.S. Haldane proposed that ‘Comparative anatomy is largely the story of the struggle to increase surface in proportion to volume’: more complicated forms enable the larger sizes that maintain body temperature at lower metabolic rates.

Within a species, tissues and organs must somehow ‘know’ when to stop growing. The cell theory framed organismal growth as the division and expansion of these elementary parts. Cancer, the disease that made biomedicine, came to be understood as a pathology of malignant growth. Research elucidated factors, not least growth factors, notably nerve growth factor discovered by Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini, that promoted, regulated and interfered with cell division. Alongside chemotherapies, weedkillers were developed that acted by causing rapid, uncontrolled growth. Synthetic auxins, the hormones that regulate cell division and expansion in plants, became notorious as the defoliant Agent Orange used by the British in the Malayan Emergency and the United States in the Vietnam War.

This sketch raises large questions. Should understandings and practices of growth be seen as having first sought balance, then promoted unlimited increase before recognition of the costs of growth called the whole framework into question? Or did gospels of growth acknowledge the need for some balance? Should we grasp growth as a modern or capitalist imperative, a potentially relentless power and a creative one through the transformation of quantity into quality? Or is a reason for its neglect in reflection on the life sciences (as distinct from economics and agronomy) that growth implies mere increase in size or number while the truly remarkable changes have seemed to result from qualitative alterations? Reflexively, reservations about growth apply to knowledge, too; simply accumulating data has seemed inadequate when we might need a whole new paradigm. A long-term theme and implicated in urgent problems, growth in and around the life sciences provides a rich field for historical deliberation and for trade between disciplines.

Programme

The school starts with registration and a reception on the afternoon of Sunday 28 June, and ends after dinner the following Saturday night. Departure is on Sunday 5 July. Lectures last for up to 30 minutes in one-hour slots, leaving at least 30 minutes for discussion. Seminars focus on pre-circulated texts. Groups of students will prepare each one with the seminar leader.

Daryn Lehoux (Queen’s, Canada)

Lecture: Aristotle on nutrition, growth, residues and seed

Seminar: The ‘faculty’ of growth in Galen

Dániel Margócsy (Cambridge)

Lecture: Soil, vermin and ghosts: The limits to growth in agriculture and medicine in early modern Europe and Indonesia

Seminar: Humans and horses: Theorising size in early modern European Medicine

He Bian (Princeton)

Lecture: Growth and regeneration in early modern Chinese thought

Seminar: Growing empire, coining new names: Manchu as a language for flora and fauna nomenclature

Patrick Anthony (Uppsala)

Lecture: Toward a history of extractive sciences—and the end of the mineral frontier

Seminar: From bio-geography to necro-geography: Sciences of life and death during the Circassian genocide

Alison Bashford (UNSW)

Lecture: Growth, limits and the afterlife of Malthus

Seminar: Fertility decline and modernity’s great deceleration: Where is reproduction/population in degrowth scholarship?

Hannah Landecker (UCLA)

Lecture: The butcher’s philosophy: Transmuting knowledge of life into knowledge of growth in modern agriculture and medicine

Seminar: Practical approaches to working with visual documents: Exploring cases and patterns in an industrial trade journal archive

Edna Suárez-Díaz (UNAM)

Lecture: Geographies of malnutrition: The clinic, the lab and the committee

Seminar: Traditions of knowledge and intervention: Studying malnutrition and mental development in the land of Zapata

Sabina Leonelli (TU München)

Lecture: Growing data crops: Extractivism and agriculture

Seminar: Colonial trends in agricultural data sharing

Public lecture: Intelligenza ambientale: Come usarla per salvare il pianeta

Cost

The fee for students is €400 each, which includes hotel accommodation and all meals for the week. Students need to pay for their own travel to Ischia. The directors will consider requests to waive the fee for accepted students unable to raise the money themselves, when supported by a detailed financial statement and a letter from their department head.

Applications

Applications should be sent by email to <Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.; and should include, please:

• a statement specifying academic experience and interest in the course topic (max. 300 words),

• a brief CV,

• a letter of recommendation.

The deadline for applications is midnight CET on Friday 27 February and applicants will be notified of the outcome by 13 March 2026.

