Following an opening address by Prof. Kristopher McNeill, the current head of the IBP, the day featured 12 oral presentations and two poster sessions with a total of 26 posters.

The doctoral presentations at the congress reflected the wide-ranging research interests within IBP. Topics covered various aspects of environmental challenges, innovative methodologies, and monitoring techniques. From exploring the impacts of natural particles to assessing chemical toxicity and tracking dietary shifts in fish, the oral and poster presentations demonstrated the diversity and depth of environmental research undertaken by IBP's doctoral candidates.

In addition to technical discussions, participants at the congress had the chance to chat and exchange ideas over coffee breaks, lunch and dinner.

Best Poster and Best Presentation Awarded

Guilhem Panneau from the Department of Environmental Microbiology at Eawag received the award for the best poster. His work and poster presentation highlighted the interplay and complex dynamics of microbial communities in aerobic granular sludge systems.

The prize for the best oral presentation was won by Sébastien Giroud, from the Department Water Resources and Drinking Water, at Eawag. Using advanced gas analysis techniques, Sébastien was able to indicate the potential links between dissolved gas fluctuations and seismic activity, as part of a monitoring project in thermal waters from Lavey-les-Bains, Switzerland.

A Big Thank You to Everyone

We would like to thank the session chairs, Jana Härri and Stefanie Mayer, as well as the organizing committee members, Dominic Eriksson, Marcel Scheiwiller, and Joel Wong, for their contributions in making the event a success. Lastly, our gratitude goes out to everyone who assisted and contributed during the congress.