Summer Session 1
4 Weeks
4 Credits
Dates Coming Soon
Program Costs
Tuition costs will be made available soon.
Application Deadlines
Resources
Summer Session 1 Program
21st Century Marine Pollutants
Veli Lošinj,
Croatia
Along the rugged coastline and island-dotted waters of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago, you’ll step into the role of a marine field scientist. From research vessels, you’ll use hydrophones to listen in on dolphin communication and measure the underwater noise from human activity. You’ll investigate how both sound and plastic pollution—from drifting debris to microscopic fragments—affect the health of sea turtles, dolphins, and the broader marine ecosystem. This hands-on course combines field research, data analysis, and conservation communication to equip you with the skills to study, interpret, and address some of the ocean’s newest and most urgent challenges.
- Record and analyze underwater soundscapes by deploying hydrophones, capturing dolphin vocalizations, and measuring ambient noise to assess the impacts of tourism, shipping, and other human activity.
- Apply acoustic analysis tools to interpret patterns in marine mammal communication and behavior.
- Conduct cetacean surveys through photo-identification and acoustic tracking to create profiles of individual animals and populations.
- Investigate plastic pollution by sampling the water column, seabed, and shoreline, documenting both the scale and distribution of marine litter.
- Develop your own public awareness campaign based on the results of marine litter research carried out during the course.
Photo Gallery
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. Each program combines theory learned during classroom sessions with field-based applications. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in the Northern Adriatic.
Major academic themes include:
- Marine ecology and conservation
- Bioacoustics
- Cetacean and sea turtle research methodologies
- Marine management
Courses
On the 21st Century Marine Pollutants program, you will take one 4-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English.
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to view a description and download the syllabus.
21st Century Marine Pollutants: Noise and Plastics
4 credits
21st Century Marine Pollutants: Noise and Plastics
4 credits
This course is an interdisciplinary course that highlights key aspects of the impacts of noise pollution and plastic pollution on sentinel species for the Mediterranean Sea.
Students will gain knowledge on bioacoustics, particularly related to cetacean vocalization and the impact of underwater noise on species wellbeing. In addition, students will engage in methodologies related to acoustic research and data collection through applied activities on the sea and in the lab. Students will gain knowledge on complementary research methods like photo-identification. Students will understand the impacts of plastic pollution from seabed to seashore and within the water column. Students will be encouraged to develop critical thinking about plastics and consider the scale of the problem, by analyzing the composition of marine litter, its sources and potential choke points for mitigation and prevention measures.
Students will gain knowledge about Adriatic and Mediterranean marine ecosystems considering the connectivity of these semi enclosed seas. Students will consider the concept of resilience and reduction of ‘new’ pollutant threats in the context of climate change in one of the most threatened marine ecosystems globally.
Syllabus coming soon!
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as photo-identification and acoustic data collection techniques, quantitative and qualitative data collection, and analysis for marine litter and plastics.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include seagrass beds, limestone reef systems, coastal ecosystems, beaches, marine protected areas, numerous shallow-water snorkeling sites, and the historic town of Veli Lošinj.
Resources
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Spring 2026
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Fall 2026
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More Information
Program Costs
- Tuition
- Room & Board
- Total
Summer Session 1
21st Century Marine Pollutants
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Croatia