About the conference
MycoRise Up! is a mycological student conference. Its main goal is to exchange mycological knowledge between young researchers such as undergraduate and PhD students.
First edition of MycoRise Up! was initiated in 2019 by prof. Małgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska and her then-student Sebastian Piskorski. It took place in Spała (Lodzkie Voivodeship, Poland). It was the first time that mycology students from Poland had a place to meet each other and talk about their research.
Next edition (in 2021) was organized on-line by researchers from all over Poland, with Monika Urbaniak as the head of the organizing committee. This edition was different as its participants could have chosen the language of their presentation (Polish or English). This year we would like to go even further and invite everyone to present in English so that students from abroad can also fully participate. We hope that this way MycoRise Up! will become a platform for sharing mycological knowledge between young researchers from all around the globe. MycoRise Up! is open for everyone though.
Even if your English isn’t perfect (nobody’s is), we would like to encourage you to participate in the conference. If you’re hesitant, contact us and hopefully together we can find a solution.
About us
We are a group of undergraduate, master, and PhD students from the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw and Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences. We are all interested in fungi, however we conduct our research in different areas of mycology. Igor studies insect-fungi interactions, Alis and Benek are interested in bacteria and fungi relations, Gosia investigates fungal genomes, Grzegorz wants to find out if fungi can help in meat maturation and Kamil flirts with plant myco-protection products. We hope that our group reflects the eclectic vibe of this conference which we believe is a mix of broad mycological interest shared and exchanged by young soon-to-be mycologists! Julia Pawłowska is helping us and supervising this endeavour.
Julia Pawłowska
Associate Professor at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
I am interested in the evolution of one of the most ancient groups of land fungi – Mucoromycota, and their interactions with bacteria. In our team, we are particularly focused on their adaptations to extreme environments (including soil-community studies from polar regions or post-industrial sites). Our research includes not only the taxonomy, ecology, and physiology of early diverged fungal lineages but also focuses on their potential biotechnological applications.
A significant part of my academic activity is also focused on teaching and outreach. At the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, I’m teaching biodiversity, mycology, eukaryotic microbiology, and statistics. Since 2012, I’ve been involved in the development, and activity of the Polish Mycological Society (www.ptmyk.pl).
Scientific Committee
Marcin Kotowski
Assistant professor at the Botanical Garden Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
My field of study is ethnomycology. My research focuses on the practical and cultural connections between humans and fungi. In particular, I am interested in the possibility of using the traditional knowledge on fungal use as a source of new research hypotheses, and thus analyzing the observed benefits of human-fungus relationships.
Currently, I am the coordinator of ethnobiological research on behalf of the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan.
Ondřej Koukol
Associate Professor at the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Prague, Charles University, Czech Republic
My present research includes taxonomy, diversity and ecology of (mostly) anamorphic ascomycetes.
Currently, I work on evaluation of taxonomical position of overlooked or understudied microfungi. Primarily, I am focused on microfungi on pines, but recently I extended my interest also to microfungi from the tropics. I use combination of both molecular and phenotypic data on identification of freshly collected specimens, fungi isolated into cultures and herbarium material. I also teach mycology for both Bachelor and Master degree students at the Faculty of Science, Charles University.
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Katarzyna Sułkowska-Ziaja
Assistant profesor at the Chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kraków, Poland
My research interest is medicinal mushrooms - a natural medicinal raw material with a significant position in the global pharmaceutical, cosmetic and health-food industries. Currently, I work on biotechnological solutions leading to the gain of bioactive substances from mycelial cultures. The field of the study includes, among others, optimization of the conditions of mycelial cultures and the possibility of obtaining metabolites by stimulating endogenous biosynthesis through the precursors of metabolic pathways.
Mateusz Wilk
Associate professor at the Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
My interests include taxonomy and ecology of fungi involved in organic matter cycling in extreme environments (mainly peatlands of Northern Poland and high-altitude cold desert ecosystems of Eastern Pamirs, Tajikistan), and use of general plant mycorrhization traits in research on plant ecology in peatlands.
Currently I lead a project investigating the effects of tree and shrub encroachment and their removal on peat-inhabiting fungi in fen peatlands in Northern Poland. I am also interested in digitalization of fungal occurrence data within the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (www.gbif.org) and promotion of this network as a useful data repository for a wider research on distribution and ecology of fungi and other organisms.
Marta Wrzosek
Associate Professor at the Botanic Garden of Warsaw University, Poland
My research interest is focused on interactions between fungi and invertebrates belonging to Ecdysozoa as well as other ecological phenomena such as fungal dispersion, adaptations to the harsh environment, and fungus-fungus interactions in the environmental context. I cooperate with mycologists from Cusco University (Peru). I am involved in monitoring in mountains (Alps, Tatra Mountains). I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, and a member of the Polish Mycological Society. I am a promoter of the idea of the MYKOTEKA - the first education mycological centre in Poland. I am deeply engaged in popularization of mycology.
http://www.ogrod.uw.edu.pl/zwiedzanie/pracownicy/dr-hab.-marta-wrzosek
Scientific Committee
Marcin Kotowski
Assistant professor at the Botanical Garden Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
My field of study is ethnomycology. My research focuses on the practical and cultural connections between humans and fungi. In particular, I am interested in the possibility of using the traditional knowledge on fungal use as a source of new research hypotheses, and thus analyzing the observed benefits of human-fungus relationships.
