GeoArctic Expedition 2025: An extraordinary fusion of science, sailing, and the spirit of exploration

On Friday, 25 July 2025, our team set off on a morning train from Wrocław to Warsaw, from where they will fly to Longyearbyen via Oslo. They will board the STS Generał Zaruski on the morning of 28 July. The destination: Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic.

For 16 days, a group of students and researchers from the University of Wrocław will explore the glaciers, fjords, and coastlines of Spitsbergen – one of the most remote and captivating regions of the Arctic.

The team includes 10 students (from geology, geography, journalism and social communication, and ethnology), academic staff from various disciplines (primarily geology, but also fields such as biotechnology), teaching personnel from the University, as well as experts in science communication and popularisation (including Dr Tomasz Rożek of “Nauka. To Lubię”) and experienced sailors – the crew of STS Generał Zaruski. Together, they will collect samples, conduct observations, and carry out scientific research.

The expedition takes place aboard the historic sailing vessel STS Generał Zaruski, which will serve as both a floating campus and a mobile research base. This educational and scientific voyage will see participants learning how to interpret the Earth’s geological record preserved in rocks, ice, and water. They will conduct measurements, gather samples, analyse climate change indicators, and witness extraordinary natural phenomena. A key component of the expedition will also be science communication workshops – teaching participants how to tell compelling stories about science in clear, accessible language and how to share knowledge with a wider audience.