Associate Professor Dr. Irena Mrak from the Faculty of Environmental Protection is this year’s recipient of the dr. Angela Piskernik diploma for her distinguished work in mountain nature conservation.
Dr. Irena Mrak (born in 1973) is one of the most prominent Slovenian female Himalayan climbers of recent decades and a passionate advocate for mountain nature conservation. She holds her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in geography from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana. As a Fulbright scholar, she completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of Montana in the United States. She lives in Tržič and works as a researcher and lecturer. At the Faculty of Environmental Protection, she is a lecturer in Planning and Development of Protected Areas at the undergraduate level and in Sustainable Development of Protected Areas, Sustainable Tourism and Recreation, and Project and Research Work at the master’s level. She is a member of several professional bodies and associations, leads or collaborates on scientific projects, and is the author of numerous scientific and professional publications. As a geographer, she studies mountain ecosystems, highlights their special sensitivity, and actively advocates for mountain nature conservation. Her mountaineering achievements include more than 800 climbing routes in Slovenia, Europe, South America, and Asia. Her love of mountaineering is combined with her other great passion, photography.
Irena Mrak’s photography archive is very extensive. A selection from her rich collection will be showcased in a new exhibition dedicated to glaciers. The exhibition will open on World Environment Day, June 5, at the Gaudeamus exhibition space at the Faculty of Environmental Protection.
