From September 15 to 20, 2025, the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia hosted the 20th edition of the course "An Introduction to Uses in Ecology and Plant Physiology," which we traditionally organise in cooperation with colleagues from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).). This year's edition was attended by 17 students and young scientists from various institutions and different nationalities. In the morning, we listened to a series of interesting lectures from various fields that benefit from stable isotope techniques. In the afternoon, the students worked in groups of three to four on practical projects. On Saturday (yes, really Saturday), September 20, the groups enthusiastically reported their findings in the form of short presentations followed by discussions.
Jirka Borák, student at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia: "I was surprised that the stable isotopes course was not limited to students from our faculty, but also included researchers and doctoral students from other universities, even from Munich. The participation of several lecturers from different institutions with different focusses contributed to the presentation of the use of stable isotopes in many areas of science, from hydrometeorology to the study of food webs. In addition to many interesting studies, participants also learnt about the principles of isotope mass spectrometry and the subsequent processing of the data obtained. The combination of theoretical teaching and practical work with stable isotopes within individual projects adds to the uniqueness of this course.”
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