Welcome to the 15th ICOBTE
On behalf of the organizing committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 15th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (ICOBTE 2019) in Nanjing.
The general theme of the 15th ICOBTE is “Biogeochemistry of trace elements for improved environmental sustainability and human health”. This theme reflects the great challenges we all face in protecting our environment from contamination by toxic trace elements and in providing sufficient amounts of essential trace elements for human nutrition.
Prof. Dr. Fang-Jie Zhao
Chair of ICOBTE 2019
Nanjing Agricultural University
Nanjing, China
The conference will offer an excellent platform for scientists, students, regulators and environmental professionals working on trace elements across multiple disciplines to present the state-of-art research findings, exchange ideas, and discuss how the knowledge can be used for protecting our environment and for improving ecosystem and human health. The conference will also be a great opportunity to renew friendship or establish new contacts with colleagues from all over the world.
Nanjing, located in the Yangtze River delta, is an ancient capital of China, serving as the capital city for six dynasties during its 2,500 years history. Nanjing not only has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, but also is one of the major research centers and higher-education hubs in modern China with particular strength in geoscience and environmental science. The conference venue, the Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre (IYCC), was designed by the late Ms. Zaha Hadid, a world renowned architect.
I hope that you will enjoy an exciting conference and a pleasant stay in Nanjing.
Welcome Message from the ISTEB President
This ICOBTE meeting is the 15th in a long and successful series of meetings convened by the International Society for Trace Element Biogeochemistry (ISTEB). The ICOBTE series commenced in 1990 in Orlando, Florida, USA and has rotated to various regions and countries around the world every 2 years. It is a non-profit series of conferences with all excess funds being used to support attendance at the meetings, specifically students, and particularly students from developing countries. In 1999, ISTEB was formed to provide a stronger basis for the organisation of the conference series, and all attendees at ICOBTE meetings automatically become members of ISTEB (at no cost). Through the Executive Board and committees, the primary purpose of ISTEB is to select conference locations, provide organisational support, assist with abstract review, and travel scholarship administration. Conference organisers are usually dedicated teams of scientists and students that work on a voluntary basis, as are the organisers of the Special Symposia – it is a significant contribution of time and as a society, ISTEB sincerely thanks them for their dedication and commitment.
Prof. Dr. Mike McLaughlin
ISTEB President
CSIRO, Australia
This is the second time the ICOBTE meeting has been convened in China, and it is a pertinent location for discussion of trace element biogeochemistry given the concentrations of people, animals and industries in the country. ISTEB is indebted to the organisers of the meeting, and in particular the Chair of the 15th ICOBTE, Prof. Fangjie Zhao, for their excellent organisation and their commitment and enthusiasm to make this meeting a success. Also, thanks to the ISTEB Committees that assisted with abstract review, scholarship assessment and general organisation of the 15th ICOBTE meeting. Finally thanks to the ISTEB Board for their support for the meeting and for their work on behalf of ISTEB to make the ICOBTE series successful.
I wish you all a successful and enjoyable meeting, where you establish or renew networks of colleagues to assist your research careers, and learn new techniques and processes that contribute to better understanding and management of trace element biogeochemistry in the environment. And congratulations you are now a member of ISTEB.