Agenda
International Summer school: Modeling Water Fluxes in the Soil-Plant System
The 2nd International Summer School on Advanced Soil Physics: Soil-Plant-Water Flow will be held at UCLouvain, Belgium, from 8 to 12 September 2025.
This intensive one-week program aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of water flow in the soil-rhizosphere-plant system, influenced by plant physiology and rhizosphere hydraulics. Attendees will gain both theoretical knowledge of soil and plant water flow and practical skills to model these processes using advanced numerical tools.
This summer school is tailored for master’s and PhD students, and early-career scientists working in soil physics, plant physiology, water management, environmental science, and related fields.
Applicants should have an early-stage familiarity with soil physics in their research and an interest in deepening their knowledge and skills. While prior programming experience is beneficial, group projects will provide opportunities to learn basic programming skills. Participants will receive support from mentors and teaching assistants throughout the program.
Each participant will be provided with a computer. Additional practical information will be shared with the selected participants.
Fees
500 euros.
The fees include coffee/tea, and lunches. It does not include accommodation.
Applicants from middle- and low-income countries may apply for a grant (see application form).
Program
The program will be updated progressively.
| Day | Topics | Modelling tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theoretical background: Root water uptake - water flow in the soil and plant systems | |
| 2 | Simulating root-scale and rhizosphere hydraulics | GRANAR, MECHA |
| 3 | Simulating 3D root system hydraulic architecture and its evolution | CPlantBox |
| 4 | Simulating water flow in the 3D soil-rhizosphere-root-shoot continuum | CPlantBox, Hydrus-1D |
| 5 | Simplified soil-plant water flow models and discussion of practical applications | Hydrus-1D |
Important Dates
1st February: Start of the application
15th May: Application deadline
30th May: Notification of decision
15th June: Complementary practical information shared with the selected participants
Course organizers and current list of lecturers
Prof. Dr. Jan Vanderborght, from KULeuven and Forschungszentrum Jülich
Prof. Dr. Mathieu Javaux, from UCLouvain
Prof. Dr. Andrea Schnepf, from Forschungszentrum Jülich
Prof. Dr. Guillaume Lobet, from UCLouvain
Prof. Dr. Xavier Draye, from UCLouvain
Prof. Dr. Valentin Couvreur, from UCLouvain
Mona Giraud, from Forschungszentrum Jülich
Invited speakers:
Dr. Tom De Swaef, from Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO)
Prof. Dr. Simone Fatichi, from National University of Singapore
Accommodation options
- The Martin’s Hotel (8 minutes walk from the train station and 15 minutes from the meeting place): https://www.martinshotels.com/fr/page/martins-louvain-la-neuve/martins-louvain-la-neuve-innovation-art-de-vivre-hotel.11057.html#backlink:actu-269
- If Martin’s Hotel is fully booked, another option is Hotel IBIS (20 minutes walk from the train station and 30 minutes from the meeting place): https://all.accor.com/hotel/2200/index.en.shtml
- Cheaper option: youth hostel Mozaik (5 minutes walk from the train station and 15 minutes from the meeting place): https://www.gite-mozaik.be/en/
More information
For any additional questions, contact m.giraud [at] fz-juelich [dot] de
PReCISE Summer School – Promoting Citizen Science Expertise
What if citizens could give your research a boost?
Did you know that lichens can reveal air quality? In the LichenGo project, citizens and researchers collaborate to observe these organisms and map pollution across Europe - a great example of participatory science!
Other examples? Citizens can contribute to the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage sites in the CitizenHeritage project or to the surveillance of exotic Aedes mosquitoes in Belgium in the MEMO+ project or to the assessment of multi-modal traffic in various cities in the Telraam project.
But what is citizen science?
It’s a scientific approach where researchers and volunteer citizens work together to collect and analyze data. This collaboration expands observational capacity, generates new knowledge, and strengthens the bond between science and society.
Are you a CIRCLE-U PhD student, researcher, academic, or science communicator?
Would you like to explore this approach and apply it to your own work?
Join the PReCISE Summer School, from July 7 to 11, 2025! This immersive training will help you understand, experiment with, and integrate citizen science into your research projects.
It fosters interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and skill development through interactive lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities.
