SOIL MICROBIOLOGY: SCIENCE BENEATH THE SURFACE
Georgiana Grigore & Emilia Tănase (Bucharest)
Saturday, 25 July
15:00 – 19:00
The Experimental Station for Research on Art and Life
Intr. Primăverii 10, Siliștea Snagovului
GPS coordinates
The session will begin with a brief introduction to soil microorganisms, highlighting their essential role in maintaining soil health and supporting ecosystem functioning. The presenters will explain the benefits these microorganisms provide to plants and the environment, while also discussing the other side of the topic by introducing pathogenic microorganisms that can cause diseases in various plant species.
The second part of the workshop will consist of a hands-on practical activity. Participants will have the opportunity to observe bacteria and microscopic fungi (molds) under the microscope using slides prepared during the workshop. The presenters will also bring cultures of microorganisms isolated from soil to demonstrate how these organisms are studied in the laboratory. This activity will allow participants to explore microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye and gain insight into the techniques used to investigate them.
Partner: DALA Foundation
Short bios
Georgiana Grigore is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, with a thesis entitled: "Isotopic and microbiological approaches for paleoecological studies in the context of global climate change". She has a master's degree in Applied Microbiology and Immunology, with a Bachelor's degree in Biology, and currently works as a research assistant at the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest and is a volunteer at the Institute of Speleology "Emil Racoviță". Her research activities focus on the analysis of stable isotopes from different natural archives for paleoclimate and paleoenvironment reconstructions using the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry technology, and on the characterization of microbial communities from karst environments, using culture and molecular-based approaches. She enjoys working with students and guiding them on their academic journey.
Emilia Tănase is a biochemist and PhD student at the Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest. Her research focuses on the diversity, taxonomy, and ecology of filamentous fungi isolated from a wide range of natural environments, with particular emphasis on fungi inhabiting extreme ecosystems.
Her work integrates cultivation-based and molecular approaches to investigate fungal diversity, characterize filamentous fungi from taxonomic, physiological, and functional perspectives, and support the development of a reference collection of Romanian fungal isolates from diverse habitats. She is particularly interested in understanding fungal adaptation, ecological interactions, and the biotechnological potential of filamentous fungi.
-----------------------------------------
The event is part of the program Cultivators of Life, a multianual project organized by tranzit.ro/Bucharest Association and co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The program continues and supports the activities started in 2021 at the Experimental Research Station for Research on Art and Life in Siliștea Snagovului, focused on conserving biodiversity, testing ecological prototypes, and rethinking the relationship between soils, materials and artistic production. Curated by Adelina Luft, the program proposes the study and formulation of a new lexicon and practices related to an emerging relationship between indigenous/ancestral knowledge, land cultivation and natural sciences, realized through a series of artistic residencies, open events in gardens around Bucharest, applied workshops, conferences with indigenous thinkers and a final group in 2026 at MODEM – Center for Modern and Contemporary Art in Debrecen.
The program does not necessarily represent the official position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN shall not be held liable for the program's content or any use to which the program outcome might be put. These are the sole responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.
tranzit.ro/Bucharest is part of tranzit.org network. The main partner of tranzit.org is ERSTE Foundation.