Funding instrument: Interreg Euro-MED
Mission: Natural Heritage
Specific objective: Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution
Project duration: 33 months (April 2025 – December 2027)
Project budget: € 2.500.000

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is under increasing threat from legacy and emerging contaminants, marine litter, noise and light pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction -all of which are driven by growing human activity and intensified by climate change.
In response to this challenge, MIRAMAR is bringing together fragmented knowledge to develop an integrated, cross-border approach to managing multiple environmental stressors. The project aims to generate robust, evidence-based insights to support long-term ecological stability and shared Mediterranean priorities.
Launched in April 2025, the 33-month project will design, test, and validate a new holistic monitoring method to identify suitable nature-based mitigation and restoration solutions.

GOAL

The aim of the MIRAMAR project is to develop a joint approach to improve our understanding of, and response to, the combined effects of different environmental pressures on three vital ecosystems in the Euro-Mediterranean region: seagrass meadows, wetlands and habitats of endangered species.
MIRAMAR will design, test, and validate a new holistic monitoring method to identify suitable nature-based mitigation and restoration solutions. By aligning with regional and national monitoring strategies, as well as the management plans of protected areas, MIRAMAR will tackle the shared challenge of preventing, mitigating and restoring environmental degradation across these vital ecosystems.

ACTIVITIES

Working across nine pilot areas in six Mediterranean countries — Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy and Spain — MIRAMAR will:

• monitor how multiple stressors affect vulnerable ecosystems
• test harmonised, innovative methods for data collection and analysis
• co-develop nature-based solutions for mitigation and restoration
• align actions with key European, Mediterranean and EuroMediterranean environmental policy frameworks

EXPECTED RESULTS

MIRAMAR will produce a set of concrete, high-value deliverables aimed at supporting environmental monitoring, management and policy action across the Mediterranean:

• Harmonised strategies to monitor the cumulative impact of multiple stressors in degraded ecosystems
• Toolkits for assessing combined effects of pollution, invasive species and habitat degradation
• Assessment on the cumulative impact of multiple stressors in the nine pilot areas
• Good Practices, developed through Living Labs, illustrating successful examples of restoration and mitigation
• Training on monitoring cumulative impact and identifying pollution mitigation and restoration solutions

The overall experience and lessons learned from MIRAMAR will be translated into strategic results, designed for long-term use and replication:

• Harmonised monitoring protocols
• Operational roadmaps for ecosystem mitigation and restoration
• Evidence-based tools and guidelines to support environmental governance
• Cross-sectoral engagement models (e.g. Living Labs, stakeholder co-creation)
• Policy-aligned frameworks to guide decision-makers in the Mediterranean region

PARTNERSHIP

• University of Siena (UNISI) – Italy
• Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) – Greece
• Spanish National Research Council (IEO-CSIC) – Spain
• Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) – Greece
• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn – Italy
• Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania – Albania
• Ruđer Bošković Institute – Croatia
• Corsican Environment Office (Office de l’Environnement de la Corse) – France

ACRONIMO: NBFC

RIFERIMENTI BANDO: Avviso n. 3138 del 16/12/2021 “Proposte di intervento per il Potenziamento di strutture di ricerca e creazione di “campioni nazionali” di R&S su alcune Key Enabling Technologies da finanziare nell’ambito del Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza”, Missione 4 Componente 2 Investimento 1.4 “Potenziamento strutture di ricerca e creazione di "campioni nazionali di R&S" su alcune Key Enabling Technologies” finanziato dall’Unione europea – NextGenerationEU.

CUP: C63C22000520001

CODICE PROGETTO: CN00000033

DURATA: 40 MESI (01.09.2022 -31.12.2025)

Coordinatore:HUB NBFC

Il National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) è il primo Centro Nazionale di ricerca e innovazione dedicato alla biodiversità, finanziato dal MUR attraverso i fondi dell'Unione Europea - NextGenerationEU. Si tratta di una struttura di coordinamento che da un lato raccoglie e valorizza gli sforzi della ricerca, dall'altro rende accessibili le conoscenze e le tecnologie a diversi attori che operano sul territorio ed è organizzato in una struttura di HUB e SPOKE dedicati a MARE, TERRA, AREE UMIDE, CITTA e due trasversali dedicati alla formazione, comunicazione, condivisione della conoscenza, e all'innovazione e alle politiche anche grazie a connessioni internazionali.

