Bremen Ocean Day
on February 24, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the lecture hall building (Keksdose)
6th Bremen Ocean Day
Eine Veranstaltung für Lerngruppen der Sekundarstufe II
Oceans cover more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. They provide a vast habitat and are home to an enormous amount of biodiversity. They help stabilize our climate and provide us with food. And they are still full of mysteries and secrets!
Bremen Ocean Day allows up to 500 students to immerse themselves in the ocean and modern marine research. Researchers from Bremen will talk about their work, their latest findings, and the joys and challenges of life as a researcher. They’ll explain why exploring the oceans isn’t just incredibly exciting—it’s just as important.
Participation is free. Registration by the accompanying teacher is required.
Notice: All events are in German.
Program Schedule:
9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks
9:45 a.m. Presentation 1: Beatrice Brix da Costa (University of Bremen, ZMT)
10:15 a.m. Presentation 2: Sophia Schillai (University of Bremen, MARUM)
10:45 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m. Interview & discussion with students
11:45 a.m. Presentation 3: Laura Pareigis/Nahja Busse (MPI, University of Bremen)
12:15 p.m. Closing
Information about the presentations:
Beatrice Brix da Costa (Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen)
Green caviar and other edible seaweeds – sea vegetables as the food of the future
Food security is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and the ever-growing global population is driving up demand for nutritious and sustainable food. Aquaculture is seen as a solution to meet this need and is already making a valuable contribution to food security. Seaweeds are an important component of global marine aquaculture production, with a large portion of the biomass used for human consumption.
In this lecture, the speaker will discuss the potential of seaweeds as a sustainable food source and explain why “seafood” is more than just fish, shellfish, and shrimp.
Beatrice Brix da Costa is a doctoral candidate at the University of Bremen in the Marine Botany research group and at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in the Experimental Aquaculture research group. Since the start of her doctoral studies, she has already spent several months in the field in Vietnam, specifically to investigate the co-cultivation potential of the edible green alga Caulerpa lentillifera (“sea grapes”) with an edible snail.
Sophia Schillai (MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen)
Under Pressure: Exploring the Ocean Floor with Underwater Robots
This talk takes you on a journey of discovery, from a research vessel on the ocean’s surface down thousands of meters into the deep sea, and gives you a glimpse into my work at the intersection of research and technology.
After completing a degree spanning physics, electrical engineering, and information science, Sophia works at Marum on the technical development of marine robotics and sets sail as an underwater robot pilot. There, in collaboration with the researchers on board, the ship’s crew, and the marine robotics team, she prepares scientific dives to the seafloor and operates the robots during missions. After the expedition, Sophia analyzes the data and experiences gathered to further develop the technology.
Laura Pareigis and Nahja Busse (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI), University of Bremen)
Sea more details: How sugar and selfish bacteria are linked to the climate
Bacteria in the ocean have a major impact on the carbon cycle. To understand whether CO2 from the atmosphere is stored in the ocean over the long term, we’re examining microbial sugar-degrading mechanisms as they relate to environmental factors. Selfish bacteria can break down even complex sugars. We’re diving into the world of the smallest organisms with the biggest impact: from research vessels to lab tests. What does this mean for the global climate system?
Laura Pareigis initially conducted research in biochemistry and immunology. To combine small-scale and large-scale processes, she is deepening her work in marine microbiology. She is now pursuing her Ph.D. in the field of the global carbon cycle. Using environmental samples, she is trying to understand the conditions under which sugars are broken down in the ocean.
Nahja Busse started out on land: for her bachelor’s degree, she studied insects in forest soil and specialized in marine science for her master’s. Now, in her doctoral thesis, she is investigating carbon storage in bacteria through laboratory experiments.