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Blended Intensive Programme - In the Name of Soil
The ecopedological sciece workshop "Blended Intensive Programme - In the Name of Soil" took place in September, bringing together 28 students from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, Slovenia, and Spain. During the first three weeks of September, the students participated in online lectures conducted by an international team of instructors, where they learned the intricacies of describing soil profiles and their classification according to the international WRB classification (World Reference Base for Soil Resources).
From September 23 to 27, the participants, along with 11 supervisors (Marcin Świtoniak, Przemysław Charzyński, and Marcin Sykuła from Nicolaus Copernicus University, Endla Reintnam and Merrit Shanskiy from the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Ieva Erdberga and Baiba Buša from Latvia University of Life Sciences & Technologies, Blaž Repe and Lena Kropivšek from the University of Ljubljana, Vit Penižek from the Czech University of Life Sciences, and Rimantas Vaisvalavicious from Vytautas Magnus University), took part in short-term mobility fieldwork as part of the Erasmus+ program, studying soils around the Toruń area. In the virtual part of the workshop, David Badía Villas from EPS Huesca was also a lecturer, while the fieldwork included the participation of Holger Lohse from Landratsamt Sächsische Schweiz – Osterzgebirge and Remigio Paradelo Núñez from Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
The first day was dedicated to the forest areas of the Pleistocene terraces of the Toruń Basin and the soils formed from sandy deposits – Arenosols, Podzols, and Umbrisols. The day ended with a BBQ integration meeting at the NCU Copernican Integration Centre.
The main focus of the second day was the erosion-induced transformations of morainic plateau soils. While most of the observed transformations related to water erosion, strong winds conveniently demonstrated the mechanisms of wind erosion as well. At the end of the day, the students and instructors attended a presentation by the staff of Czajkowski ST, discussing strip-till cultivation and its role in reducing slope processes caused by agriculture.
On the third day of the workshop, the Polish-Slovenian-Lithuanian-Estonian-Latvian-German-Spanish-Czech group of students and instructors worked on a moraine plateau and the deposits of a former lake basin near Dusocin. The analyzed soil profiles revealed various forms of water's influence on environmental processes, ranging from water stagnation in fine-textured materials to the decomposition of organic matter of gyttja accumulated in shallow water bodies. How to distinguish features of Stagnic and Gleyic properties? It’s not easy, but the course participants gained this specialized soil knowledge that day! The research area was provided by the Lower Vistula Valley Landscape Park.
On Thursday, September 26, the last day of fieldwork, the international group worked on the alluvial plain of the Vistula Valley, specifically in the Olenderski Ethnographic Park in Wielka Nieszawka (a branch of the Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa Ethnographic Museum in Toruń), which they toured with a guide before taking shovels in hand. The students were able to observe the significant variation of soils formed from alluvial material. The greatest interest was aroused by the Luvisol formed from alluvium, a result of ancient drainage of the area by Mennonites.
On the final day, the students analyzed the collected results and then presented them during the final assessment session. Everyone completed the course with a positive grade. The event concluded with a humorous presentation of soil-themed memes created during the workshop, followed by the awarding of certificates.
Toruń Students Summer Program 2024 - NatSci at WNOZiGP
From July 1 to 26, 2024, four students participated in internships at our faculty as part of the fourth edition of the NatSci TSSP program. The internship program was prepared and coordinated by Prof. Wojciech Kujawski from the Faculty of Chemistry and Dr. hab. Przemysław Charzyński NCU prof., with financial matters managed by Mrs. Karolina Rasak from our dean's office. The program included 18 students, 15 from foreign universities and 3 from Nicolaus Copernicus University (UMK). Fifteen projects were carried out in the fields of chemistry, geography, and biology.
- In Department of Hydrology and Water Management the project "Assessment of quantitative and qualitative resources of small water reservoirs in the city of Toruń in the light of climate change" was conducted. The intern was Timur Azganov, a student from Kyrgyzstan studying at Debrecen University. The research was supervised by dr Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka and dr. Adam Solarczik.
