This summer, together with our partners in Ljubljana, we hosted the 41st International Conference on Environmental Geochemistry and Health (SEGH 2026), which was attended by approximately 90 participants from 22 countries. The focus was on environmental and health challenges related to climate change, as well as new research in the fields of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, geomedicine, toxicology, and forensic geology. The conference included three parallel workshops, three days of lectures and poster presentations, and five invited lectures by domestic and international experts. As part of the accompanying program, participants took part in a geological walk through Ljubljana, a conference dinner, and a tour of the mining and cultural heritage sites of the former Idrija mine. The conference was organized by GeoZS, NTF—Department of Geology, and the Slovenian Geological Society. You can read more about the conference at Dr. Martin Gaberšek's blog (in English).

At the conference, hydrogeologist Dr. Janja Svetina received the Springer Nature and IUGS Award for the best presentation by young researchers and experts. The award-winning presentation, titled Forty Years of Groundwater Quality Data: Tracing the Long-Term Fate of Cr(VI) is featured on the blog Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health – SEGH. This article highlights the results of four decades of groundwater quality monitoring and long-term tracking of the fate of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), which significantly contributes to the understanding of environmental processes and the protection of water resources. You can read the entire article here (in English).