This summer, Dina Koltysheva, Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Bioenergy, Bioinformatics and Ecobiotechnology of the Faculty of Biotechnology, took part in the Summer Academy of the Bavarian Environmental Administration. The training, or rather, internship, took place in the city of Hof from July 20 to 31, 2026.
The intensive two-week educational program covered a wide range of current topics, focusing on environmental law and practical aspects of environmental protection. Participants gained an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles of water and environmental protection legislation, regulations governing emissions control, waste management, and soil protection. Particular attention was paid to European Union requirements and mechanisms for their implementation in national legislation, cooperation with local communities, financial charges, and the specific features of management in municipal services.
The educational process combined lectures, active professional discussions, and visits to relevant production facilities. The latter component deserves particular attention: the course included numerous in-depth study visits to leading municipal utilities and private companies, giving participants an opportunity to gain first-hand insight into technologies for the sustainable supply of drinking water and wastewater treatment. In particular, the advantages and disadvantages of biotechnology-related methods such as the ANAMMOX process (anaerobic ammonium oxidation — a unique biochemical process in which specific bacteria, in the absence of oxygen, convert ammonium ions and nitrites directly into gaseous nitrogen), the use of macrophytes for additional water treatment, and differentiated approaches depending on the volume of incoming wastewater were examined.
A significant part of the program was devoted to waste recycling, particularly innovative technologies for converting used glass into new bottles. In addition, German experts presented their colleagues with modern methods for climate assessment and weather and precipitation forecasting, with a particular focus on flood prevention. The academy participants studied comprehensive approaches to biomonitoring organisms and river conditions, as well as analyzing the current legislative framework in this area.
In addition to its intensive academic component, the program featured an engaging and informative cultural component. Participants traveled to the historic German cities of Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, and Ansbach. A particularly memorable experience for everyone was the trip to Mödlareuth, which, because of its historical division, is known as “Little Berlin,” as well as a visit to the Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth, which provided a deeper understanding of European history.
Dina Koltysheva expresses her sincere gratitude to the organizers, Matthias Worst and Svitlana Kozmenko, as well as to all the experts involved in organizing the course, for the invaluable theoretical and practical knowledge that will provide a strong foundation for her further academic and professional work in Ukraine.