- Damla Karadede from Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, worked on the project "Microplastic contamination in soils of urban traffic areas" in Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management. The scientific supervisors of this project were Prof. dr hab. Piotr Hulisz, Dr. hab. Przemysław Charzyński, NCU prof. and Marek Chabowski, MSc.
- In Geomatics and Cartography Department: Akanshak Singhal, originally from India and studying at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, and Ngakan Yoga, a UMK student of Global Change Biology, conducted the project "Temporal and spatial land-use/cover changes of Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve." The interns were supervised by dr. Hab. Mieczysław Kunz, NCU prof..
As part of the program, the interns attended weekly lectures every Thursday in the R. Galon Auditorium and participated in cultural activities. They toured Toruń and Chełmno, made traditional gingerbreads at the Gingerbread Museum, and attended workshops on "Environmental, biological, chemical, and enotouristic aspects of viticulture" at the 'Przy Talerzyku' vineyard in Topolno in the Lower Vistula Valley.
On Thursday, July 25, the students presented their work, with our faculty intern Damla Karadede winning 2nd place in the best presentation competition. First place went to Bayansulu Otegenova from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, who worked on the chemistry project "Hemostatic agent based on chemically modified diatom biosilica for wound healing" under the supervision of Dr. Myroslav Sprynsky.
Job Offer (PhD Student)
Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management (https://www.geo.umk.pl/en/) and Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR, https://cccr.umk.pl/)
Position: PhD Student
Required attributes:
The successful candidate will have:
- university science degree (MSc) in environmental sciences, physical geography, climatology, or related areas;
- very good communication skills in English, both spoken and written (confirmend by B2 level certificate);
- experience in statistical analyses;
- good skills in compiling, correcting, processing and analysing meteorological historical data series;
- background in historical and current meteorological measurement techniques;
- strong GIS and cartographic skills;
- strong analytical skills;
- an inquisitive mind-set, attention to accuracy, creativity and self-reliance;
- high motivation for research work.
- A sense of humour and a smile are appreciated.
The assessment will emphasise motivation, and academic and personal suitability for the position and the research project. Emphasis will be put on the potential for research as shown by the Master’s thesis and any other academic works. In addition, we may consider work experience, teaching qualifications or other activities of significance to PhD studies.
The applicant should be creative, strongly problem-oriented, and enjoy working in collaboration with others. Furthermore, the applicant must be willing to engage in the ongoing development of the discipline and the university as a whole.
Tasks and responsibilities:
- Construct a GIS database of all studied Weather and Climate event (WCs) in Poland from the 11th to 18th century describing thermal conditions (e.g. severe frost, cold and warm waves, cold and warm winters and summers) gathered in the project for the area of Poland in current borders using documentary evidence and early instrumental observations.
- Calibrating information about the occurrence and intensity of some types of WCs identified using historical sources against early instrumental measurements carried out in the 18th century.
- Analysing the frequency and intensity of various types of WCs in the period from the 11th to the 18th century and determining trends across centuries, spatial coverage, synoptic causes and socio-economic consequences. Describing in detail particular extreme (catastrophic) events and reconstructing their temporal and spatial coverage.
- Identifying similarities and differences between the historical and modern-day occurrence and character of WCs in Poland, and comparing historical results from Poland with analogous ones available for Europe, and in particular for Central Europe.
Type of NCN tender: OPUS – ST10
Deadline for applications: 15 September 2024, 23:59
Apply by email to: rp11@umk.pl
Conditions of employment:
The position will initially be offered for one year (from October 1, 2024) and will be renewed for a further 3 years (maximally) by mutual agreement based on PhD candidate's progress in the preparation of a doctoral dissertation and research.
