Microplastics: From Environmental Impact to Policy, Innovation, and Public Awareness
WHO IS THE COURSE FOR
Bachelor and Master's students, Ph.D. candidates, and junior professionals from all walks of life who are interested in environmental issues.
Why Participate?
- Learn from top experts and organizations, including UNEP, FOEN, and IUCN.
- Engage in dynamic learning formats, from lectures and flipped classes to interactive World Café sessions and a hands-on field trip to Geneva Lake.
- Develop and enhance your practical problem-solving skills by tackling real-world challenges in collaboration with professionals.
- Collaborate in diverse teams and apply your knowledge and skills to water resource management.
Key Topics:
- Microplastics in the environment: sources, impacts, and human exposure.
- Detection methods and analytical approaches.
- Policy frameworks and regulatory challenges.
- Industry innovations and solutions.
- Public engagement and raising awareness.
What You’ll Gain:
- Deepen your understanding of microplastics and their global impact.
- Cultivate teamwork and communication skills through collaborative projects.
- Earn a Certificate of Attendance and, upon request, a transcript with ECTS credit equivalency.
Course evaluation: Students will be asked to complete approximately 15 hours of reading before the course begins. Assessment is based on participation and a group presentation.
This Summer School is organized within SEED4EU+ Flagship 4: Environmental transitions: project MIRACLE – “Microplastics: From Environmental Impact to Policy, Innovation, and Public Awareness” coordinated by Prof. V. Slaveykova (UNIGE) in partnership with Profs. T. Andersen and N. Posth (University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Prof. M. Parolini (University of Milano, Italy), and Prof. Dr. David Siaussat from Sorbonne University .
Junior Professionals: CHF 1,100
External students (*): CHF 900
UNIGE students (*): CHF 250
(*) Bachelor and master’s degree-seeking students and Ph.D. candidates only. The tuition fees for lifelong learning students are subject to employment status.
Application deadline: 15 April 2025 (for 4EU+ scholarship applications see below)
Scholarships
4EU+ members only. Full scholarships covering course fees, transportation, and allowances.
Application deadline for a 4EU+ scholarship: 31 March 2025
- 4 students from Charles University
- 4 students from Sorbonne University
- 4 students from University of Copenhagen
- 4 students from University of Milan
- 4 students from University of Heidelberg
- 4 students from University of Warsaw
- 4 students from University of Geneva
Course Director:
Professor Vera Slaveykova
Prof. Vera Slaveykova is an environmental chemist with more than 25 years of experience and a full professor in Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology at the Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences and the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva. Over the past 12 years, she has served as the Director of the Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Vice-President, and President of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva. Currently, she is a member of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and represents the University of Geneva in the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership. She also serves as Specialty Chief Editor for Biogeochemical Dynamics in Frontiers in Environmental Science.
Course Assistant:
Matea Marelja
Matea Marelja is currently a PhD student at the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva and a member of the Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology laboratory, led by Prof. Slaveykova. Her research focuses on understanding the effects of nano- and microplastics on planktonic species at the base of the food web, particularly phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as the potential consequences on ecosystem services and biogeochemical cycles.