La biodiversità svolge un ruolo cruciale nel funzionamento di tutti gli ecosistemi del nostro Pianeta e la conseguente fornitura di beni e servizi ecosistemici. Questi ultimi supportano il benessere delle società umane e del singolo individuo. L’incremento della crescita della popolazione umana, raddoppiata solo negli ultimi 50 anni, e le legittime aspirazioni per livelli sempre maggiori di standard di qualità di vita, hanno determinato ad una pressione costante e crescente sulla biodiversità, che si è tradotta in sovra-sfruttamento degli ecosistemi, alterazione climatica globale e estinzione delle specie. Per contrastare lo stato “di fatto” emergenziale attuale e per riportare l’azione dell’uomo ad un livello di sostenibilità, è necessario intervenire con strumenti appropriati, basati su solide conoscenze scientifiche e tecnologiche, e capaci di ottemperare alle disposizioni europee previste per il 2030: ridurre la perdita di biodiversità del 30% e recuperare almeno il 15% gli equilibri ecosistemici per mezzo di azioni di ripristino ecologico degli habitat. Vi è quindi la necessità di agire velocemente sui diversi livelli di organizzazione biologica che comprendono i processi, le funzioni e le interazioni essenziali tra gli organismi e il loro ambiente.

In questa idea moderna di biodiversità funzionale gli esseri umani devono essere componente integrate e non preponderante degli ecosistemi. Il PNRR offre una grande opportunità per rendere concreta questa visione in un Paese come l’Italia che è parte dell’Hot Spot di biodiversità del Mediterraneo data la ricchezza in specie endemiche e la grande variabilità ecologica e di habitat. Nonostante questa ricchezza, il nostro Paese ha subito consistenti perdite e fenomeni di erosione della biodiversità nei confronti di numerosi taxa (45% delle specie animali e quasi il 55% delle specie vegetali sono a rischio di estinzione) e habitat (circa il 30%), soprattutto a causa di fattori antropici e ambientali connessi.

L’elevato tasso di estinzione di specie, abbinato alla perdita e frammentazione di ambienti critici, come la macchia mediterranea in ambito terrestre e le praterie di fanerogame in ambito marino, sono fenomeni irrecuperabili e hanno un impatto devastante anche sulle risorse naturali e i cicli degli elementi. Questi fattori minano l’efficacia dei servizi ecosistemici fondamentali per la resilienza degli ecosistemi e per il benessere dell’uomo.

Il Progetto si divide in Spoke e Linee di attività;

La SZN è coinvolta nei seguenti Spoke/Linee di attività:

Spoke 1 - “Mapping and monitoring actions to preserve marine ecosystem biodiversity and functioning” - Responsabile: Simonetta Fraschetti-Gianluca Sarà

1. Linea 1 - “Observatory reference database of genetic/molecular biological, ecological and taxonomic data”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 1: Priscilla Licandro

2. Linea 2 - “Biodiversity resilience and ecosystem functioning”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 2: Maria Cristina Mangano

3. Linea 3 - “Innovative strategies to conserve marine biodiversity and achieve EU targets” 

Referente interno SZN Spoke 1 Linea 3: Paolo Guidetti

Spoke 2 - “Solutions to reverse marine biodiversity loss and manage marine resources sustainably” – Responsabile: Mariachiara Cantore-Gianmarco Luna

1. Linea 1 - “Recognizing the value of biodiversity and ecosystem health toward a more sustainable fishery”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 1: Giacomo Melisenda

2. Linea 2 - “Restore biodiversity and ecosystems”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 2: Simonepietro Canese

3. Linea 3 - “Sustainable valorization of marine resources”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 3: Donatella De Pascale

4. Linea 5 – “Develop innovative Multi-Omics based technologies to address emergent biodiversity threats”

Referente interno SZN Spoke 2 Linea 5: Diana Sarno

Spoke 7 – “Biodiversity and society: communication, education and social impact” -