Remuneration will be in the form of a doctoral scholarship in the amount of 5000 PLN per month (minus social security overheads required by Polish law, circa 3600 PLN netto)
Additional information:
The PhD thesis will be carried out as part of the project entitled “The occurrence of extreme weather, climate and water events in Poland from the 11th to 18th centuries in the light of multiproxy data” (see short description of the project at https://cccr.umk.pl/?task=news&action=one&id=5).
We are open to applicants from all over the world.
The recruitment procedures for the PhD student position will be in accordance with "REGULATIONS FOR AWARDING NCN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NCN-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS” (https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2019/uchwala25_2019-zal1_ang.pdf )
Recruitment stages:
- Interview with the research project team (online or contact form) - 18 September 2024
- Successful candidates will be then interviewed by the Interview Committee of the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University (https://www.phd.umk.pl/en/ast/) – second half of September
Applications must include:
- Application and motivation letter (maximum 1–2 pages),
- Curriculum vitae (maximum two pages),
- Diploma for Master's degree,
- Transcript of grades/academic record for Master's degree,
- Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available),
- Documentation of English proficiency (B2 level),
- At least one reference, preferably including the Master's thesis supervisor,
- Publication record.
All documents should be submitted in the pdf format to the future supervisor Professor Rajmund Przybylak (see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rajmund-Przybylak or https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-6116) to email address: rp11@umk.pl
5th SUITMA International Seminar
The fifth edition of the SUITMA International Seminar took place on May 10, 2024 in Toruń. Soil scientists and students from several countries (Poland, Morocco, Brazil, Iran, USA, Czech Republic, Italy, Vietnam, Niger) took part in a hybrid session of oral presentations and a poster session.
Evaluating classes
On January 29, questionnaires for evaluating classes conducted in the winter semester were opened in the USOS system. It only takes a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire.
Toruń Students Summer Program 2023 - NatSci at WNoZiGP
From July 17th to August 11th, 2023, five students completed internships at faculty as part of the program's third edition (https://tssp.umk.pl/natsci/index.html). The internship program was prepared and coordinated by Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Kujawski from the Faculty of Chemistry and dr. hab. Przemysław Charzyński, NCU prof. Sixteen students participated in the program, 14 from foreign universities and 2 from NCU. Fourteen projects were carried out, 9 in the field of chemistry and 5 in geography and tourism.
Two projects were carried out in the Department of Hydrology and Water Management. The scientific project titled "Assessment of quantitative and qualitative resources of small water reservoirs using the example of Toruń in the context of climate change" was prepared by dr. Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka in cooperation with dr Adam Solarczyk from the Laboratory of Environmental Analysis. Radu Radulescu from Valahia University of Targoviste (Romania) participated in the project, conducting physicochemical research on selected water reservoirs in Toruń. Trainee, under the supervision of Dr. Adam Solarczyk, collected water samples from the reservoirs and performed analyses in the Laboratory for Environmental Analysis. The second project, titled "Revitalization of riverside areas and their impact on tourism development," was conducted by Ioana Pastor from Valahia University of Targoviste (Romania), under the supervision of Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka. Trainee conducted research on the revitalization of riverside areas and their impact on tourism, with a special focus on water tourism. The research was carried out in Toruń and Bydgoszcz, starting with an assessment of the needs of water tourism and the state of waterway development. The obtained results allowed for an evaluation of the revitalization effects and a comparison with the state of development of Danube River areas in Romania.
Two interns carried out their projects in the Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management.
Hana Husarova from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, worked on a project ‘Soils as tourism attractions’ analyzing resources that could be targeted for "soil tourism." During her internship, she analyzed the visibility of soil-related attractions, such as museums and soil reserves, in the web. She also conducted surveys among tourists visiting Toruń regarding their knowledge of soil science issues and potential interest in soil-focused tourism attractions. The scientific supervisor of the project was dr. hab. Przemysław Charzyński, NCU prof.
