<![CDATA[KAJA BAŁAZY - News]]>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:58:11 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[July 09th, 2025]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2025 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/july-09th-202558th European Marine Biology Symposium
This time, I had the chance to present the outcomes of the ORANGE and ZOOM projects at this year’s European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS58) in Bodø, Norway. It was a great moment to showcase our work, connect with fellow researchers, and explore potential collaborations.
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]]><![CDATA[June 09th, 2025]]>Sun, 08 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/june-09th-2025I was invited to talk about my research at one of the regular cultural and social meetings hosted by the Warsaw Public Library. It was a valuable opportunity to make my work more accessible and to engage in a thoughtful discussion with an interested audience.
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]]><![CDATA[New article in the magazine "Ptaki" published by OTOP]]>Thu, 23 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/new-article-in-the-magazine-ptaki-published-by-otopA new article featured in the latest issue of Ptaki, the magazine published by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), a partner of BirdLife International. The article titled "The Arctic, birds, and us – facing change" delves into the impact of climate change on Arctic seabirds and the challenges we all face in preserving these fragile ecosystems. The article is available only in Polish under the link 
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]]><![CDATA[Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group 2025 Joint Meeting]]>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/waterbird-society-and-pacific-seabird-group-2025-joint-meeting​This January, I had the privilege of participating in the Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group 2025 Joint Meeting. During the conference, I presented a talk titled "Feast of Change: How Little Auk Diet Reveals the Health of a Warming Arctic Ocean". The presentation highlighted the latest findings from the ORANGE and new ZOOM projects, both funded by the National Science Centre (NCN). I am deeply grateful to have received a travel award from the organizers to attend this inspiring gathering.
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]]><![CDATA[Beaver in the "polish jungle"]]>Sun, 08 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/beaver-in-the-polish-junglePhoto of a beaver in its natural habitat, resembling a "polish jungle", has been recognized in the competition organized by the Nasz Bóbr Association.  
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]]><![CDATA[New NCN-funded project "ZOOM"]]>Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/new-ncn-funded-project-zoomI’ve received a research grant from the National Science Centre (NCN) under the latest Opus 27 competition for my new project, "Zooming in on the mercury cycle: zooplankton in seabird diets as an indicator of contamination in Arctic ecosystems (ZOOM)" no. 2024/53/B/NZ8/03196 . This project will explore the role of zooplankton in the mercury cycle in Arctic food webs, focusing on how mercury moves from small organisms to higher trophic levels like seabirds.
There’s a gap in research on zooplankton as the primary vector of contamination, and the ZOOM project aims to fill it by examining mercury contamination across different Arctic regions influenced by climate change. The findings will provide important insights into the environmental and health risks of mercury in these sensitive ecosystems.
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]]><![CDATA[Winning shot in Nautica's "Freshwater" category]]>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/winning-shot-in-nauticas-freshwater-categoryPhoto of a mating pair of common toads has won first place in the "Freshwater" category in the photo contest organized by Nautica company owned e.g. by one of great polish photographers Piotr Stós. A big thank you to the organizers. Toads hold a special place in my heart as photography subjects. I find great joy in capturing their unique beauty and showing that even creatures often overlooked can be fascinating and full of charm.
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]]><![CDATA[Toad photo awarded in "WILD beautiful POLISH' photo contest by ZPFP.]]>Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/common-toadPhoto of a common toad featured in the "DZIKIE piękne POLSKIE" (en. "WILD beautiful POLISH") contest by the Polish Union of Nature Photographers (Związek Polskich Fotografów Przyrody - ZPFP)
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]]><![CDATA[PhD defense at the University of Tromsø]]>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/phd-defense-at-the-university-of-tromsIt was a pleasure to participate as an opponent in inspiring PhD defense at the University of Tromsø. Christine Gawinski presented her thesis, "Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Mesozooplankton Secondary Production in the Northern Barents Sea. Are Small Copepods Important?" – a work that offers valuable insights into the ecology of small copepods and the complexities of secondary production in the context of climate change. Congratulations, Christine, on this impressive achievement!
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]]><![CDATA[57th European Marine Biology Symposium]]>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/57th-european-marine-biology-symposiumThe latest research results from the ORANGE project, funded by the National Science Centre Poland (2021/41/B/NZ8/03830), were recently presented at the 57th European Marine Biology Symposium in Naples. The findings revealed significant differences in carotenoid and mercury levels in the diet and blood of little auks from various colonies in Greenland and Svalbard, sparking our interest in further exploration of this topic. We hope to publish the results of this research soon and will be sure to keep you updated.  
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