Why participate?
Citizen Science Fundamentals – Including project design, participant engagement, data processing, and result dissemination.
Hands-on Experience – Apply CS techniques through interactive workshops, case studies, and project simulations.
Ethical & Logistical Challenges – Explore best practices for conducting CS, with a focus on the Global South.
Networking & Collaboration – Connect with experts and peers to foster interdisciplinary partnerships.
Program
The program is divided into two parts:
Days 1-3: Core Citizen Science topics (project design, participant engagement, data processing, result dissemination, and funding opportunities).
Days 4-5: Special session, in collaboration with AfricaMuseum and the University of the Western Cape, exploring best practices for Citizen Science projects in/with the Global South (socio-cultural, logistical, and ethical challenges).
Interactive workshops will guide the participants in designing their own CS projects, while fostering networking opportunities. By blending theory with practice, the PReCISE summer school will ensure attendees leave with the tools and confidence to effectively apply CS methodologies in diverse contexts, ultimately contributing to more inclusive and impactful scientific initiatives.
For whom
PhD students, postdocs, researchers interested in Citizen Science (CS).
When and where?
Date of the online introduction session is 23 June 2025 (morning).
July 7-11, 2025 (hybrid format). Participants can be on-site or online. UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
ECTS and evaluation
Credits: 5 ECTS (1 ECTS per day of participation)
Evaluation: No formal assessment, but PhD students will receive a certificate of completion awarding 5 ECTS. All participants will receive a certificate of participation.
Language
English
Funding
Tuition is free of charge.
Participants should check with their home university’s international office for potential funding opportunities for travel costs.
Aarhus University: aarhus@circle-u.eu
University of Belgrade: Nikola Savic nikola.savic@rect.bg.ac.rs
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin: berlin@circle-u.eu
King’s College London: Students are not eligible for Erasmus+ funding, but may have access to internal funding. Please check for funding opportunities or contact the Circle U. Team for more information: circle-u@kcl.ac.uk
UCLouvain: infocircleu@uclouvain.be
University of Oslo: shortterm-uio@admin.uio.no
Université Paris Cité: circleu.iro@u-paris.fr and online at u-paris.fr
University of Pisa: circleU.erasmus@unipi.it and on website.
University of Vienna: circle-u@univie.ac.at
How to apply?
Application deadline: 20 April, 2025
Contact
Caroline Michellier, UCLouvain
Marnik Vanclooster, UCLouvain
The summer school is co-funded by a seed fund of Circle U., the thematic graduate school ENVITAM, and the sector of science and technology (SST) of UCLouvain.
ELI-T: Integrating and spatializing EU-wide data streams to monitor agricultural sustainability, by Marijn Van der Velde
On June 18, the Earth and Life Institute is delighted to welcome Doctor Marijn Van der Velde for an ELI Sustainability Talk entitled "Integrating and spatializing EU-wide data streams to monitor agricultural sustainability".
Marijn Van der Velde is the leader of the AgriEnvClim group at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
His research focuses on the management and interactions of agriculture and natural resources under increasing societal demands and climate change.
He combines both bottom-up and top-down big data approaches to model the multiple services that farming systems provide to support EU policies on food and nature.
You are cordially invited to take part in this seminar, to be held on June 18 from 16:15 to 17:15 in auditorium SUD03 (Croix du Sud, Louvain-la-Neuve).
After the seminar, participants are invited to join the de Serres building Cafeteria for a complementary drink and meal. Please note that registration is required.
ELI Extended Council Meeting
On Thursday 19 June, all members of the Institute are invited to the ELI Enlarged Council, where issues relating to the running of the institute will be discussed.
We hope that as many members of the Institute as possible will attend this important meeting.
A drink will be served afterwards. This will also be an opportunity to celebrate our colleagues Anne d'Hauwer and Isabelle Vanacker, who have both left for a well-deserved retirement.
Please note that the Council meeting will be conducted mainly in French.
The Enlarged Council meeting will be held from 11:00, in SUD11 auditorium.
The drink will be served from 12:30, in the cafeteria of the de Serres building.
We ask you to register if you would like to come, so we can provide just the right amount of food and drink and avoid wastage.
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