On 5 November (Tuesday), 10:00, all are invited  to the  lecture-seminar “Academic Ethics in Science and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence”. The event will discuss academic ethics norms and potential misconduct, as well as the ethical use of artificial intelligence in science.

Speaker:  Dr. Rima Sinickė, Office of the Ombudsmen for Academic Ethics and Procedures

Venue:  Nature Research Centre, Akademijos St. 2, Vilnius, Conference Hall (Room 101)

The lecture-seminar will be broadcast on the Teams platform: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MjYxYjU4NTgtMDJkNi00YmNkLWJlZWYtMzFjOTMyODg3N2U0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2256ed073a-a1d9-466f-ad25-2489cf7b4677%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229d317ec7-bc7d-4cc4-8b86-61be90f4203c%22%7d

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 371 755 737 278

Passcode: oXr5hD

 

Programme of the lecture-seminar:

10:00–10:50  Academic misconduct: plagiarism and unethical authorship

11:00–12:00  Guidelines for the ethical use of artificial intelligence in science and education

Discussion and questions

We invite you to actively participate and contribute to the debate!

 

Respectfully
Jūratė Karosienė
Chairperson of Academic Ethics Commission
Nature Research Centre
Akademijos St. 2, Vilnius
El. p. jurate.karosiene@gamtc.lt

From 16 October 2024, researchers of the Nature Research Centre participate in COST Action CA23116 “Open Palaeoecological Data – analysing the past building foresight (PalaeOpen)” (Action CA23116 – COST). Dr. Miglė Stančikaitė, Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Quaternary Research, who participated in the preparation of the project proposal, was elected Lithuania’s representative in the COST Steering Committee, and a large number of NRC researchers (Dr. Vaida Šeirienė, Dr. Gražyna Kluczynska, Dr. Nick Schafstall, Dr. Domas Uogintas, PhD student Darius Valūnas, etc.) joined four working groups. Other interested researchers at the Nature Research Centre are free to contribute to the activities of this project (Action CA23116 – COST).

The paleoecological research, systematisation, interpretation and opening up of data planned in the context of COST Action CA23116 will provide a sound scientific basis for the formulation of measures for the protection, restoration and management of the natural environment and for environmental education and training of the public. The chronological and spatial identification of palaeodiversity crises or the assessment of the intensity and rate of palaeocommunity change in the context of changing climate are of paramount importance for decision-making in the management of the natural environment at the national and European Union levels. The nature and focus of the planned results lead to a very wide range of potential beneficiaries, including research and educational institutions, governmental and business entities, local communities and other societal group.

We have real evidence that sharks were swimming in Lithuanian waters. It wasn’t that long ago – just before 70-80 million years in the Cretaceous period. Dr. R. Mertinienė collected shark teeth in the outcrops of Neris and Šventoji rivers.
The Nature Research Centre’s collection contains around 10,000 shark teeth belonging to 21 species, 16 genera and 12 families.
Shark teeth are used to determine the age of geological strata and to more precisely define stratigraphic units.
Interestingly, the outcrops where shark teeth were found no longer exist – they have been eroded, washed away by river currents, or covered up. The shark teeth collection is therefore of inestimable value.
The Palaeontological Collection of the Nature Research Centre contains 0.5 million fossils.

On 18 October, postdoctoral research conference “Discoveries in Cultural Landscapes, Climate, Biodiversity, and Evolution: Insights from Postdoctoral Researchers at the Nature Research Centre” took place at the Natural Research Centre. During the conference, postdoctoral fellows shared their latest findings on cultural landscapes, climate, biodiversity and evolution.

The event was full of excitement, state-of-the-art research presentations and lively discussions. Follow the news about upcoming exciting events, and now please enjoy some images from the conference.

On 28-29 September, Tuscany, Italy, hosted the conference of the Section on European Quaternary Stratigraphy (SEQS) of the International Union of Quaternary Research (INQUA) “Quaternary stratigraphy and terrestrial carbonates: climate, tectonic and humans driven landscape changes”, where the results of the CLIMTS project were presented by scientists Vaida Šeirienė and Neringa Gastevičienė from the NRC Laboratory of Quaternary Research: oral presentation by V. Šeirienė, N. Gastevičienė, M. Stančikaitė “Late glacial and early Holocene climate dynamics based on biostratigraphical data from Lithuania” and poster presentation by N. Gastevičienė “Holocene environmental changes in southern Lithuania based on data from Chironomidae and Cladocera”.

The field seminar participants discussed the formation of terrestrial carbonate rocks and Quaternary stratigraphy and visited important geological sections. During the conference, contacts were established with scientists from different countries and the possibilities of a new joint project in the Section of European Quaternary Stratigraphy were discussed.

Geologists are trying to determine the absolute age of the oldest sediments of the Quaternary geological period, which are thought to have been deposited a million or a million and a half years ago, i.e. during the first continental glaciation in the Baltic region. Understanding how the Earth’s climate has evolved in the past is essential for predicting possible future climate changes.

“Palaeoclimatic evolution is evident in one way or another in the sediments of rivers, lakes and wetlands. In this respect, Lithuania has a valuable palaeoclimatic archive, especially its eastern part – the territory of the present-day Anykščiai Regional Park is home to the oldest sediments of the Quaternary geological period, which are thought to have been deposited prior to or during the first continental glaciation in the Baltic region. They date back several hundred thousand, or even a million or a million and a half years“, says Prof. Dr. Albertas Bitinas, Academician, Chief Researcher at the Nature Research Centre.

Together with Nature Research Centre’s postdoctoral fellow Dr. Michal Šujan from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, he aims to determine the absolute age of these sediments and thus contribute to the understanding of the still poorly investigated continental glaciation processes in the Northern European Quaternary period.

