ИСТИНА

The strongest sides of the Course are the instructor team and an intensive program. Wide range of the specialists (established and young scientists) majoring in the embryology and developmental biology of certain group of marine invertebrates and using the cutting edge techniques. Thank to our strong instructor team we will be able to hold the lectures and practical classes devoted to embryology of different invertebrate groups and demonstrate various approaches in culturing and experimental embryology. The Course program covers all major metazoan lineages (Porifera, Cnidaria, Annelida, Mollusca, Nemertea, Bryozoa, Crustacea, Nematoda, Echinodermata, Ascidia). Daily lectures will be devoted to basic knowledge of comparative embryology of invertebrates as well as they unveil the recent research progress in the all fields of development. The Course will provide the participants with a unique opportunity to get on-hand experience in embryology of invertebrate species of the White Sea. Practical sessions will include the methods of culturing of marine invertebrates and methods of experimental embryology and different visualization techniques (including classical zoological drawing, photo-, time-lapse-recording, immunocytochemistry and different types of microscopies (light, fluorescent, cLSM, SEM). Also, one should keep in mind that similar events are not common in the Old World. The main organisational principle of the planning course is similar to the course being held at Friday Harbor Laboratories (University of Washington, the USA), but is more accessible participants from Europe and Asia. The classical comparative approach allows to form solid basis for further extension of knowledge in the field of evo-devo. This branch of science is rapidly developing so far for which new well-educated specialists are required. Another developmental Courses (EMBO and Woods-Hole, USA) are mostly majoring in experimental embryology.

This meeting is open to invited instructors. Students wishing to participate in the laboratory course have to apply for a place, selection will be made based on the scientific and career merit for each applicant. Daily lectures are open for everyone without prior application or registration. During summer months WSBS accommodates approximately 150-200 sientists, teachers and students specialized in various fields of marine biology. All of them will have an opportunity to attend some or all lectures.

Nikolai Pertsov White Sea Biological Station (WSBS) of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). Station facilities comprise a number of recently upgraded laboratories with recirculating seawater system, cLSM, and SEM. The station has good diving facilities and a fleet of motorboats and small vessels designed for benthic and pelagic sampling. Please, see the detailed information about the station: http://en.wsbs-msu.ru/

The White Sea Biological Station of Moscow State University (WSBS MSU) held the Second International Summer Course on the embryology of marine invertebrates in June 2016 (12/06-03/07). The Course was attended by students from China, Colombia, Mexico, Germany, USA, India and Russia. Some students studied new for them fields in developmental biology, and others learned new methods and techniques. The teachers of the Course come from the USA, Norway, Austria and Russia are experts in the various fields of development biology, majoring in classical approaches of embryology, as well as modern ones. Participants of the Course are students and PhDstudents and young researches from the following institutions: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México Florida International University, Hollywood, USA The University of Manchester, UK Ludwig-Maximilians-University LMU, Munich CSIR – National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia Students have obtained the basic knowledge in cultivation of embryos and larvae, learned techniques of inducing the spawning and fertilization; studied a variety of types of cleavage, gastrulation, and the subsequent stages of development of marine invertebrates of the White Sea (so called “non-model" organisms). Participants learned to document the different developmental stages using the zoological drawing and various methods of light microscopy (phase contrast, bright and dark fields, Nomarski optics) and confocal microscopy on equipments of Leica, Nikon, and Olympus. Besides the classical methods of embryology, students have experienced in short experimental projects on proliferation of cells in Cnidaria by EdU labeling, immunocytochemical staining of trochophore larvae, pharmacological inhibition development of Spiralia, regeneration and primorph formation in Porifera. Each instructor of the Course made 2-3 public lectures for the scientific staff and visitors of the White Sea Station (up to 50-60 persons), among which there were students, PhD students, young researches, mostly from the Faculty of Biology (MSU) of Dept. of Embryology, Human and Animal Physiology, Cell Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, also students of the first year of education without any specialization. As a result of the Course the Manual on the development of marine invertebrates which are easy to collect in close vicinity of the WSBS and culture in a laboratory was prepared. The Manual is now on-line accessible for students, visitors and scientific staff of the station. During the Course participants of the Course (both, students and teachers) had their free time together, exchanged experience, set contacts, and planned joint research projects. All teachers expressed the need in holding the regular Course, and their readiness to take part in the next Courses. In addition, teachers and students have expressed their interest in a work at the WSBS for their research. In general, the whole event was very intensive and fruitful, both in educational and research aspects. The Course was realized with great support from the Company of Biologists, UK.