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Everything going on with the International Society for Environmental Biogeochemistry!
Mission Statement
- promotion of scientific knowldege of biogeochemistry and related fields through discussions, reports and publications.
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Stimulation of scientific investigations, planning, organization and administration of biennial international symposia on biogeochemistry, as well as other meetings and publications for the advancement of scientific knowledge in this interdisciplinary field.
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Improvement of education in biogeochemistry and related subjects.
Biennial Symposia
The first International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry was held at Logan, Utah, USA, 22 to 24 March 1973. Since then, symposia have taken place regularly every two years at different venues around the world.
ISEB Symposia
- XXV 2023 Banff, Canada
- XXIV 2019 Potsdam, Germany
- XXIII 2017 Palm Cove, Australia
- XXII 2015 Piran, Slovenia
- XXI 2013 Wuhan, China
- XX 2011 Istanbul, Turkey
- XIX 2009 Hamburg, Germany
- XVIII 2007 Taupo, New Zealand
- XVII 2005 Jackson Hole, USA
- XVI 2003 Oirase, Japan
- XV 2001 Wroclaw, Poland
- XIV 1999 Huntsville, Canada
- XIII 1997 Monopoli, Italy
- XII 1995 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- XI 1993 Salamanca, Spain
- X 1991 San Francisco, USA
- IX 1989 Moscow, USSR
- VIII 1987 Nancy, France
- VII 1985 Rome, Italy
- VI 1983 Santa Fe, USA
- V 1981 Stockholm, Sweden
- IV 1979 Canberra, Australia
- III 1977 Wolfenbüttel, W Germany
- II 1975 Hamilton, Canada
- I 1973 Logan, USA
History of ISEB
The initial concept for this organization was developed in 1970 by D.A. McLaren and J. Skujins; specifically, a meeting with no overlapping sessions devoted to environmental biogeochemistry where participants would be exposed to discussions not only in their own field of expertise, but also to discussions in other cognate disciplines.
Skujins subsequently organized an informal meeting in 1971 with P. Givens, T. Brock and H. Ehrlich that gave shape and form to the idea of a international symposium on biogeochemistry. In 1973, the first symposium was held at Utah State University in Logan, USA. Since then the symposium had become a regular biennial event with formalization of the organization through incorporation as a not-for-profit company under the name of Symposia on Environmental Biogeochemistry, Inc. (SEB). At the 19th biennial symposium in 2009 at Hamburg, Germany, the International Committee of SEB established the International Society for Environmental Biogeochemistry.
Leadership
The Executive Board is the primary governing body of the Society. It is comprised of nine officers including the President, Vice-president (President-elect), Past-president, Treasurer, Secretary, two Members-at-large, the Chair of the Future International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry, and the Chair of the Past International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry. The bylaws of the society are available here.
Officers of the Executive Board
President: Annette Summers Engel |
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Vice-president: Christopher Omelon |
Past-president: Philippe Van Cappellen |
Treasurer: Sarah Keenan |
Secretary: Magdalena Dębicka |
Member-at-large: Chris Weisener |
Member-at-large: Jens Kallmeyer |
Future ISEB Chair: Christopher Omelon |
Past ISEB Chair: Jens Kallmeyer |
The International Advisory Committee is the senior consultative body of the Society, reporting to the Executive Board. Members of the International Advisory Committee are responsible for promoting the Society and setting guidelines for symposia, meetings, short courses, as well as publications and educational policies.
Members of the International Advisory Committee
2025 - Adrian Mellage (Germany), Jens Hartmann (Germany), Daniel Ariztegui (Switzerland), Alberto Robador (USA), Lucian Staicu (Poland), Henry Tang (China), Simon Apte (Australia), Lian Bin (China), Chengrong Chen (Australia), Hailiang Dong (USA), Danielle Fortin (Canada), William Ghiorse (USA), Qiaoyun Huang (China), Jens Kallmeyer (Germany), Jon Lloyd (UK), Chris Omelon (USA), Annette Summers Engel (USA), Philippe Van Cappellen (Canada), Jerzy Weber (Poland), Jenny Webster Brown (New Zealand), Chris Weisener (Canada)
2027 - Marco Contin (Italy), Irmina Cwielag-Piasecka (Poland), Magdalena Debicka (Poland), Maria Dittrich (Canada)
2029 - Weiguo Cheng (Japan), Ernest Chi Fru (UK), Andreas Kappler (Germany), Sarah Keenan (USA), Riikka Kietavainen (Finland), Martin Krueger (Germany), Mengyan Li (USA), Lotta Purkamo (Finland), Mayumi Seto (Japan), John Spear (USA), Brad Stevenson (USA), Louise Weaver (New Zealand), Kerrie Weber (USA), Yochitaka Uchida (Japan)
Partnership Organizations
Membership
Membership is open to individuals who endorse the mission of the society and who are professionally active in environmental sciences, geochemistry, soil sciences, microbiology, limnology, marine sciences, atmospheric sciences, and all other related fields. The two year length of memberships runs in parallel with the biennial cycle of the International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry.
ISEB 23 in Australia – an organiser’s perspective
Simon Apte, CSIRO Land & Water, Sydney Australia.
After two years of planning, the 23rd International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB23) took place in September 2017 at Palm Cove in far north Queensland, Australia. The location, which is a perfect showcase of tropical Australia with the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests being within easy reach, is an obvious attraction for any environmental scientist.
The organisers felt a strong responsibility to observe the tried and tested meeting traditions developed over 40 years that define an ISEB symposium. These included a four day single session program with a day in the middle for organised field trips and a comprehensive social program that is designed to maximise networking between delegates. The Symposium attendance was deliberately kept small (around 100 delegates) as we wanted to offer an alternative to the large, impersonal mega-conferences where attendees often find it difficult to engage with fellow scientists and make new contacts. The ISEB meeting format has always encouraged networking and informal dialogue between delegates.
Read more: ISEB 23 in Australia – an organiser’s perspective