On April 23, 2026, the IOW was all about fostering curiosity about science: While 14 schoolgirls got a first-hand look at marine research in the afternoon at Girls' Day at the IOW, the institute presented itself to a broad audience that evening at Rostock's Long Night of Science on the University of Rostock's Südstadt Campus.

On Girls' Day, the 11- to 14-year-old participants from Rostock, Güstrow, Bad Doberan, Schwerin and Berlin immersed themselves in the world of Baltic Sea research as true explorers. IOW Director Heide Schulz-Vogt – herself an excellent role model for such an event – opened the varied programme, which was organised, hosted and run by the institute's dedicated volunteers from the Natural Sciences Year programme. The schoolgirls gained fascinating insights into various areas of marine research and were able to talk directly to scientists and apprentices.

Highlights of the day included piloting a diving robot in search of the invasive Australian Tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus, beach fieldwork involving collecting litter, classifying the items found and analysing them according to scientific litter monitoring methods, as well as a speed-dating plus Q&A session on the topic of "Pathways into Research". Throughout the day, the atmosphere was one of curiosity, openness and a thirst for knowledge – and it showed just how much fun discovering, experimenting and researching can be.

In the evening, IOW's outreach continued: During the Long Night of Science, the IOW was present in the physics research building at the University of Rostock from 16:00 to 22:00. Under the theme 'Tracking change – modern Baltic Sea monitoring at the IOW', experts from the institute demonstrated how biological, chemical and physical data are collected, the marine technology behind precise long-term time series, and how these data help to distinguish short-term dynamics from long-term trends in the Baltic Sea.

Several hundred curious visitors of all ages created a huge turnout during the Night of Science. The IOW team therefore kept busy right up to the end, explaining the current state of the Baltic Sea, future changes and modern monitoring methods, and discussing these topics with the audience. Also presenting at the same venue were the Leibniz Institute for Atmospheric Physics and the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN).