We interviewed Professor Mathias Becker from the University of Bonn. He is organizing this year’s conference. Learn more about his experiences and expectations in this video

"Soil science and pollinators. They're my main interests... they're both representative of our declining resources, posing a threat to our very existence. Oh my gosh I'm so dramatic," laughed Lydia from Germany, during a discussion on what she hopes to explore in her future studies.

Lydia is one of the twelve young researchers invited to join the Tropentag 2017 Student Reporter team this year in Bonn, Germany. She arrived in Bonn on Monday by train, with a kebab in hand and a desire to bridge knowledge gaps between scientists and non-scientists in heart. "On Monday I was quite relaxed, but now... well, I'm getting excited, and nervous, and a bit anxious because there are expectations. Which I'm not sure we can meet... but I'm ready to give my best.

Lydia explains that a closed group of scientists work to find solutions to the challenges of our society, and "it would be nice if there is an understanding from the public about the work of scientists."

Follow Lydia's work on the Student Reporter Photography team on our Flickr.

Hana is from Bắc Giang, Vietnam and studies International Development and Agricultural Economics at the Czech University of Life Sciences. She considers Tropentag 2017 as a learning opportunity, especially how to effectively use social media to enhance online content, like blog posts. She found the student reporter position on the Czech University of Life Sciences website, the location of Tropentag in 2014.

In Bonn, she hopes to meet new people with some common interests within the student reporter team, and learn more about herself as they work together. Of course, she also wants to drop in on some of the more interesting topics being discussed at the conference! In the end, she hopes to practice journalism in agriculture, even under time pressure so as to make a product she can be proud of.

This is Kristian from the USA, one of our editors this year. He is a masters student in Agricultural Science in the Tropics and Subtropics at the University of Hohenheim, where he heard about student reporters for the Tropentag 2017. When he saw the flier in the break room at Hohenheim, he thought it was an excellent chance to walk a mile in the shoes of a journalist, using social media to communicate to both experts and the public. And that is what led him here.

His ambition is to cover this conference like no one has before. He hopes to make new friends and avoid making any new enemies during the process, after all it is stressful to keep the deadlines. He also wants to know more about the topics presented at this conference and how an interdisciplinary team from all across the world can make an effective team.

Let's look forward to great blogs from Kristian