Responsabile: Isabella Saggio - Luigi Bubacco

Referente interno SZN Spoke 7: Claudia Gili

1. Linea 1 - “Science communication and public engagement in biodiversity topics: new languages and formats”

2. Linea 2 - “Outreach: young people, schools, Universities”

3. Linea 6 - “Enhancement: global health”

4. Linea 7 - “Enhancement: Italian naturalistic museums and observatory”

5. Linea 4 - “Enhancement: the public administration”

6. Linea 5 - “Enhancement: the industrial and economic world”

7. Linea 8 - “Euro-Mediterranean Observatory on Biodiversity”

RESPONSABILE SCIENTIFICO SZN DEL PROGETTO : Teresa Romeo

RESPONSABILE AMMINISTRATIVO: Giorgio Carpino

Partner: CENTRO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO, STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN, ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI OCEANOGRAFIA E DI GEOFISICA SPERIMENTALE, POLITECNICO DI MILANO, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DEL MOLISE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA , UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MODENA E REGGIO EMILIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SASSARI, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SALERNO, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SIENA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI UDINE, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA, UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI ROMA TRE, UNIVERSITÀ DEL SALENTO, UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA, UNIVERSITÀ DI GENOVA, UNIVERSITÀ DI PADOVA, UNIVERSITÀ POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE, UNIVERSITÀ DI TORINO, ABOCA SPA SOCIETÀ AGRICOLA, CINECA, CMCC - CENTRO EURO-MEDITERRANEO SUI CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICI, CORILA, CREA CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L'ANALISI DELL'ECONOMIA AGRARIA, DOMPÉ FARMACEUTICI, ENEA, ENEL, ERSAF - ENTE DI RICERCA SCIENTIFICA ED ALTA FORMAZIONE, FONDAZIONE CIMA - CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE IN MONITORAGGIO AMBIENTALE, FONDAZIONE EDMUND MACH DI SAN MICHELE ALL'ADIGE, FONDAZIONE IMC CENTRO MARINO INTERNAZIONALE ONLUS, FONDAZIONE RI.MED, FS SISTEMI URBANI, HUMANITAS UNIVERSITY, INFRASTRUTTURE SPA, INNOMED SRL, ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA, ISTITUTO SUPERIORE PER LA PROTEZIONE E LA RICERCA AMBIENTALE, NOVAMONT SPA, UNIVERSITÀ CAMPUS BIO-MEDICO DI ROMA, SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO SANT'ANNA, UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE, INFN, ENI

APPLY NOW

The Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples arises from a very strong and active collaboration between the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and the EMBL in Heidelberg.
The aim of the course is to provide a theoretical and practical training on electron microscopy starting from the basics to the preparation of samples with high pressure freezing and image acquisition using TEM and SEM.
The course will also include lectures on advanced and recently developed technologies as volume electron microscopy and correlative light-electron microscopy.
The course will take place at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples from 8 to 11 April 2026. It is primarily aimed at researchers and technicians from scientific institutions with an interest in electron microscopy. Prior documented experience in electron microscopy is not required.

EMHOC 2026 Preliminary Program

Theoretical lessons

Sample preparation for EM – Chemical fixations
Sample preparation for EM - High pressure Freezing- Freeze substitution
Image formation in TEM and SEM
Sectioning difficult marine organisms
Immunolabeling
Correlative Light Electron Microscopy
Volume Electron Microscopy
Case studies (lectures by Fellows from ZooCELL Doctoral Network)

Practical lessons

Sample preparation: from the sea to the tube
Sample preparation for SEM
Ultramicrotomy
High pressure freezing
Image acquisition at TEM
Image acquisition at SEM

Teachers

Giovanna Benvenuto, SZN, Napoli
Christel Genoud, University of Lausanne
Alexandra Kerbl, COS Heidelberg
Frédéric Leroux, Diatome Ltd
Karel Mocaer, COS Heidelberg
Viola Oorschot, EMBL, Heidelberg
Seetharaman Parashuraman, CNR, Napoli
Paolo Ronchi, EMBL, Heidelberg
Fellows from ZooCELL Doctoral Network

Keynote lecturer

Detlev Arendt, EMBL, Heidelberg (title TBD)

Teaching assistants

Franco Iamunno, Rita Graziano, Lorenza Rusciano, Filomena Caccavale 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Application deadline February, 12th
Prior to application it is mandatory to send a Curriculum vitae to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.
Accepted participants will be notified by February, 20th
Registration and payment are due by March, 2nd

Fee: 300 euro per person (coffee breaks, lunches, and social dinner included)

The course will be open to 16 participants. Preference will be given to strongly motivated applicants.

