2022 Tvärminne Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses

This symposium will bring together molecular microbial ecologists specializing in different organism groups to share our latest results and discuss methodological problems, as well as future prospects in the field, including practical international collaborations. The environmental focus will be on cryospheric environments including sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost, but excellent research in other polar environments is also invited. The methods to be discussed will focus on ‘omics’ techniques, ranging from single cells to metagenomes, but exciting research using additional methods is encouraged as well.

Organizers: Dr. Eeva Eronen-Rasimus (University of Helsinki) and Dr. Eric Collins (University of Manitoba & University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Location: Tvärminne Zoological Station, 120km southwest of Helsinki, Finland

Schedule:

Confirmed Plenary Speakers and Topics:

1. Sea-ice Viruses: Prof. Jody Deming, Member, US National Academy of
Sciences, and The School of Oceanography, University of Washington, USA. Dr. Deming is a pioneering scientist in sea-ice microbiology, specialised in microbial cold adaptation and its ecological relevance. 

2. Marine Viruses: Asst. Prof. Karin Holmfeldt, Linnaeus University, Sweden. Dr. Holmfeldt is a molecular microbial ecologist studying the effect of viruses on the regulation of microbial diversity and mortality. 

3. Metagenome Resolved Genomics: Dr. Tom Delmont, Genoscope, France. Dr. Delmont is a molecular microbial ecologist and a world expert in analyses using metagenomic assembled genomes (MAGs). 

4. Polar Protists: Asst. Sci. Harriet Alexander, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. Dr. Alexander is molecular phytoplankton ecologist combining culture- and field-based studies to understand the biogeochemical functioning and physiological ecology of eukaryotic plankton in a changing ocean. 

5. Bacterial Community Dynamics: Prof. Jarone Pinhassi, Linnaeus University, Sweden. Dr. Pinhassi is interested in ecology, physiology, genomics and diversity of marine bacteria.

6. Sea Ice Biogeochemistry: Prof. Jean-Louis Tison, Free University of Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Tison is a geophysicist focused on studying physico-chemical properties of interfaces e.g. ice-ocean/ice-atmosphere. 

7. Modelling: Adj. Prof. Letizia Tedesco, Marine Research Centre, Finnish Environment Institute. Dr. Tedesco is one of the developers of BFM-SI (Biogeochemical Flux Model in Sea Ice). Dr. Tedesco will provide a modellers point of view and provide insight on better estimations of bacterial parameters in models.

Group photo from the 2018 Tvärminne Symposium on Polar Microbes!