12 Nov’ 24
Polarquest2018
persona-Ambiente: New Horizons in Exploration with PolarQuest
Paola Catapano of Polarquest gets interviewed at the Persona-Ambiente event at ITET Blaise Pascal in Foggia (IT) and inspires young minds through science, exploration, and environmental awareness.
Paola Catapano of Polarquest continues her tour of events across Italy, presenting Ottantesimo Parallelo, the book chronicling the adventurous Polarquest2018 expedition. This time, she returned to her homeland, in Puglia.
Between events, Paola spoke about science, exploration, and environmental conservation, engaging the beating heart of society: young people! In the Capitanata region of Puglia, she was hosted by the ITET Blaise Pascal Institute in Foggia during the “Persona Ambiente” event, aimed at raising awareness of environmental education.
Her book Ottantesimo Parallelo and the results of the Polarquest2018 expedition, including the microplastics study, not only inspired the students but also motivated them to take positive action for the planet.
More Polarquest News
From the Higgs Boson to UN Plastic Pollution Negotiations
Read Paola Catapano’s article published on Societa’ Italiana di Fisica (SIF) Prima Pagina on how artificial intelligence techniques, originally developed for Higgs boson data analysis at CERN, are now being employed to accelerate global plastic pollution negotiations spearheaded by the United Nations.
CERN technology showcased in context of UN Plastic Treaty discussions
AI data analysis techniques developed at CERN were showcased during a side event of INC-5.2.
UN Plastic Treaty INC-5.2 – Side Event
The Polarquest Association, in partnership with CERN’s project Edge spAIce, organises a side event of the UN Plastic Treaty INC-5.2 at CERN’s Ideasquare and online to show how citizen science, supported by novel AI techniques, can help combat global plastic pollution.
The fight against plastic bags in Africa
Andrea Micozzi, a master’s student in theoretical physics at Sapienza University and contributor to Treccani, writes from Tanzania about the continent’s leading role in the fight against plastic waste—and what it reveals about our own habits.
BioBlitz activity report
On May 23, 2025, three vessels of the newly formed Fleet4Science teamed up with the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences of the University of Milano-Bicocca to take part in the Spot-The-Monk campaign—an effort to monitor the elusive Mediterranean monk seal through environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. This collaborative operation brought together marine biologists, sailboat owners, young students, and passionate science communicators in a unique blend of research, adventure, and public engagement.
How Citizen Science can change wildlife conservation through eDNA monitoring
The Mediterranean monk seal, once widespread, is now critically endangered and mostly found in remote caves. A new study highlights how citizen science and eDNA monitoring—using the BioBlitz method—are helping conservationists track and protect this elusive species.