News
Recruitment results for the “Know Your Landscape, Know Your Soils” workshop
We would like to thank all candidates for their applications for the international field workshop that will be held in Slovenia (Univerza v Ljubljani / University of Ljubljana) in the first week of July. We are pleased to announce the list of people qualified to participate in the Erasmus+ BIP program:
✅ Anastazja Wasilewska
✅ Julia Dziczek
✅ Bartłomiej Zawadzki
✅ Eryk Szulc
✅ Dominik Polewski
✅ Bartłomiej Cerski
Congratulations!
We encourage those who did not qualify this time to apply for the next workshop, which will be held in 2026 in Latvia. This will be another opportunity to enhance soil science knowledge and skills and experience in multicultural teams!
Open lecture by Professor Helena Alexanderson
We cordially invite you to an open lecture by Professor Helena Alexanderson (Faculty of Geology, Lund University, Sweden) entitled: "The Scandinavian Ice Sheet during MIS 3 - a sedimentological journey through Sweden, with a detour into Norway", organized as part of the project "International partnerships with leading research institutions (IDUB)" and this year's International Geomorphology Week. The lecture will be held hybridly, as part of the Scientific Meeting of the Faculty of Geomorphology Earth and Spatial Management (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), on March 6, 2025 at 11.30 in Auditorium III (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń).
Link to the lecture in the application TEAMS
Rules for participating in an online lecture:
- joining the meeting in the TEAMS application no later than 5 minutes before the start of the meeting,
- during the presentation the microphones and cameras of the audience should be turned off,
- questions to the speaker can be asked after the presentation. To do this, you should signal your desire to ask a question by raising your virtual hand and after the moderator gives the floor, turn on the microphone and camera and ask a question.
Helena Alexanderson is a professor at Department of Geology, Lund University, Sweden. As a Quaternary geologist she uses geological archives such as sediment, stratigraphies and landforms to reconstruct the ice age environments and use dating methods such as luminescence dating to find out when different events took place. Her main current research projects concern glacial history and ice age environments in northern Sweden and on Svalbard, and aeolian sand, wind activity and storm surges in Sweden. As head of the Lund Luminescence Laboratory she also does research within luminescence dating and is collaborator in several projects from around the world that use luminescence dating.
Scientific awards and promotions at the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management
On February 17-19, 2023, the main celebrations related to the 80th anniversary of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń took place. These events were an opportunity to honour distinguished employees of the university and to promote scientific research, which emphasizes the high level of research conducted at the university.
On 17 February, the ceremony of awarding medals for many years of service and the Medals of the National Education Commission took place. Among the awarded were employees of our faculty:
- The Silver Medal for Long Service was awarded to Dr. Mirosław Biczkowski,
- The Bronze Medal for Long Service was awarded to Krzysztof Rogatka, PhD, DSc, Eng., Professor of the Nicolaus Copernicus University,
- The Medal of the National Education Commission was presented to Professor Marek Kejna, PhD.
The culmination of the celebrations was the ceremony that took place on February 19 in the NCU Auditorium. During the ceremony, Czesław Adamiak was awarded the title of habilitated doctor in the field of Social Sciences, the discipline of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management.
During the same ceremony, the doctoral promotion of new doctors in the discipline of Earth and Environmental Sciences, who defended their doctoral dissertations in the past year, also took place. The promoted doctors and their supervisors are:
- Aleksander Adamczyk, PhD, supervisor: Prof. Wojciech Wysota, PhD, DSc,
- Joanna Michalak-Bielska, PhD, supervisor: Michał Jankowski, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor,
- Babak Ghazi, PhD, supervisor: Prof. Rajmund Przybylak,
- Sławomir Sulik, PhD, supervisor: Marek Kejna, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor.
Congratulations!
photo: Andrzej Romański and Aleksandra Pospieszyńska
TSSP NatSci 2025 - Toruń Students Summer Program in Natural Sciences
Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, and Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, are pleased to welcome applications for the 2024 edition of the TSSP NatSci program. TSSP NatSci is an opportunity for students interested in Natural Sciences to lead a 4-week-long summer research project in one of the following areas (the list is not exhaustive):
- biochemistry
- biotechnology
- chemical sciences
- Earth sciences
- environmental protection
- geography
- tourism
Program
The main component of the summer program is an active participation in the implementation of selected research projects offered by the staff members of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń from Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, and Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, please see the topics and their descriptions below. Interested students are welcome to contact possible advisors for more details concerning the foreseen projects and discuss the dates that the project could be undertaken. The NCU students can join to each project.
Here more details: https://tssp.umk.pl/natsci
Workshops in Morocco
Between January 12th and 17th, a group of first-year second-cycle Tourism and Recreation students, under the supervision of Dr. hab. Przemysław Charzyński, stayed in Morocco. The group included Patryk Małecki, Agata Spręga, Marcelina Kolasińska, Marcela Szwed, Oliwia Mokrzska, Olga Świtalska, and Mikołaj Janta. They explored, as part of fieldwork, the conditions for tourism development and the impact of colonialism and European heritage on the tourism offerings of Marrakesh and El Jadida (formerly Portuguese Mazagan). The program also included discussions on the role of local traditions and cultural diversity in shaping sustainable tourism models. Students had the opportunity to analyze the interactions between heritage conservation and modern tourism infrastructure, gaining valuable insights into destination management.
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.
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