Damla Karadede from Ege Üniversitesi in Izmir, Turkey, worked on a project related to the variability of pH values in the surface layers of morainic plateau soils. Fieldwork was carried out at three sites representing the soil cover with varying degrees and extents of erosional transformations. Some fieldwork was conducted during the spring (the student was at Faculty as part of the Erasmus+ program for the entire winter semester), with laboratory work continuing in the summer. The project was supervised by dr. hab. Marcin Świtoniak, NCU prof., and MSc Kinga Milewska.
In the Department of Geomatics and Cartography, Darina Usyk from Ukraine, a student specializing in ecology at the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Protection of T.H. Shevchenko "Chernihiv Colehium" University in Chernihiv, participated in the NatSci internship program under the supervision of dr. hab. Mieczysław Kunz, NCU prof. The main goal of project was the spatial analysis of light pollution due to artificial lighting in selected residential areas of Toruń. Nightly systematic measurements were carried out using a handheld SQM photometer from the Canadian company Unihedron, and analyses and visualizations were performed using geographic information systems (GIS) and portals providing thematic data, including remote sensing data.
As part of the internship program, students attended lectures every Thursday and, as part of the cultural program, visited Toruń and Chełmno, prepared gingerbreads at the The Museum of Toruń Gingerbread, and participated in workshop on "Environmental, Biological, Chemical, and Enotourism aspects of Viticulture" at the 'Przy Talerzyku' winery in Topolno in the Lower Vistula Valley.
In the Name of Soil - ecopedological workshops
The two-week international workshop "In the Name of Soil" has come to an end. Several dozen students from 6 universities (UMK; Ljubljana University, Slovenia; Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania: University of Pécs, Hungary; Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu; Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava) learned the secrets of ecological conditions for the development of soil cover, history of use and problems of landscape protection of the slope and floodplain of the Lower Vistula Valley, tunnel valleys of Kujawy, and Pleistocene terraces of the Toruń Basin.
Thank you all for your participation and commitment and see you next year!
Ps. Many thanks to the Team of Landscape Parks on the Lower Vistula River and the Society of Friends of the Lower Vistula River for their help in organizing workshops and showing us around the architectural monuments of the region related to the environment we are exploring!
Project site: https://www.geo.umk.pl/student/mobilnosc/in-the-name-of-soil-ecopedological-workshop-blended-intensive-course/
Soil Classification & Education 2
Soil Classification & Education 2 conference was organized on September 12-14, Venue was prepared by Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management. Several dozen participants from around the world, incl. from Lithuania, Bulgaria, Korea and Gabon participated in both the stationary part, which took place on Monday, and the field part on the following day. During session in conference room, the results of the Erasmus+ Share Your Soils project (https://sites.google.com/site/shareyoursoils/home) were presented - soil omnibus, an edutainment application for learning soil classification and the 5th volume from the Soil Sequence Atlas series (pdf versions of the first 4 volumes can be downloaded from the Rumak repository (https://repozytorium.umk.pl/handle/item/5490, http://repozytorium.umk.pl/handle/item/5218, http://repozytorium.umk.pl/handle/item/5510, https://repozytorium.umk.pl/handle/item/5511). Conference participants had also the opportunity to present the results of their research and didactic work related to the issues of soil classification and soil science education. The field session was organized in the Brodnica Landscape Park, and on the way the participants visited the Gothic castle in Radzyń Chełmiński. In the vicinity of Lake Zbiczno, the soils of subglacial gutters were presented - four profiles developed from: 1) organic material, 2) kame sands, 3-4) sandy deposits. year's. Our guests, as one of the first in the world, could evaluate fourth edition of the WRB (2022) classification system in field conditions!
[photos by Marcin Świtoniak and Przemysław Charzyński].
Share Your Soils - Sardinia
International workshop of SYStem (Share Your Soils) project in Sassari/Sardinia-Italy 09-13.05.2022