The Białowieża Forest and "Pompik the Bison" with Tomasz Samojlik

Our guest today is Dr. Tomasz Samojlik, an environmental historian and researcher at the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Białowieża. His research focuses on Poland's Białowieża Primeval Forest, one of the last remaining primeval forests in Europe. In addition to his research, Dr. Samojlik spoke with us about his work popularising science and scientific knowledge using books, comics and graphic novels for children. In his own words, "My aim is to instill the curiosity for nature, wildlife and science in kids during workshops, seminars and lectures in Poland." ABOUT THE GUEST According to his Twitter and Instagram account (@wiedzmun and @tomasz.samojlik) he is an "Environmental historian by day, comics and children books creator by night, basketball fan for life." Visit his website for more on his books for children and the Mammal Research Institute's site for more about his work as an environmental historian on the Białowieża Forest. See his bio on our site for more information. https://slavxradio.com/guests/samojlik NOTE: This episode was recorded via Zoom on August 24th, 2020. And a very special thanks to Audrius Rickus, a friend of the SlavX team for graciously connecting us with Dr. Samojlik. Also, thank you to CREEES's graduate coordinator and assistant director Agnes Sekowski for joining us on this episode to chime in with her expertise on the topic of Poland's forest. CREDITS Co-Producer: Tom Rehnquist (Connect on Twitter: @RehnquistTom) Co-Producer: Matthew Orr (Connect: facebook.com/orrrmatthew) Host/Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig Guest Host: Agnes Sekowski Associate Producer: Lera Toropin Associate Producer: Samantha Farmer Assistant Producer: Katherine Birch Assistant Producer/Administrator: Kathryn Yegorov-Crate Contributing Producer: Audrius Rickus Executive Editor/Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Additional background music by The Polish Ambassador, Blue Dot Sessions, Kai Engel, and John Bartmann) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this episode do not necessarily reflect those of the show or the University of Texas at Austin.Special Guests: Agnes Sekowski and Tomasz Samojlik.