Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences
The Ischia Summer School on the History of the Life Sciences provides advanced training in a lively international field that offers a long-term perspective on some of the most significant ideas, practices and institutions in the world today. The school, which has a tradition of association with the Naples Zoological Station, was revived in 2005 after a break of two decades and has run every other year since then, with a Covid-mandated delay in 2021.
The school is held in Villa Dohrn, the current Laboratory of Benthic Ecology and former summer house of the founder of the Naples Station, Anton Dohrn, situated above the port of the island of Ischia and overlooking the Gulf. This space can accommodate up to 26 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows or occasionally established researchers seeking to enter a new field. The event attracts expert international faculty, each of whom commits to being present all week, gives a 30-minute talk followed by equal time for discussion, and organizes a one-hour seminar based on precirculated readings and including student presentations. The directors chair the sessions, lead open discussions and may make short interventions. This provides a structured learning experience plus extensive opportunities for participation and interaction. English is the working language and we encourage exchange of ideas across disciplinary boundaries, national cultures and historical periods.
Spending the week on an island, staying in the same hotel and sharing breaks and meals maximizes opportunities for exchange. These are enhanced through social events, including a welcome reception, and a day trip to Naples, the morning spent learning about the history and current research of the Station, the afternoon free for sightseeing. There will also be a free afternoon to explore Ischia itself.
The theme for the 2022 school is Living Relations,