ORGANIZERS:

Giovanna Benvenuto, Paolo Ronchi, Alexandra Kerbl, Karel Mocaer and Ina Arnone

Contact: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

Follow us: @em-hoc.bsky.social

About the Winter School. Understanding how global changes affect marine biodiversity requires powerful model systems. The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis has long been a key species in environmental research and is now gaining increasing relevance in evolutionary and developmental biology. Recent advances in genomic and technological resources have made M. galloprovincialis a unique model to study biological processes with unprecedented precision in marine biology, bridging ecological (ECO), evolutionary (EVO) and developmental (DEVO) perspectives. The MytEED Winter School aims to bring together researchers working on M. galloprovincialis to share expertise, harmonize methodologies, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

Objectives & Topics. MytEED aims to provide in-depth training on M. galloprovincialis as a model organism, highlight ECO-EVO-DEVO approaches in marine biology, strengthen interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, and discuss the impact of global climate change on marine biodiversity.

Program Overview

Day 1. Welcome, Registration & Poster Session
Day 2. Development, Ecology & Toxicology
Day 3. Epigenetics, Nervous System & Bioinformatics
Day 4. Immunology, Aquaculture & Single-cell
Day 5. Genomics & Concluding remarks. Aquarium and Darwin-Dohrn Museum visit, Social Dinner.
(Detailed program will be provided upon registration)

Practical Information

Location. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Via Francesco Caracciolo, 80122 Napoli (NA), Italy

Accommodation: A list of suggested hotels and guesthouses will be provided.

Meals: Lunch and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee.

Fees & Registration. The participation fee is €300 per person. The fee includes lectures, course material, coffee breaks, lunches, and social events. Accommodation and travel are not included.

Join the First Edition of the International Summer School in Bioremediation of Aquatic Environments (SSBIOREM1) which will be held at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Naples!

Are you a graduate student, PhD candidate or early-career researcher passionate about aquatic ecosystems and sustainable solutions to decontaminate polluted ecosystems? 

The International Summer School in Bioremediation of Aquatic Environments, is an intensive four-day experience blending cutting-edge science, practical training, and rich cultural immersion in one of Italy’s most iconic scientific institutions.

Taking place from 7–10 October 2025 at the Department of Ecosustanaible Marine Biotechnology (BLUBIO) sited at the Molosiglio seat (Via Acton, 55) in Naples, this school offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from leading experts in environmental science, microbiology, and biotechnology. The four days of summer school will be focused on current interdisciplinary approaches used in the bioremediation field, focusing on the exploitation of microbes to remove or neutralize pollutants from contaminated sites. It can be considered a promising alternative to conventional chemical methods, which usually foresee high investment costs and do not exclude the formation of toxic byproducts.

The Summer School program organized by researchers and technologists of the Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology Department of the SZN will enhance current knowledge in bioremediation techniques, contribute to habitat restoration efforts, and highlight the need for innovative, environmentally friendly solutions. Lectures, short communications, and practical afternoon sessions will create a stimulating environment for participants and give them skills and tools on the most updated methodologies in the remediation field.

What You’ll Learn

Bioremediation – the use of living organisms to clean up pollutants from the environment – is one of the most promising solutions to aquatic contamination. This summer school provides a comprehensive overview of the theory, techniques, and current innovations in this rapidly growing field.

Each day focuses on a key theme:

• Day 1: Impact of Pollutants and Introduction to Bioremediation – Begin with a welcome from the BLUBIO Department, followed by engaging lectures on the impacts of pollutants on human health, and the foundational roles of bacteria and microalgae in bioremediation. A hands-on lab will guide you through isolating microalgae and fungi suitable for cleaning aquatic environments.
• Day 2: Bioremediation Strategies using Microorganisms – Dive deeper into the microbial players involved in pollutant degradation, including bacteria, fungi, and algae. Learn how communities of these organisms interact in real-world remediation scenarios. In the afternoon, you’ll construct your own bioremediation microcosm, simulating contamination treatment on a small scale.
• Day 3: Innovative Approaches – Explore novel technologies like MICP (microbially induced calcite precipitation), plastic degradation using microbial enzymes, and bioleaching. Evaluate microcosm performance in the lab while discovering next-generation strategies for environmental restoration.
• Day 4: Case Studies & Success Stories – Wrap up with lectures on real-world bioremediation projects, such as the LIFE SEDREMED initiative, and discuss how lifecycle analysis and biological treatments are reshaping environmental policy and practice. The school concludes with awards for the best student presentations and posters.

