Many of our student reporters this year are trying out scientific journalism for the first time at Tropentag. But Vitalii Korol, last year’s videographer from Ukraine, enjoyed his experience so much that he’s back for more. You may be wondering, though – why are students the reporters at a formal academic conference in the first place? With the myriad of topics presented at Tropentag, Vitalii feels that it’s valuable to have students reporting because they “act as a filter”. According to him, students have the ability to “decide what is interesting, what is a trending topic” for a broader audience, as opposed to researchers immersed in their area of study. In discussing his participation in Tropentag, Vitalii’s passion for videography comes through. Videos have allowed student reporters to capture the mood of the conference and interactions between people that are hard to convey through the written media. Vitalii also finds video effective in conveying more complex messages, because he can hone in on details or focus on things that are usually out of sight. Student reporters come not just for the journalism experience, but also out of genuine interest in the Tropentag topics. Vitalii is a master’s student in Sustainable Resource Management who has just completed fieldwork on the economics of land degradation in Uzbekistan. He is looking forward to exchanging insights with other researchers in the field.