Black Sea, Birds and Galaxy. Three Ukrainian scientists - about how their work has changed during a full -scale war
"We have to remain innovative, science and knowledge," - the history of Marine Mary Maria Marine Microbiology from the South Ocean to the Black Sea - Maria Pavlovskaya explores marine microorganisms at different points of our planet. Video day, together with the Institute of Maritime Microbiology.
Max Planka (Bremen, Germany) Scientific studies studies the microorganisms that live in the polar latitudes: how they interact with phytoplankton (unicellular algae) and how it affects the condition of the ocean and its inhabitants.
In parallel, the marine microbiology examines the microorganisms of the Black Sea and continues to work on the dissertation on this topic: as microorganisms can determine the ecological status of the Black Sea and how they affect some environmental anthropogenic phenomena - for example, the spread of antibiotic resistance. It is difficult, of course, to fully focus on research, because scientific work is intellectual. It's a work that requires a dive.
To immerse yourself when constantly airy anxiety, when they are close to the front, when you are engaged in volunteering in parallel. Now the Black Sea is absolutely closed for scientists in connection with the war. Recently, the marine microbiologist should return from the Research Flight in the Black Sea - but it did not take place because of a full -scale Russian invasion.
We hope that such a flight will take place in the near future - and will already be devoted to the analysis of the influence of Russian aggression on the ecological status of the Black Sea. It is extremely important to evaluate such an impact, first and foremost, to clearly calculate the losses. And thanks to the data from the Emblas project, in which Maria participated in 2016, the state of the Black Sea has something to compare.
The results of the evaluation may be somehow included in a lawsuit against the Russian Federation for damages. I hope that we will be able to draw the attention of the international community and raise funds to assess the state of the Black Sea after our victory in order for us to accelerate the ecosystem recovery process, as far as possible. At the same time, anthropogenic influence occurs in parallel with the war through large rivers that flow into the Black Sea: Dnipro, Danube, Dniester.
Due to the insufficient cleaning of the runoff, the use of prohibited pesticides in agricultural production in the rivers, heavy metals and other water -polluting substances fall into the rivers. The Black Sea information can be an argument for a national scale to reduce the negative impact associated with human activity, industry and economy. I believe that there is no such thing for science as "not on time.
" Yes, when the war is over, we will have a lot of urgent problems, and I understand that there will be no financial resources for science. That is why I think about how to attract international grants and projects to support myself and my scientific direction without the active financial participation of the state. At the same time, we need to remain innovation, science and knowledge.
"Progress of the country is impossible without the progress of science" - the story of Anna Kuzio ornithologists ornithologist Anna Kuzio has been teaching people to distinguish and monitor birds for several years and dreams that there will be a birds accounting system in Ukraine. Thus, over the last three years, Anna, together with a colleague Alexei Dubovik, has been organizing the accounting of Lviv birds with the help of beaders/OK/OK behind birds.
Even such monitoring of birds is interesting from a scientific point of view if we count birds for many years. 10, 20 years old - and we get a lot of interesting information: we see changes in the amount where the birds become more or less, etc. First of all, it is a tool for nature conservation. We are very lacking in Ukraine because some species of birds begin to disappear. And people do not even know the numbers - there are few scientists, all Ukraine is not covered with ornithologists/yias.
However, all the records broke out with the beginning of a full -scale invasion - people with cameras and binoculars immediately aroused suspicion, so volunteers and volunteers could not continue fixing birds and volunteers. In addition, it is impossible to evaluate the negative impact of hostilities on the environment and on birds in particular. It is impossible to calculate the area of destroyed nature in Ukraine - surviving birds may simply not be nowhere to return.
The ornithologist notes that the negative consequences of the war, scientists recorded another eight years ago - in 2014, Russian troops were landed in the Meotid Reserve, after which all the variety of birds - the rags of Ryabodzobi, curly pelicans, Caspian Martin - simply disappeared. And this is only one case - how many losses now, it's just hard to imagine. Scientists are those people who are able to push the country forward.
The progress of the country is impossible without the progress of science, no matter how cool. If we want to recover quickly after the war, we need to follow an example from Japan, which puts a lot in science. And ornithology, in fact, is needed to understand how we will restore natural areas that have suffered from occupation and hostilities.
"I hope that the galaxies will not be offended," - the history of Astrophysics Elena Kompaniets Astrophysics Astrophysics Olena Kompaniets dreamed of exploring cosmos from childhood, and now - studies galaxies at the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the Department of Astronomy. Elena's studies are focused on galaxies with active nuclei - that is, who have an active super -mossive black hole in the center.
Specifically, in collaboration with his scientific leader, the astrophysics studies isolated galaxies - scientists seek to understand what the peculiarity of such space objects and which affects the activity of the nucleus. In the early days of a full -scale war, Elena went to the military enlistment office with her husband. I told me what I do - suddenly I would be useful for them. But I was told that I didn't need them.
After that, I started depression, associated with the fact that I could not help my country - so for a few months I have not been seriously engaged in scientific activity. Because of this, I do not have time with my dissertation work, but I hope that the galaxies will not be offended by me, and I will have time to catch up. Astrophysics continues its scientific work, as well as - actively engaged in volunteering.
In the spring, Elena announced the first raise of funds - when the military did not have time to issue ammunition in time. Initially, the scientist searched for equipment for her husband, and later the military from her native village of Helen in the Kherson region. Now I am officially a volunteer in a public organization of victory wings - we focus on tactical medicine. There are a lot of requests - we try to do everything in our power.
In addition, Elena is also involved in popularizing activities-lectures for children in the Science4kids project. Astrophysics is passionate about the idea of promoting science among children - first of all, to grow with interest in the world and the desire to explore it. Not all children will become scientists or scientists - someone will go into politics, someone - to sports or education. But they will all bring with them curiosity and fire before our world is arranged.
I want to believe that people will continue to study space and even travel it, not destroy themselves with nuclear weapons. On the stories of other Ukrainian scientists-from neurobiologists to mathematics-and their work during a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war-read on the site of the Scientific.