Currently, I am the coordinator of ethnobiological research on behalf of the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan.
Ondřej Koukol
Associate Professor at the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Prague, Charles University, Czech Republic
My present research includes taxonomy, diversity and ecology of (mostly) anamorphic ascomycetes.
Currently, I work on evaluation of taxonomical position of overlooked or understudied microfungi. Primarily, I am focused on microfungi on pines, but recently I extended my interest also to microfungi from the tropics. I use combination of both molecular and phenotypic data on identification of freshly collected specimens, fungi isolated into cultures and herbarium material. I also teach mycology for both Bachelor and Master degree students at the Faculty of Science, Charles University.
Katarzyna Sułkowska-Ziaja
Assistant profesor at the Chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kraków, Poland
My research interest is medicinal mushrooms - a natural medicinal raw material with a significant position in the global pharmaceutical, cosmetic and health-food industries. Currently, I work on biotechnological solutions leading to the gain of bioactive substances from mycelial cultures. The field of the study includes, among others, optimization of the conditions of mycelial cultures and the possibility of obtaining metabolites by stimulating endogenous biosynthesis through the precursors of metabolic pathways.
Monika Urbaniak
Assistant professor at the Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland
My research interests include the genetics of fungi, in particular phytopathogenic and entomopathogenic fungi. Currently, I'm working on the differences between gene clusters encoding the non-ribosomal peptides (NRPS) in fungi belonging to the Hypocreales order. From December 2020, I'm the treasurer of the Polish Mycological Society.
Mateusz Wilk
Associate professor at the Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
My interests include taxonomy and ecology of fungi involved in organic matter cycling in extreme environments (mainly peatlands of Northern Poland and high-altitude cold desert ecosystems of Eastern Pamirs, Tajikistan), and use of general plant mycorrhization traits in research on plant ecology in peatlands.
Currently I lead a project investigating the effects of tree and shrub encroachment and their removal on peat-inhabiting fungi in fen peatlands in Northern Poland. I am also interested in digitalization of fungal occurrence data within the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (www.gbif.org) and promotion of this network as a useful data repository for a wider research on distribution and ecology of fungi and other organisms.
Marta Wrzosek
Associate Professor at the Botanic Garden of Warsaw University, Poland
My research interest is focused on interactions between fungi and invertebrates belonging to Ecdysozoa as well as other ecological phenomena such as fungal dispersion, adaptations to the harsh environment, and fungus-fungus interactions in the environmental context. I cooperate with mycologists from Cusco University (Peru). I am involved in monitoring in mountains (Alps, Tatra Mountains). I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, and a member of the Polish Mycological Society. I am a promoter of the idea of the MYKOTEKA - the first education mycological centre in Poland. I am deeply engaged in popularization of mycology.
http://www.ogrod.uw.edu.pl/zwiedzanie/pracownicy/dr-hab.-marta-wrzosek
Honorary Committee
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The idea of the meetings of students interested in fungi had initially sprouted in the mind of Sebastian Piskorski, then mycology student. Together with his teacher, dr. hab. Małgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska (both from the Department of Algology and Mycology of University of Lodz, Poland), he developed the conference idea under the auspices of the Polish Mycological Society. The name he gave the conference - MycoRise Up! - meant mycological growing up. From the very beginning, the conference was meant to be accessible to every student, no matter the level of studies or involvement in the scientific research. Most importantly, the organizers decided that there could be no financial barrier for attending the conference. Thus, the fee must have been as minimal as possible, and the main financing burden must be shifted to the sponsors. The conference was aimed to be organized by students for students, with the support of the scientific committee.
The first edition of the conference took place in Spała near Łódź (central Poland) in April of 2019, and it was co-organized by the students of Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection of the University of Lodz. The conference was sponsored by the Dean of the Faculty, the Director of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Protection, and PRECOPTIC company. The Director of the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Lodz Region and Biodiversitatis foundation supported the conference as well. The organizing committee comprised of the students representing two organizations affiliated with the faculty: Myco-Algological Section of the Students Scientific Society and Biotechnology and Microbiology Student Society „Bio-Mik”. Seven people: Sebastian Piskorski, Małgorzata Kowalewska, Konrad Kaczmarek, Maciej Muszyński, Zuzanna W. Botew and Ewa Pawlicka, and Magdalena Majda were involved in the conference organizing.
The number of 60 participants greatly exceeded the organizers' expectations and confirmed the need for such scientific meetings for young mycologists. 29 PhD students and 31 BSc and MSc students from 14 Polish universities and scientific institutes presented 29 oral and 30 poster presentations, 10 of them in English. The scientific committee awarded six people. The bilingual book of abstracts and other information about the MycoRise Up! 2019 are available on the Polish Mycological Society website (wwww.ptmyk.pl).
Sebastian Piskorski - a mycologist by birth, passion and education; devoted to wood-associated fungi
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sebastian-Piskorski
Małgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska – specializes in ascomycetous anamorphs (ecology, taxonomy), interested in alien and invasive fungi, and in absolutely too many other fungal phenomena