Research is pursued in the Anykščiai Regional Park, in the outcrops of the Šventoji River at Vetygala, Daumantai and Šlavė Rivulet, as well as in the Anykščiai silica sand quarry.

You can read more at: NETRUKUS SUŽINOSIME TIKRĄJĮ ANYKŠČIŲ REGIONINIO PARKO ATODANGOSE ESANČIŲ KVARTERO PERIODO ŽEMĖS SLUOKSNIŲ AMŽIŲ – Aukštaitijos saugomų teritorijų direkcija (lrv.lt)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Donatas Pupienis and Dr. Oleksiy Davydov, researchers of NRC Laboratory of Geoenvironmental Research, took part in the 17th International Coastal Symposium,  ICS2024, held in Doha, Qatar, 24-27 September 2024. About 300 researchers participated in the event curated by representative international scientific organisations (Coastal Education and Research Foundation, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Journal of Coastal Research). Plenary presentations were delivered by the world’s leading researchers on a wide range of issues in coastal science and coastal management, particularly relevant in the context of ongoing global climate changes. Discussions on coastal engineering, offshore and onshore renewable energy generation, coastal biology and ecology formed an important part of the symposium. Alongside scientists, the event was attended by a wide range of representatives from private organisations and public administrations, as well as businessmen. A detailed programme of the event is available at (a29d90_e9f4006b11b34fcaa096ca75b37a8d64.pdf (ics2024.org).

Lithuanian researchers were represented at the event by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Donatas Pupienis and Dr. Oleksiy Davydov, who presented oral and poster presentations prepared in collaboration with national and international researchers and PhD students of the Nature Research Centre. Researchers reviewed trends in the dynamics of Baltic and Black Sea coasts, assessed coastal responses to extreme climate events, and presented methodological aspects of applied research:

Brazdžiūnas, P. Pupienis, D. Jarmalavičius, D., Žilinskas, G. 2024. Space–time tendencies of coastal dynamics based on morphometric and hydro-meteorological data (Curonian Spit, Lithuania).

Buynevich, I.V., Tõnisson, H., Pupienis, D., Rosentau, A., Bitinas, A., Jarmalavičius, D., Davydov, O.V., Kont, A., Vilumaa, K., Suursaar, Ü., Savarese, M., Luik, K., Kadurin, S.V., Wiest, L.A., and Suuroja, S. 2024. High-resolution sampling and rapid image-based assessment of dark opaque fractions in coastal sands.

Davydov, O.V., Buynevich, I. V., Shvets, O.M. 2024. New storm breaches in the context of non-tidal inlet dynamics: Storm Bettina (2023), Black Sea coast, Ukraine.

Nature Research Centre scientists participated in the 1st International Nordic-Baltic NJF Conference REACH

On 8–9 October, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences hosted the 1st International Nordic-Baltic NJF Conference “Resolving Environmental and Climate Change Issues in Agriculture” (REACH).

Organisers: Nordic Association of Agricultural Science (NJF), Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Young Academy of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, The Research Financing Organisation of the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ).

Conference presentations focused on solutions to environmental and climate change problems in agriculture.

Scientists from the Nature Research Centre’s Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology and Laboratory of Plant Physiology delivered oral presentations on the following topics:

Linas Balčiauskas “Small mammal diversity and body condition in agricultural environments”.

Jurga Jankauskienė “Sustainable farming practise: harnessing biostimulants for enhanced crop and weed management”.

Liudmyla Kozeko “Response of psammophytes Secale sylvestre Host and Alyssum desertorum Stapf to soil flooding”.

Liudmyla Kozeko “Foliar application of proline and GABA modulates chaperone system response to drought in Arabidopsis thaliana”.

Elžbieta Jankovska-Bortkevič “The effect of proline, putrescine and DFMA on the response to the increasing low temperature stress in Brassica napus”.

Mariam Zareyan “Physiological and genetic reactions of winter wheat to drought under the influence of probiotic microorganisms and calcium”.

On 15 October 2024, representatives of Nature Research Centre’s Laboratory of Mammalian Ecology will present new research data on small mammal inter- and intra-specific diversity at the 3rd International Electronic Conference on Diversity.

Listening to presentations is free of charge upon registration. Press https://sciforum.net/event/IECD2024?section=#registration and get connected to all presentations.

We are glad to announce that the Nature Research Centre has officially jointed the SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth, which is registered as a non-profit organisation in the European Economic Interest Group (EEIG), which brings together various organisations from the Baltic Sea Region and beyond.

The SUBMARINER Network joins research and education institutions, business support organisations, governmental and private companies and civil society, integrating regional perspectives into international projects. It actively contributes to the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and showcases the blue economy at international level, e.g. European Horizon’s Blue Mission Banos project.

The network has more than 50 member organisations, including 13 full members and 39 associate members. It covers nine important areas where our researchers can make a significant contribution, such as: algae farming, sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, multidirectional use of water bodies, protected marine areas, etc.

The recent General Assembly presented the impressive achievements of SUBMARINER members over the past decade, including 37 projects with a combined budget of over €140 million, and the website’s astonishing reach statistic of more than 1 million page views!

The NRC’s official visit on 1-2 October was aimed at introducing our organisation to the founders and members of the network, fostering cooperation for future project activities and joining the European Horizon projects. Our presentation “Nature Research Centre in Lithuania: Who are we? What do we do?” by Julija Baniukevic and Judita Koreivienė presented the opportunities for collaboration.

Congratulations to the SUBMARINER Network on its tenth anniversary! We wish you many successful projects in the future!

Thank you to all the organisers who worked behind the scene – Angela Schindler-Daniels, Efthalia Arvaniti, Ferdi Bulmer and the entire SUBMARINER Secretariat team! It was a wonderful experience!!!!