Practical Learning

Beyond theoretical knowledge, this summer school is designed to equip you with hands-on experience. Daily lab sessions give you the chance to apply what you've learned, guided by leading researchers in bioremediation. You’ll practice key techniques, from microbial isolation to experimental setup and evaluation of bioremediation performance.

Meet Experts and Build Your Network

You’ll learn from renowned scientist expert in the field. Here the list of speakers that will give a lecture whose expertise covers medical ecology, molecular microbiology, and environmental chemistry and biotechnology:
The summer school also includes student presentation sessions, offering a unique platform to share your own research and receive feedback from experienced mentors and peers.

Cultural & Social Program in Beautiful Naples

When you’re not in the lab or lecture hall, enjoy the vibrant life and history of Naples! Optional evening activities include a visit to the Bagnoli-Coroglio SIN (Sites of National Interest) in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, the stunning Castel dell’Ovo, and social dinner and aperitifs – all designed to foster networking and relaxation.

Why Attend?

• Learn the science behind one of the most critical environmental challenges of our time
• Gain hands-on training in laboratory techniques
• Network with top researchers and fellow participants from across disciplines
• Discover Naples, one of Italy’s cultural treasures

Download the program 

Register now and secure your spot at the International Summer School in Bioremediation of Aquatic Environments! Write an email to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

Download the registration form at “link”

Registration fee (coffee and lunch breaks)
In-person: 330 €
Remote: 100 €
Number of participants: min. 20 (in-person), max. 2-3 (remote)
Deadline: 8th september, 2025

The Systems Biology Approach To Discover Marine Life: From A Big Eye To A Microscopic Picture

27th - 30th October 2025

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples - Darwin-Dohrn Museum

Villa Comunale, Naples

Systems biology aims to achieve a holistic view of biological phenomena by integrating information of different natures and studying the network of dynamic connections existing between organisms, organisms and their environment, and the molecules that underpin these dynamics (genes, proteins, secondary metabolites). To understand how each element interacts with others and influences the system, an integrated interdisciplinary approach is necessary, encompassing various scientific disciplines and expertise. Biological systems possess the extraordinary ability to adapt in response to environmental stimuli, stress, lack of food, or developmental stage, as well as the fascinating ability to correct their errors, such as gene mutations. From this perspective, given their high biodiversity, oceans represent a perfect example of a complex system whose functioning can only be understood through an interdisciplinary approach.

Systems biology thus integrates knowledge obtained through traditional approaches with that generated by the use of innovative technologies that allow for the collection of large amounts of data. These latter include, for example, genomic and transcriptomic sequencing, proteomics, and metabolomics used on an oceanographic scale (metagenomics) but also at a single-cell level (single-cell genomics). The combination of new technologies, bioinformatics software for data management, and integrated biomolecular and biochemical methods allows for the study of extremely complex biological systems with unprecedented resolution.

Based on the above description, this course aims to provide students with the foundations to develop an understanding of the study of oceans and their biodiversity through a systematic approach.

Target Audience

Open to Graduate and PhD students, postdocs and early career researchers.

Theoretical and practical lesson on:

• Ecosystem Scale Modeling
• Omics Workflows
• Evolutionary;Genomics & Eco Evo Devo
• Biotech & Synthetic Biology

Lecturers

• Chris Bowler CNRS ENS Paris, France
• Juan Pascual Anaya University of Malaga, Spain
• Klaas Vandepoele Ghent University , Belgium
• Ferdinando Boero University of Naples , Italy
• Periklis Paganos MBL, Woods Hole , USA
• Luca Ambrosino, SZN Naples, Italy
• Lucia Campese, SZN Naples, Italy
• Domenico D’Alelio, SZN Naples, Italy
• Gerardo Della Sala, SZN Naples, Italy
• Giacinto De Vivo, SZN Naples, Italy
• Giovanna Romano, SZN Naples, Italy
• Monia Teresa Russo, SZN Naples, Italy

The course is open to a maximum of 30 participants and will be held with a minimum of 20 participants.

