Science Goes to the Beach – “Academia on the Beach” this September in Sopot!

The University of Gdańsk, together with the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, invites you to Academia on the Beach – a series of six lectures and three debates during which experts from Poland and abroad will discuss the challenges facing the Baltic Sea and its ecosystem. From 3–5 September 2025, the beach in Sopot will transform into a space for meeting science. 

The beginning of September in the Tri-City means sandy beaches, the sound of waves, the scent of sea breeze, and alongside them, conversations about the issues that determine the future of the Baltic and of us all. In this unique setting, the University of Gdansk, together with the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, will host Academia on the Beach.

For three days, participants will take part in inspiring meetings where science steps outside the walls of the university to engage with residents, tourists, school pupils, students, and all those eager to better understand the world around them.

The program includes six lectures and three debates led by distinguished scholars and experts. Their topics are highly relevant, focusing on the pressing challenges faced by the Baltic Sea: from eutrophication and coastal protection, through the dramatic problem of sunken chemical weapons and fuel-laden wrecks, to the urgent need to protect harbour porpoises and to establish transboundary marine protected areas.

Speakers will include academics representing various disciplines and faculties of the University of Gdansk (Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, Faculty of Law and Administration, Faculty of Economics), as well as scholars from the University of Łodz, the Medical University of Gdańsk, and Klaipėda University. Experts from environmental organizations and foundations will also be in attendance. The sessions will be moderated by Prof. Maciej Nyka, PhD (University of Gdansk, Faculty of Law and Administration), a well-known expert in environmental law research.

The meetings are part of the project “Bay of Knowledge – Developing Ecological Competences of Society through Education” and are open to all interested participants free of charge. The project is carried out in cooperation with the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, under the leadership of Dr Magdalena Markiewicz from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdansk. 

Within this framework, other significant events have already taken place, such as the Sustainable Development Day (October 2024) and the Summer Course in Marine Ichthyology, held in August–September 2025 at the Prof. Krzysztof Skóra Marine Station in Hel.

— “We wanted to create a space where science and society meet in the natural setting of the sea. Debates held right by the Baltic shore have a unique dimension – they remind us that the issues we are discussing are happening exactly around us,” says Prof. Maciej Nyka, initiator of the Academia and moderator of the debates.

— “Academia on the Beach is more than just a series of lectures. It is an opportunity for each of us to feel that science relates to our daily lives, that climate change, water pollution, and the protection of coastal nature are not abstract concepts but real challenges we can and must face together. This September, the beach in Sopot will become a space not only for relaxation but also for dialogue about the future of the Baltic. We warmly invite you – it is worth spending these days in a place where science meets the sea, in the spirit of our motto ‘In mari via tua’,” emphasizes Dr Magdalena Markiewicz, project leader.

The University of Gdańsk extends its gratitude to the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, the Mamuszki 14 Cultural Center, and the Center for Student and Doctoral Activity for their cooperation in making this event possible.

The meetings of Academia on the Beach will be held at the Cultural Center, ul. Mamuszki 14, Sopot, right by the beach, from 3–5 September 2025, between 10:00 and 15:00. The organizers welcome individual participants, schools, youth groups, and all those who wish to combine seaside relaxation with discovering knowledge about nature and the environment.

Further details about the program and speakers can be found on the website of the project “Bay of Knowledge – Developing Ecological Competences of Society through Education”: Academia on the Beach.