Important Information

Application deadline:

Early Bird: July 15, 2025
Late: August 31, 2025

Apply through the website:

https://isssb2022.wixsite.com/isssystemsbiology25

Fee per person:

Early, 350 euros;
Late, 400 euros.

Organizers:

Valeria Di Dato, Rossella Annunziata, Angela Sardo, Lucia Campese, Ida Orefice
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The Systems Biology Approach To Discover Marine Life: From A Big Eye To A Microscopic Picture

27th - 30th October 2025

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples - Darwin-Dohrn Museum

Villa Comunale, Naples

Systems biology aims to achieve a holistic view of biological phenomena by integrating information of different natures and studying the network of dynamic connections existing between organisms, organisms and their environment, and the molecules that underpin these dynamics (genes, proteins, secondary metabolites). To understand how each element interacts with others and influences the system, an integrated interdisciplinary approach is necessary, encompassing various scientific disciplines and expertise. Biological systems possess the extraordinary ability to adapt in response to environmental stimuli, stress, lack of food, or developmental stage, as well as the fascinating ability to correct their errors, such as gene mutations. From this perspective, given their high biodiversity, oceans represent a perfect example of a complex system whose functioning can only be understood through an interdisciplinary approach.

Systems biology thus integrates knowledge obtained through traditional approaches with that generated by the use of innovative technologies that allow for the collection of large amounts of data. These latter include, for example, genomic and transcriptomic sequencing, proteomics, and metabolomics used on an oceanographic scale (metagenomics) but also at a single-cell level (single-cell genomics). The combination of new technologies, bioinformatics software for data management, and integrated biomolecular and biochemical methods allows for the study of extremely complex biological systems with unprecedented resolution.

Based on the above description, this course aims to provide students with the foundations to develop an understanding of the study of oceans and their biodiversity through a systematic approach.

Target Audience

Open to Graduate and PhD students, postdocs and early career researchers.

Theoretical and practical lesson on:

• Ecosystem Scale Modeling
• Omics Workflows
• Evolutionary;Genomics & Eco Evo Devo
• Biotech & Synthetic Biology

Lecturers

• Chris Bowler CNRS ENS Paris, France
• Juan Pascual Anaya University of Malaga, Spain
• Klaas Vandepoele Ghent University , Belgium
• Ferdinando Boero University of Naples , Italy
• Periklis Paganos MBL, Woods Hole , USA
• Luca Ambrosino, SZN Naples, Italy
• Lucia Campese, SZN Naples, Italy
• Domenico D’Alelio, SZN Naples, Italy
• Gerardo Della Sala, SZN Naples, Italy
• Giacinto De Vivo, SZN Naples, Italy
• Giovanna Romano, SZN Naples, Italy
• Monia Teresa Russo, SZN Naples, Italy

The course is open to a maximum of 30 participants and will be held with a minimum of 20 participants.

Important Information

Application deadline:

Early Bird: July 15, 2025
Late: August 31, 2025

Apply through the website:

https://isssb2022.wixsite.com/isssystemsbiology25

Fee per person:

Early, 350 euros;
Late, 400 euros.

Organizers:

Valeria Di Dato, Rossella Annunziata, Angela Sardo, Lucia Campese, Ida Orefice
info: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

After the success of the first edition, 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 ISS-SEEA Summer School.

It 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 approach for the exploration of extreme environments, and will extend its training topics by deepening 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 will be treated day by day through a combined perspective, merging ecology and biotechnology.

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 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 course's scientific offering, 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.

You can find detailed program and registration information for ISS-SEEA 2025 at: https://summerschoolextrem.wixsite.com/iss-seea

Registration fee

Early bird: € 350 (in-person), € 100 (remote)
Late: € 400 (in-person), € 150 (remote)

Deadlines

· June 10: Send CV and motivation letter to: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.
· Before payment: After receiving the acceptance notification, please complete the registration form following the instructions provided. Your registration will be confirmed by email once we receive and verify your completed form.
· June 30: Complete the Payment (early registration)
· July 31: Complete the Payment (late registration)

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